By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

The chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), South Africa chapter, Dr. Legend Asuelime, has said that the progressive in the Diaspora (APC members in Diaspora) are interested in winning the 2024 Edo State governorship election for the APC.

The Chairman, Diaspora APC said the state once belonged to the APC before the governor (Obaseki) they elected took the state to the opposition, insisting that this is the more reason why the Diaspora APC wants to ensure the state go back to the party.

Asuelime who disclosed this on Friday at the secretariat of the APC in Benin, said he came to Edo State to form a strong synergy between the state APC and the Diaspora APC with a view to working for the victory of the party in the forthcoming election.

According to him, Edo extraction alone has over 5,000 registered Diaspora voters who, according to him, have influence in not less than 50,000 voters at home that will vote in the governorship election.

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He said: “This state belonged to us at a certain point, but our governor that we elected took it to another party. We know the role the Diasporas played to make sure he emerged then.”

He added: “This is the time for the Diaspora, I mean the progressive Diaspora to ensure such narrative does not take place again. So, this the time for Edo State, I mean the progressive party- APC to take the Diaspora arm seriously, and if we do not do what we are doing now, we will not have a central cord to organise and to shape the narrative.”

He continued: “My focus and involvement is to ensure that Edo State return to the APC. My main purpose is whosoever emergences at the primary of APC becomes the next governor of Edo State.”

He added: ” Edo extraction alone in the Diaspora has over 5,000 registered voters who are breadwinners of over 50,000 families here at home, and you know what that means.”

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Asked if he’s interested in contesting the forthcoming governorship election, the APC chieftain said: “I am not interested in contesting the governorship election in Edo State, I am just interested in who govern the state; I am interested in Edo State returning to the progressives party – the All Progressives Congress, APC, and that is what we are here for.”

Speaking on the European Union’s (EU) report on the 2023 presidential election, the Diaspora APC Chairman said the EU shouldn’t interfere in Nigeria’s election because Nigeria has never interfere in their elections.

He insisted that Nigeria is an independent and sovereign nation hence it must stop inviting foreigners as observers in any election.

He said: “I understand the dynamism and the politics play at the international level. Nigeria did not interfere in European countries elections; we did not interfere in America elections; what we see here do not matter to them, so why should what they say matter to us. It’s time we start taking ourselves serious; we are independent and sovereign nation.

“I want to say this, anything the EU say, there is an agenda behind it. Take for instance, what are they saying about the election that brought Joe Biden as president of the US.”