A leading socio-cultural pan Esan organization, Esan Okpa Initiative (EOI), has lauded two of the major political parties in Edo State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for conceding the governorship tickets of their respective parties to aspirants of Esan extraction.
While congratulating the candidates of the APC and PDP, the group recalled that it had in the past, made several appeals to APC, PDP and Labour Party(LP) in the state, to look in the direction of Esan land in the choice of their flagbearers for the forthcoming governorship elections, to ensure “fairness, equity, justice and inclusiveness” in the governance of the State.
Noting that the outcome of the primary elections showed clearly that it was only APC and PDP that heeded its call, the group warmly expressed its gratitude to the leaders and members of these parties across the state.
In a statement released in Benin City, the Edo State capital, signed by its President, Rt. Hon. Matthew Egbadon and Public Relations Officer, Mr. Tony Iyare, EOI asserted that what has played out so far in the unfolding politics of Edo State, was a demonstration of the grain embedded in the DNA of Edo people, to always support and fight for what is just, equitable, fair to all, and inclusive of the different sections of the State as one family with a common ancestry.
It therefore appealed to the generality of Edo electorate to take a cue from the outcome of the party primaries, and support the quest for power shift to Edo Central in the September 21 governorship election. Also asking the victors of the primaries to be magnanimous in victory and embrace the aspirations of all sections of the state as they campaign for votes. It stressed that nothing must be done particularly by their supporters and foot soldiers to engender needless strife, division and confusion in the state.
Urging restraint on messages, rhetorics, emotional outbursts and chest beating on social media platforms, Esan Okpa equally appealed to the aspirants who lost out in this race to sheathe their sword and unite to work with the candidates of their parties for the betterment of the state. What’s paramount, it insisted, is the ability to subsume individual aspirations for the collective development of Edo State.
“At a glance, all those who ran for the primaries of the various parties are qualified noble men and women to aspire to govern Edo State. And we have said severally, that every part of the State have people who are eminently qualified to govern our State. However only one person will emerge as governor at a time. That person should come from Edo Central come September, 2024.”
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