Politics

Edo 2024: Obaseki’s Ex-Aide, Ex-gov’s Daughter, Ogbemudia, Join Forces With Imansuangbon To Rescue Edo

Published

11 months ago

June 21, 2023

…Obaseki Challenged To Account For Over N1trillion

…Ogbemudia Decries Decay In Edo Public Schools

The political fortune of the Edo State chapter of Labour Party, LP, Thursday, swelled as former commissioner for Youths and Special Duties, Andrew Enwanta alongside daughter of former governor of defunct Bendel State, Amen Ogbemudia formally declared for the party.

The duo formally defected to the party when they accompanied Barrister Ken Imansuangbon to pay a visit to the state executive committee of the party in Benin, the Edo State capital.

Imansuangbon had penultimate week joined the party, and consequently registered his membership with the party at his ward 2 Esan South East Local Government Area of the State on Tuesday.

The trio of Ken Imansuangbon, popularly known as the ‘riceman’, Ewanta, Ogbemudia and other defectors were received at the party’s secretariat located at Ogbelaka Street by the state chairman of the party ,Kelly Ogbaloi and his exco.

Imansuangbon, who addressed party faithfuls at the secretariat, recalled his sojourn in party politics.

He declared that his defection from the PDP had put an end to “painful years of deceit in the hands of political godfathers whom he lamented never meant well for the state.”

He declared, “My eyes are now opened and I have decided to take my case to God almighty and to Edo people. I don’t want to put my case in the hands of the godfathers anymore.

“I’m tired of the oppression of the godfathers; tired of the pain and deception; I want to now take my faith and destiny into God’s hand and the good people of Edo state. With God and Edo people my 2024 is sure.”

Also speaking, Enwanta, who resigned his membership of the PDP last week, challenged Governor Godwin Obaseki to give account of trillions of naira accruable to the state since 2016, noteing that the time for propagandas and MoU’s are over.

Lampooning Obaseki for imposition and destruction the PDP in the state, the former commissioner accused him (Obaseki) of occupying the position of godfatherism in the state.

“In 2020, when the governor came into the PDP we had people like the Dan Orbihs and the others, but because of lack of relationship skills, these people have been ostracized from the party; little wonder the party performed abysmally.

“At the first ballot in February this year, the 9 federal constituencies PDP won zero, senatorial election, PDP won zero. It has never happened in the history of PDP in Edo state that a party in government will perform abysmally. for me that was a referendum in government.

“Over N3billion have been spent on Observer and Edo Broadcasting Service, EBS, all kinds of consultants have performed surgeries on Nigerian Observer Newspapers and EBS and nothing to show. The government that since it came on board, it has received over one trillion and nothing to account for; it is the height of fraud”

On her part, Ogbemudia, a one time Executive Director under former governor Adams Oshiomhole, decried the state of decay and rots in public schools in the state.

She promised that Labour Party’s administration will right the many wrongs in the state.

Politics

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

6 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.

Politics

Defection: Edo Govt, Ex-PDP BoT Member, Idahosa In Verbal War

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Edo State government and a former member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Monday traded words over the latter defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that Idahosa resigned
formally resigned who had last month resigned from PDP, rejoined the APC on Monday in Benin City.

Speaking during his formal presentation to the APC in Benin City, he noted that he left the party four years ago due to internal crisis.

Idahosa added that he dumped the PDP because of what he described as the “damning deeds of the Obaseki-led administration in the last four years”.

He took a swipe at Obaseki for saying that PDP would win the forthcoming September governorship election with 80 per cent of votes.

“I thank God, four years later we all are wiser now. Like the Secretary said, I was a founding member of ACD, ACN and APC. The damage we did four years ago, the APC never remained the same.

“But I am glad we are back to the family. I was nominated to the Board of the Railway when I was in the APC. When I moved to the PDP, I wrote to resign my membership but it was rejected and showed my wide acceptance.

“At 71, I am not here to contest position with anybody, I am here to work. I want to urge APC to keep their eyes on the ball. It is not over until it is over.”

While lambasting Governor Obaseki for his comment that those leaving PDP have been given money, he noted that his greatest regret was not allowing the governor to resign after his first four years in office.

“When he came to beg me like a weather beaten chicken, how much did he give to me? Anytime he goes religious gathering he would say those leaving PDP have been given money.

“He came to me three times in my house to say he wants to resign, that he was tired of being governor but I appealed to him, telling him it was not about him but Benin interest.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare alleged that Idahosa was never a PDP member.

Nehikhare noted that Idahosa was also never a BOT member of the party, because the party in the state rejected his nomination.

He alleged that it was as a result of the rejection that he found his way back to APC.

“I heard that he claimed to be a member of BOT of PDP but I want to challenge him to tell us when he was sworn in as a member of PDP BOT. He was not a fit and proper person. Even though he was nominated he was shunned by the party.

“It was this that drove him back to APC which he never left in the first place. He was holding on to the board appointment which was offered him while in APC prior to 2020 governorship election.

“He has reached the end of his political career. He has nothing to offer any political party or any group he joins because he believes in bread and butter politics,” Nehikhare said.