As residents of Edo State head to the polls today, the three main political parties have expressed their readiness for the election.
With over 2.2 million permanent voter cards collected, candidates of the parties —Senator Monday Okpebholo (All Progressives Congress), Asue Ighodalo (Peoples Democratic Party), and Olumide Akpata (Labour Party)— are hoping to get the highest number of votes.
The winner will occupy Osadebe House, the government house, which will be vacated on November 11 by the incumbent, Governor Godwin Obaseki, who has served two tenures.
The Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state, Peter Uwadiae, stated that his party was ready for the election.
He said, “Our campaign shows our readiness. We have done that which the law allows us to do and our campaign was issue-based. As a party, I can confirm that we are ready. We fear that one of the persons who killed the police officer at the Benin Airport is roaming freely and we hear he is in Edo Central mobilizing for trouble and distorting the election, while other PDP leaders are also doing the same in Edo South.”
While expressing readiness for the election, the Deputy Director General of Media for the Asue/Ighodalo campaign, Dr Pedro Obaseki, voiced concerns that the process could be hijacked by thugs.
He stated, “It has come to light that this is part of a larger strategy to compromise these materials in Oredo LGA. Other local governments targeted for similar disruptions include Egor, Uhunmwonde, and parts of Ovia Federal Constituency.”
The Public Relations Officer of the LP, Sam Uruopa, said Akpata and the party were ready for the polls.
He urged INEC to play by the rules and advised security operatives not to intimidate, harass, or molest the electorate.
Uruopa said, “The LP candidate is well prepared, done the needful, gone round 18 LGs and the over 193 wards three times, and he is the only candidate that went to the riverine area with speedboats and he was readily accepted. I can tell you that his preparation is second to none.
“For now, we have not had any fear over the process but we are urging INEC, a Federal Government institution, to be an unbiased umpire and play by the rules of the game.”
The battleground areas
The major battleground will be in Edo Central, where Okpehbolo and Asue hail from.
The APC candidate has affirmed that he has the backing of the electorate from the zone and expressed hope that his tutelage under the late Tony Anenih will work in his favour.
Edo North is a stronghold of the APC, but the PDP has made inroads into the zone since the presidential election last year.
This development has been speculated to ruffle some feathers in a zone that a former governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, still holds sway.
The state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, who rejoined APC after his battle with Governor Obaseki, will also pull his weight in Edo North.
After a less-than-impressive performance in the 2023 general election, the APC has made significant strides in recent months, with the return of Mathew Urhoghide and Charles Idahosa—widely regarded as a masterstroke.
On the other hand, Ighodalo who hails from Edo Central, will also be relying on the popularity of his party in some parts of Edo South to emerge as a winner.
Akpata’s emergence as the candidate of the LP came to many as a surprise, but he admitted that the plan, which he termed deliberate, had been on for long.
The LP candidate’s stronghold is in Edo South, where he hails from, but he has toured the entire state to gain more supporters and present his manifesto to the electorate.
Despite the LP’s success in last year’s general election, the party has not rested on its oars as it is aware that its two main rivals, the APC and PDP are also consolidating in areas where they enjoyed popularity.