Regaining Edo State is a goal that All Progressives Congress National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and former APC National Chairman Senator Adams Oshiomole expressed.
Insisting that the state is an APC state, Ganduje made this claim late on Monday night at a gathering with Edo State stakeholders.
The Edo State governorship election is scheduled for September 21, 2024, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The APC announced a timetable of events for the election, and it states that the forms for the sale of nominations, expressions of interest, and delegates, which went up last Wednesday, will close on January 29.
On February 17, the APC will hold a primary election to choose its candidate for governor.
"Edo is an APC state," Ganduje declared, reaffirming the party's mandate in the state. We have to give Edo back now. It is unacceptable that there is only one South-South state representing the largest party in Africa. After forging across numerous rivers, we were able to obtain only one state: Cross River State. But we have to acquire Edo State.
The APC national chairman declared that it would not be business as usual, adding that the party is a progressive party with clear-cut objectives.
He added, “Two, we have to improve our internal democracy – we have to deepen and widen it. We need to understand the party and its manifesto…its rules and regulations. We need to understand its philosophy. We need to move towards having a party ideology so that we will not be an ordinary political association whereby everybody can come in just to win the election. You have to believe in the doctrine of the party – become a full member of the party.
“To widen it, we need to increase our followership. So internal democracy is very important. We have to be transparent and at the same time, we have to also adopt a guided democracy where we can discuss issues so that we limit if possible the number of contests. Even though it’s not a crime if we have a large number. The party will get more revenue but that’s not the issue.”
On the number of APC Edo governorship aspirants, the former Kano State Governor stated, “The issue is that if we can leave it through agreement, the better for us.
“Some know that at this material time, maybe because of the location; maybe because of some antecedents, they may not be the best candidate at the moment. That doesn’t mean they will never be a good candidate but through that consensus, we will be able to narrow down so that we have candidates”.
Also speaking, the Senator Representing Edo North Senatorial District, Oshiomole alleged that the party’s defeat in the 2020 governorship was caused by some party members.
"Mr. Chairman, you even offered to lead the last campaign and relocated while serving as governor of Kano state, therefore nobody needs to lecture you on this. To ensure that we won the last gubernatorial election, nearly the whole Kano State Executive Council moved to Benin for many days. Sadly, not everyone shares your enthusiasm for party involvement.
"We have made an effort to start a conversation among our candidates. It's no secret that, at the time of our conversation, I believe the candidates were 27 years old. I found that it's now up to 29. The battle and the process are not over. Thus, we anticipate a well-balanced celebration.
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