Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city
Leaders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo Central senatorial district yesterday, rose from a caucus meeting of leaders at Uromi, Edo State, with a demand for the party to zone the governorship position of the state in the coming primary of the party to the district.
The district demand came a week after the Afemai declaration of Edo North PDP asking for the position of the deputy governor of the state.
Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, the PDP leaders, including Mr. Hilary Ekhoye, Mr. Richard Okosun, Mr. John Yakubu, Broderick Itua, Mr. Gideon Ikhine and Mrs. Julie Okosun among others, said the agenda of the Esan people in the state is to produce the next governor on the platform of the party “because the post has eluded them for the past 22 years.
“What we resolved in that meeting was that Esan must produce the next governor of this state. That is our consensus position, as we are not going for any other position. What we are asking now is that other senatorial district should join us in our demand because Esan is the home of PDP in Edo state. We may not arrive there easily but we are going to continue to discuss with the people of Edo North and Edo South to give us this opportunity because this is what we want. Yes there may be few people who may not agree with us because of their selfish ambition, but that is our general agreement.”
A governorship aspirant of the party, Gideon Ikhine, said Edo State is made up of three senatorial districts, North, South and Central “and if you observe , Edo closely, Edo Central has always won elections for the party.
“We have resolved to discuss and negotiate with the two other senatorial districts that what we want is the governorship slot for the Esan people. You will recall that Chief Lucky Igbinedion was governor for eight years and the still birth that happened in Osunbor time was zoned to Edo North. After that time the governorship position was supposed to come to the Central but it was again taken to the South, and at that point in time, we said no it was the turn of Edo Central, but as fate may had it, Ize Iyamu ran and we lost. Also, before that time, the chance was given to Charles Aivebere but we also lost. In the past 22 years of the PDP, the Esan man has not been given the chance to aspire to be the governor of Edo State.”
On his part, Broderick Itua said the leaders have reaffirmed the position of the Esan man in the political history of the state.
