Edo State Governorship Candidate Advises PDP Rival to Withdraw from Race
In a shocking move, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the upcoming September 21 governorship election in Edo State, has called on his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rival, Asue Ighodalo, to withdraw from the race.
According to Okpebholo, Ighodalo’s failure as the economic adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki has plunged the state into massive debt, which currently stands at over N573 billion. This is a far cry from the N43 billion debt inherited by the outgoing government.
Okpebholo made the remarks during a meeting with the Edo State chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Benin City. He argued that Ighodalo’s involvement in the Obaseki-led government was a sad story, as a government that had failed the people was bringing someone who had failed the state as an economic adviser.
“This outgoing government which Asue Ighodalo was the Chief Economic Adviser only inherited about N43 billion debt from Adams Oshiomhole, Lucky Igbinedion and Prof Oserhiemen Osunbor governments,” Okpebholo said. “When Oshiomhole was receiving between N3.1 billion and N3.3 billion work was going on in the state but with over N11 billion, Governor Obaseki has nothing to show for it.”
Okpebholo also accused the Obaseki government of unprecedented stealing, claiming that the governor would not stay in office to hand over power to the next administration due to the misappropriation of state funds. He urged the electorate to use their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to punish PDP and its candidate, stating that the people’s money would “vomit” back on election day.
The APC governorship hopeful assured that if elected, he would change the narratives of governance in the state, prioritizing the empowerment of farmers to address food insecurity. He appealed to the farmers to come out en masse on election day to vote for him.
Okpebholo’s advice to Ighodalo to withdraw from the race may be seen as a bold move, given the intense political rivalry between the APC and PDP in Edo State. However, it remains to be seen if the PDP candidate will heed Okpebholo’s advice and pull out of the race.
