July 1, (THEWILL)- With the unveiling of their manifesto last Wednesday, a day before their party, the Peoples Democratic Party, inaugurated its campaign council for its candidates in the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States, Mr Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie, have taken a step further in their ambition to govern the state.
Almost a month earlier on May 28, 2024, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Monday Okpebolo unveiled his manifesto before Edo people in the diaspora in far away Washington DC in the United States.
Barrister Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party candidate in the three-horse governorship race in the state is said to be preparing to launch his manifesto once the deputy governorship issue, which the Federal High Court in Abuja, laid to rest in a ruling last Thursday confirming Professor Yusuf Asamah Kadiri, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, whom Akpata picked over Alufohai Oluyinka Faith who the Independent National Electoral Commission listed in its documents.
Confirming the development to THEWILL, Edo State Chapter Chairman of LP, Mr Kelly Ogbaloi, said the party is not in competition with any other party and at the right time it would release its manifesto.
The Asue/Ogie Campaign Management Council, tagged their manifesto; “Pathway to prosperity for all”. It opens a pathway to security, women and youth development, education, agriculture, food security, rural and community development.
Other key issues highlighted in the document include care for the elderly, respect for traditional and religious institutions; industrialisation, care for the children and vulnerable in society and harnessing the importance of the diaspora for better working relationships that would foster development in all parts of the state.
It expressed hope that with the creation of platforms for active participation in the state’s development and recognising valuable skills, perspectives and investments, it is poised to engender an environment of collaboration and mutual respect that would take the state to greater heights. To the youths, the manifesto said: “You are the leaders of today, not the future. We will actively support and invest in your potential.
“We commit to enhancing educational opportunities, paying a bursary to qualifying students, expanding job training programmes and fostering an environment where your innovative ideas and entrepreneurial spirit can thrive.
“We will champion your rights, respect your voices and ensure your equal participation in all aspects of society. We commit to creating policies that safeguard your health, advance your education and promote your economic well-being.”
It also promised to respect and uphold the crucial role of the religious, traditional institutions, the elderly and other crucial stakeholders in nurturing the spiritual and moral well-being of the state by constantly engaging them in meaningful dialogue and partnerships that will foster peace, tolerance, and mutual understanding among faiths. The document further promised to “provide a supportive role by creating an environment with access to healthcare, social services (including free public transportation), especially for the elderly and other community programmes tailored to their needs.” The campaign organisation further declared its willingness to cultivate an environment that would support growth and sustainability, develop policies that would enhance economic stability, provide incentives and streamline regulatory processes to make Edo State the easiest state to do business in.
Above all, it said that it is committed to working hard to improve rural infrastructure, such as roads, healthcare and social services, to enhance the quality of life and ensure equal access to essential services for all.
Unveiling his manifesto in the USA, tagged ‘Manifesto of Renewed Hope’, Senator Okpebhole told his diasporan audience how he hopes to tackle the challenges of insecurity, economy, agriculture, power, oil and gas, transportation, education, healthcare, digital economy, women empowerment and judicial reform, which he said are his top priorities.
Accompanied by a former APC governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; the state party chairman, Jarret Tenebe; ex-governorship aspirant, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere; former member of the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, and US-based businessman, David Adodo as well as Prof Sam Guobadia, Stanley Ighodalo, Lincoln Ibie and Paddy Emmanuel Iyamu, Okpebholo said, “I promise to rejuvenate Edo security and bring up massive infrastructure to advance the economic development of the state and open it up for foreign investments, affordable healthcare, water, food security, value-driven education, while not leaving behind tourism and the creative industry.
“I remain committed to liberating Edo from stagnation. The manifesto of Renewed Hope for Edo people will give life to Edo Diaspora Agency which will boost the participation and engagement of Edo State indigenes resident abroad.”
Making an assessment of the manifestoes, Professor of political science at the Lagos State University, Sylvester Odion Akhaine, expressed concern that the parties in contest are barely scratching the issues at stake. In a note made available to THEWILL on Thursday, he noted the absence of clear-cut governance issues and the means to address them. He observed that beyond campaign rhetoric, any of the candidates seeking to govern the state must state where he intends to source the funds beyond monthly allocation from the federation accounts.
He said, “For too long, the people of Edo State have suffered without let. It can be said, without fear of contradiction, that the people of Edo State have yet to witness the dividends of democracy since the commencement of the Fourth Republic in 1999.
“Unfortunately, Edo State has been led by a self-serving crop of leaders, partly imposed, feeding fat on the commonwealth and with a governance output that is below average, to the detriment of the wellbeing of the people of the state.” The former governorship aspirant on the platform of the APC, said the landscape of Edo State is visibly underlined by infrastructural deficit and the absence of basic social facilities, such as good roads, pipe-borne potable water first savoured in the colonial era in 1907, functional primary health care centres, understaffed schools, both secondary and primary, underlined by decrepit buildings, technical components of learning, and efficient inspectorate.
He said, “The condition of schools is damnable to the extent that only an insignificant number of staff is on the government payroll. Others are hired by development associations and old boys. Education budgets are among the lowest in the country. Indeed, this reality contradicts claims by successive governments to the effect of having addressed them with billions of our hard-earned resources.
“Edo State is ravaged by insecurity that has undermined the once enterprising people’s effort at self-sufficiency in food production. Equally absent is the formula to tackle youth unemployment in the State. No one has articulated a clear roadmap to deal with these problems.
“Beyond campaign rhetoric, Edo realities are one of minimal governance and zero in some sectors. In comparative and relative terms, Edo State cannot rank as a leader in any notable sector of socio-economic activities. Whoever wishes to govern the state must pre-occupy him/herself with the issues outlined above and explain them clearly to our people including how resources will be mobilised to solve the problems beyond the monthly allocation from the central pool.
We need a government bold enough to invest in infrastructure and education. We need policies and programmes that are meaningful to ordinary people, not social media figures and propaganda.”
About the Author
Amos Esele is the Acting Editor of THEWILL Newspaper. He has over two decades of experience on the job.
