The governorship election in Edo State will hold on September 21. There will be a change of government on November 12.
Seventeen governorship candidates and their running mates are expected to participate in the exercise across 192 wards in 18 local government areas.
The political parties and governorship candidates are: Action Alliance (AA) – Uwaifo Osaro, Social Democratic Party (SDP) – Anerua Abdullai Aliu, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) – Azena Azemhe Friday, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) – Osifo Isiah, All People Movement (APM) – Ugiagbe Odaro, All People Party (APP) – Areleogbe Amos Osalumese,
Action Democratic Party (ADP) – Akhime kingson Afere, African Action Congress (AAC) – Udoh Oberaiafo, and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) – Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena.
Other governorship candidates are Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – Asuerinme Ighodalo, Boot Party (BP) – Osirame Edeipo, African Democratic Congress (ADC) – Obazele Paul Agbone, Labour Party (LP) – Olumide Akpata, All Progressives Congress (APC) – Senator Monday Okpebholo, People Redemption Party (PRP) – Key Patience Ndidi, Young Progressive Party (YPP) – Okungbowa Paul Ovbokhan, and Accord (A) – Iyere Kennedy.
The deputy governorship candidates are: AA – Aigbede Odion, SDP – Ahmedu Paul, NNPP – Alokha Sunday Omohkekhai, APGA – Agunu Anthony, APM – Sylvester Ezomo Timothy, APP – Oyarenua Paul Anwaosi, ADP – Obazee Ramatu, AAC – Lawal Abdulhafiz, and ZLP – Idubo Joyce Olamilayo.
Other deputy governorship candidates are PDP – Osarodion Ogie, BP – Okhaide Rotimi Festus, ADC – Frank Ilaboya, LP – Alufohai Oluyinka Faith, APC – Dennis Idahosa, PRP – Ojo Abuomwande Advice, YPP – Mustapha Hammed Tijani, and A – Bright Enabulele.
The leading political parties in Edo are APC, PDP and LP, while leaders and members of the 14 other parties that are fielding candidates for the crucial poll will also try their best to convince the electorate to vote for the candidates of their parties.
Idahosa:
The youthful Idahosa hails from Benin Kingdom in Edo South and he currently represents Ovia Constituency in the House of Representatives.
APC’s deputy governorship candidate was on February 17, 2024 declared winner of the direct governorship primary election at the highbrow Protea Hotel, Benin by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who was the Chairman of the primary organising committee, but some of the governorship aspirants protested to the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, which led to ordering of fresh poll.
The keenly-contested repeated governorship primary election of APC, on February 22, produced Senator Monday Okpebholo, the representative of Edo Central senatorial district, as the standard bearer of the party, as declared at Lushville Hotel and Suites, Gapiona Avenue, in the Government Reservation Area (GRA), Benin, by the new chairman of the direct primary-organising committee, Senator Bassey Otu, the Governor of Cross River state.
The reconciliation efforts of the leaders of APC in Edo and at the national level led Idahosa to accept to be running mate to Okpebholo, while the strategic combination will help the party to sweep the votes in Idahosa’s Edo South with the largest voting strength, since Okpebholo hails from Edo Central with the least voting strength.
The APC deputy governorship candidate is a grassroots politician, who has consistently been winning elections in his unit, ward, local government area, state House of Assembly, and federal constituency.
Idahosa, also a world-class entrepreneur and investor, with his exposure and experience, will surely add value to APC’s joint ticket, thereby making the main opposition party in Edo to be the winner of the crucial poll.
Ogie:
Ogie, a lawyer, hails from Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area in Benin Kingdom, Edo South senatorial district, and he is the current Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG) in the Godwin Obaseki’s administration, the position he has held since 2016.
The deputy governorship candidate, a thinker, master strategist, who is always very quiet, was one of the arrowheads of the Grace Group, tagged: “No man is God.” It emanated from the PDP, with the members being against what was then perceived as the authoritarian nature of some of the then bigwigs of PDP.
Some members of the grace group later formed the nucleus of the defunct Action Congress (AC), which metamorphosed to the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and now APC.
When Comrade Adams Oshiomhole became Edo governor in 2008, Ogie was appointed the Chief of Staff, while in Oshiomhole’s second tenure from 2012, he emerged the Commissioner for Works.
In 2016, shortly after the inauguration of Godwin Obaseki as governor, Ogie was appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
The PDP’s deputy governorship candidate, with his wealth of experience and political sagacity, will help the governing party in Edo to emerge victorious.
Alufohai:
She was the Chairperson of LP in Owan West LGA, in Edo North senatorial district, with the second largest voting strength in Edo state.
The deputy governorship candidate of LP will adequately complement and promote the party’s standard bearer, Olumide Akpata, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), who is an indigene of Benin Kingdom in Edo South senatorial district, to emerge victorious, in his first attempt to be Edo governor.
Aigbede:
The youthful politician was the party’s candidate for Egor Constituency in Edo House of Assembly during the 2023 general elections, which she lost. With her experience in politics, she will add value to AA’s joint ticket.
Ahmedu:
The grassroots politician will definitely mobilise for his party, but the impact may not be felt.
Alokha:
Little is known about the politician, who has a lot of work to do to convince Edo electorate to vote for the party.
Agunu:
The party is not popular in Edo State, and Anthony is not well known by most of the electorate. So, APGA winning the governorship election will be a Herculean task.
Sylvester:
In spite of the efforts being made and strategies being adopted, little is known about Timothy, who was described by his allies as a mobiliser.
Oyarenua:
The little-known Anwaosi will find it so difficult to make serious impact at the poll.
Obazee:
Most Edo electorate do not know the politician, who has to work much harder to make meaningful impact.
Lawal:
He is a former Chairman of AAC in Edo state, but the party may not make serious impact during the election.
Idubo:
The pastor and educationist will add value to the joint ticket, in view of her wealth of experience.
Okhaide:
BP may not be keen about winning the election, in view of its unpopularity in Edo, while its leaders and members are not trying to make a difference in the state, as the deputy governorship candidate is barely known by most of the electorate.
Ilaboya:
He is an experienced politician who aspired in 2015 to represent Owan West constituency in Edo House of Assembly on the platform of APC. He is no pushover in politics, as he will add value to his party’s joint ticket.
Ojo:
The little known deputy governorship candidate may struggle to make impact during the election, considering the unpopularity.
Mustapha:
Tijani’s political party is not popular in Edo state. So, he may not make serious impact.
Enabulele:
Enabulele is an influential politician, but his party is not popular, and he may not make impact during the election.
The September 21 governorship election in Edo may be won by either the candidate of APC, PDP or LP, in view of the popularity of the political parties in the state, while the standard bearers of the 14 other participating parties will start early to prepare for the 2028 poll. A word is enough for the wise.
