…. As more aspirants step down for Ighodalo
Ahead of the 2024 Governorship election in September, the Edo Central Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Special Committee presided over by the national leader of the party, Chief Tom Ikimi, will today announce its consensus aspirant for the zone, GRANDNEWS ONLINE has learnt.
Edo Central is pushing with all it’s might to produce the next occupant of Osadebey House, the seat of Government in Edo State. The other two zones,namely Edo North and Edo South Haven both occupied the number one position in the state for the past 16 years.
Even though there is a strong push for the slot to be thrown open by all parties, the Edo Central Senatorial District is believed to be pushing fervently for the slot to be ceded to the zone in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice even though the other two zones are well ahead of it in terms of voters strength.
Interestingly, more aspirants from the zone are stepping down and throwing their support behind the ambition of Dr Asue Ighodalo, former Chairman of Sterling Bank Plc in a bid to present a formidable and united front for the contest ahead.
The latest to drop his ambition for the Ewohimi born lawyer turned politician is two-time Esan North-East local government council chairman and governorship aspirant of PDP, John Yakubu, who has also declared his total support for Dr. Ighodalo.
With the latest endorsements for Asue Ighodalo, the frontline PDP aspirant is on the verge of becoming the party’s consensus candidate from Esan land.
Last weekend, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben Federal Constituency, Marcus Onobun, and immediate past senator representing Edo Central senatorial district, Sen. Clifford Ordia, had stepped down, collapsing their structure for Asue Ighodalo.
Similarly, two leading aspirants of the party, Friday Itulah and Kenneth Ahbulimen, last week, backed out of the race, declaring support for Ighodalo and citing patriotism and the interest of Esan and Edo people for their decisions.
Speaking with journalists at Igueben, the administrative headquarters of Igueben local government area of Edo State, shortly after a closed-door meeting with the Edo Central PDP Special Committee, headed by the former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, the former governorship aspirant, Yakubu, said he decided to step down in the interest of the party as well as the positive activities displayed by the leading governorship aspirant.
He said: “After due consultation across our top party leadership spectrum, members of my campaign organisation, and my teeming supporters across the three senatorial districts and beyond, I have decided, that in the overall interest of our party and the yearning of Edo people to continue to have the PDP at Osadebe Avenue, to lay down my gubernatorial aspiration.
“Going by the wise direction paved and shown by our party senatorial leadership so far, the body language of members of our party, and the positive activities displayed by Dr. Asue Ighodalo himself.
“It has become very clear that he, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, stands in good position to bring about this much-needed development to us as a party and in the state.
“On this ground, I stand solidly behind Dr. Asue Ighodalo, not only as our gubernatorial candidate but in all of the activities that will ensure his victory and our victory at the polls come September 2024.”
