Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
Candidates of the Action Alliance (AA) and Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) in the September 28 Edo State governorship election, Ishaka Paul Ofomile and Andrew Igwemoh, respectively, have announced their withdrawal from the election and have adopted the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Earlier, the candidates of the KOWA Party, Thompson Osadolor, and the People for Democratic Change (PDC), Bishop Akharame, had stepped down for Ize-Iyamu, bringing the number of candidates who have withdrew their gubernatorial ambitions for Ize-Iyamu to four.
Ofomile and Igwemoh, who made the declaration yesterday during a PDP rally held in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of the state, said their decision to endorse the PDP candidate was an easy one, pointing out that Ize-Iyamu was fully prepared for the office he is seeking and will offer the best hope for the state.
The ACD candidate, who is from the same Iyamho community with the state Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, pointed out that it would have been easy for him to align with the governor and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Godwin Obaseki, but the issue of who governs the state was not a “brotherly affair.”
He said Oshiomhole only developed a section of Iyamho community, regretting that the governor has succeeded in building a university in Iyamho that is not affordable for the people of the community.
According to him, “We have collapsed our structure and are now working for a team that can take the state to Eldorado. They (APC) promised to create 200,000 jobs when they have not even created 1,000 jobs.”
In his remarksPastor Ize-Iyamu regretted that Oshiomhole abandoned Okpella despite the overwhelming support given to him, adding that the governor ruled as if Okpella was not part of Etsako and did not harness the huge mineral deposits it possesses.
“I want to assure you that we will not disappoint you. We will harness the huge mineral resources in Okpella. They have punished you for too long and you must punish them too,” he said.
