Barely two months after the gubernatorial election in Edo State, fresh tension has engulfed the state over the anticipated senatorial election in Edo Central Senatorial District to pick the successor to the state’s Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, in the Senate.
Okpebholo represented Edo Central Senatorial District on the banner of the governing party, All Progressives Congress (APC) before his election as of the state.
Already, intensive manoeuvring and intrigues over the replacement of the governor in the Senate have begun within the major political parties, especially APC.
In the governing party, no fewer than 12 aspirants are jostling for consideration for the ticket of APC.
To this end, tongues are wagging in APC in Edo State over alleged plot by the National Chairman of APC, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje and Okpebholo to impose Mr. Odianosen Henry Okojie, as candidate of the party in the election.
Okojie currently represents Esan North East and Esan South East Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Okojie was reported to be mobilising his contacts in Abuja, particularly in the Presidency, to prevail on Ganduje and Okpebholo to circumvent the processes by imposing him as the candidate of the party.
Okojie was also reported to be boastful of his contacts in Abuja to fetch him the ticket, by sidetraccking intra-party election which is expected to throw up a popular and credible candidate to fly the banner of the party.
Worried by the tension being generated by the plot to impose Okojie on members of APC in Edo Central, a pressure group, Esan Renaissance Movement (ERM), has petitioned Ganduje and Okpebholo, on the festering issue.
The group, in a statement, issued on Thursday, fingered the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila and Minister of Interior, Mr. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, as sponsors and promoters of Okojie.
The group in the state ment signed by its President, Agbonkhese Osezua and Secretary, Napoleon Ironosen, warned Gbajabiamila and Tunji-Ojo to steer clear and refrain from manipulating the processes leading to the choice of candidate for the senatorial election.
ERM advised Ganduje and Okpebholo not to succumb to intimidation and blackmail by Gbajabiamila and Tunji-Ojo to secure free passage for Okojie into the Senate.
The group said they have profiled all APC members jostling to replace the governor in the Senate, adding that Okojie was the least qualified among them.
The petitioners said he was unfit and unsuitable to pick a seat in the Senate on behalf of Edo senatorial district, insisting that he has failed to justify the mandate given to him to represent Esan North East and Esan South East in the House of Representatives.
According to the group, Okojie was docile and timid in the House, with no record of an impact ful representation of his constituents in the 10th Assembly.
The group pointedly accused Okojie of deploying weapons of blackmail and intimidation in pursuit of personal and selfish agenda for financial gains in his 18 months sojourn in the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
Consequently, the group urged the national leadership of the ruling party to be wary of given tacit support to Okojie, adding that he was not viable candidate to win a senatorial contest.
It also warned Governor Okpebholo to distance himself from Okojie in order to sustain his credibility and warm himself into the psyche of the people of Esanland.
The group said further in the statement, “Odianosen Henry Okojie lacks the credibility to fly the ticket of APC for a senatorial election. What has he achieved with the current made given to him to represent Esan North East and Esan South East Constituency in the House of Representatives? Absolutely nothing.”
“How many bills has he sponsored and how many motions has he moved in the past 18 months? Odianosen Henry Okojie is a sleeping representative of Esan North East and Esan South East Constituency of Edo State in the House of Representatives. He should not be given a free ticket to take a seat in the Senate to sleep and whenever he is awake, he would be busy pursuing a selfish agenda to enrich himself.”
“The roles played by Odianosen Henry Okojie and his co-traveller, Ikenga Ugochinyere in the Aliko Dangote/NNPCL debacle is still very fresh in our memories. In tandem with their antics of blackmail and intimidation, they took money to take side with Dangote in the Ad-hoc Committeeassignment, a sad development which led to the dissolution of the Ad-hoc committee headed by Ugochinyere, with Henry Okojie, as a member.”
“That is the job Odianosen Henry Okojie is doing in Abuja, he is not representing Esan North East and Esan South East Constituency but representing only himself. He is not a fit, competent and suitable person to represent us in the Senate. We have a pool of qualified and credible individuals, who can take our seat in the Senate. Odianosen Henry Okojie should stay in the House and complete his present assignment of using the instrumentality of his chairmanship of the House Commitee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream) to continue to blackmail the management of NNPCL for illicit wealth.”
“We seize this medium to plead with the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila and Minister of Interior, Mr. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, to allow the members of APC in Edo Central to freely elect their candidate for the upcoming senatorial election. It’s not right for forces outside Edo State to always fix and give directions to our political journeys. They should please allow us to fix this. We can produce a credible candidate in a primary election. The candidature of Odianosen Henry Okojie cannot deliver Edo Central Senatorial District to the APC.”
In conclusion, we also urge the indefatigable National Chairman of APC not to succumb to pressures by Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila and Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo to impose Odianosen Henry Okojie on members of APC in Edo Central Senatorial District. And the people’s Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, whose take off has received widespread accolades should sustain his legitimacy and tempo of his acceptability by our people by distancing himself from Odianosen Henry Okojie,” the statement added.
