September 21, (THEWILL) – This Saturday, eligible voters will file out across the 18 local government areas in Edo State to elect a new governor.
Amid heightened tension, THEWILL reports the heavy presence of security personnel, including the Police, soldiers, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), across the 18 local governments as part of moves to ensure a hitch-free poll.
Earlier, Nigeria’s police chief, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, said the first batch of 35,000 police officers had arrived in the state to ensure law and order. The NSCDC had also deployed 6,433 personnel while the Defence headquarters said the deployment of soldiers was meant to guarantee a safe environment for the electorate.
On Friday, President Bola Tinubu called on all stakeholders in the governorship election to conduct themselves peacefully, saying democracy thrives on civility, tolerance and patience.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 2,249,780 registered voters, representing 85.57% of the 2,629,025 total registered voters, have collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) across 4,519 polling units in the state.
While 18 political parties are contesting the election that will produce the successor of Godwin Obaseki at the Dennis Osadebey House, THEWILL reports that the race is widely regarded as a three-horse contest, with attention focused primarily on the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Asuerinme Ighodalo; the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo and Barr. Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).
Ighodalo of the PDP is a 64-year-old economist, lawyer, and politician from Okaigben, Ewohimi, in Esan South East Local Government. A former chairman of Sterling Bank, Ighodalo has served on the economic teams of both Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the outgoing Governor, Godwin Obaseki. In 1979, his father, Jeremiah Ighodalo, stepped down for Prof. Ambrose Alli during the UPN governorship primaries, paving the way for Alli’s tenure as governor of Bendel State.
On the other hand, Monday Okpebholo of the APC is a 54-year-old businessman and politician from the Udomi-Uwesan community in Irrua. Currently the lawmaker representing Edo Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Okpebholo has a background in Business Administration.
On his part, Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party candidate, is a 51-year-old lawyer from Edo South Senatorial District. As the first non-Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 28 years to be elected president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Akpata offers an alternative to the APC and PDP political dominance. His candidacy may resonate with younger voters looking for change and a break from traditional political structures.
