…as Oshiomole, Shaibu, Odubu, Urhoghide lead campaign
Ben Ogbemudia, Abuja
Within just 48 hours, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has kicked off its governorship campaign with a whirlwind tour, launching from Edo South on Tuesday, storming into Edo Central by Wednesday, and setting its sights on Edo North next.
This energetic start signals a united APC, rallying around its gubernatorial candidate, Distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo, under the resounding campaign slogan, “A New Edo Is Rising.”
The campaign message, delivered by prominent APC leaders, is loud and unambiguous: sweep away the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Edo State. With the party galvanized and focused, unlike the fractured and crumbled PDP, all the APC leaders in unison repainted the damning picture of the eight-year administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki, its failed policies and anti-people governance. The consensus is clear — it is time for a change.
Former governorship candidate of the APC, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, did not mince words as he declared, “It is the end of the PDP in Edo State.” Reflecting on the PDP’s fall from favor, he confidently predicted that Obaseki’s time in office would soon be up, stating that the APC is ready to restore the state to a path of progress and development.
Adding weight to the critique, Charles Idahosa, a former member of the PDP’s Board of Trustees (BoT), revealed his regret in supporting Obaseki. “I was the face of Obaseki to the PDP, it was a mistake we did for him, and we are going to remove it from him. When we took him to PDP, he won, but now we have left him and he will lose,” Idahosa said, driving home the point that Obaseki’s political fortunes have turned, and his once loyal allies have now abandoned him.
Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, the acting state chairman of the APC, emphasized the momentum of the campaign, likening it to a train gathering speed across the state. “The train to Osadebey Avenue is taking off, and it will stop in Edo Central, Edo North, and come back to Edo South. So, the people should enter the train now before it gets to Osadebey Avenue,” he said, urging the people of Edo to join the APC’s journey towards victory.
The rallying call to remove the PDP was echoed by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the Apex Leader of APC and former governor of Edo State. He was particularly critical of Obaseki’s administration, accusing the government of prioritizing commercial interests over educational and healthcare infrastructure. “They claim to be technocrats, and in this era of seeking knowledge, they destroyed a library and replaced it with Shoprite. I can assure you that our candidate will turn it back into a digital library,” Oshiomhole said.
Oshiomhole further accused the Obaseki administration of mishandling the Benin Royal Museum project and abandoning critical infrastructure. “They destroyed a hospital and are building a museum to re-loot returned artefacts that belong to the palace. Our candidate will partner with the palace to build the Benin Royal Museum for the kingdom,” he continued. He also assured the people of Edo that Senator Okpebholo would revive the Benin Water Storm project to address the city’s perennial flooding problem.
The APC’s deputy governorship candidate, Dennis Idahosa, framed the upcoming contest as one between generations. “The contest is between the youth and old men,” he said, highlighting that the APC represents the aspirations of Edo’s younger population.
State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu rallied support for the APC, calling on the people not to be intimidated by the PDP. He urged them to stand strong and join the APC in defeating the incumbent government.
Paul Ohonbamu, former deputy speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, painted a stark contrast between the two major candidates in the race. He declared that the battlelines were drawn between one man’s ambition and the survival of the state. “For every bad, there is worse,” Ohonbamu said, “Obaseki is bad, Ighodalo is worse. Obaseki is planning a bazaar with items.”
As the APC campaign train gathers steam, the message is clear: the PDP’s time in Edo State is over. The party is united behind Senator Monday Okpebholo, and the people of Edo are being asked to embrace a new future. The slogan “A New Edo Is Rising” is not just a campaign tagline but a rallying cry for change as the APC aims to sweep the PDP out of power and chart a new course for the state.
