What are the chances of APC in this election?
It is very bright to the extent of the government’s misdemeanor against the people. Very bright to the extent of the governor turning against all those who voted for him, turning against people that gave him their mandate, and turning against all political gladiators in the state. All principal stakeholders in Edo politics have resolved to give the next governorship election to APC. Obaseki and his PDP for eight years have failed woefully. So, the voters, political leaders, traditional institutions, Christian community, civil service want a change.
 
The governor has performed so poorly and so disappointing that he cannot be allowed to bring his successor. More so, when the person he’s parading as PDP candidate, was part of his kitchen cabinet. More so, when the governor and his kitchen cabinet, including Asue Ighodalo have declared war against the traditional institution in Edo State. When it is clear that the government doesn’t take advice from anybody. So, if you ask me, I would say, very comfortably, Saturday’s election is a victory for APC. Monday Okpebholo and his deputy will be coasting to victory very comfortably.

To what extents will the narrative that the APC candidate is not well educated, affect his chances?
I don’t see it. They just don’t know his pedigree. We have a requirement that qualifies him to contest the election today. Otherwise, if he’s not educated or he’s not qualified, he wouldn’t have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). As far as he has met that requirement, to the effect that he has been duly screened and he’s qualified to contest. I want to tell you, he holds a first degree and Master’s degree. I’m sure you are aware that he is an ICT expert. And I’m sure you’re also aware that he’s an entrepreneur who has employed over 100 workers before he became a Senator. And you also know that he contested as a Senator and he won.
 
It’s just part of their political propaganda and gimmicks to say he’s not educated. He’s just a simple, easy-going fellow who has a very humble beginning, like most of us. He’s very reserved, coordinated, calculative and straight to the point. All he wants is to remove us from this shackle we find ourselves, from this very abysmal government, very down-performing government as a whole. Remove us from this precipice and take us to a greater height. That is his desire. So, he’s duly educated and qualified.
 
If your candidate is this spectacular, why is your party deploying federal might into this election, including using the police. People are also alleging that INEC may not provide a level playing field for the contestants?
 Those allegations are baseless. I must tell you, INEC is a neutral arbiter as far as elections are concerned. The police are doing their work as professionals as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. PDP wants the police to just close their eyes and allow them to continue to intimidate, harass and terrorise the residents of Edo State. No responsible law enforcement agency will allow that to happen.
 
When Obaseki set up Edo State security network, we were all happy with high expectations, at least, the issue of security in Edo State will be tackled headlong. But it turned out that he was using the personnel of the security network to be terrorising political opponents. As we speak, not less than 30 persons are hospitalised as a result of the attack by the so-called security corps. He recruited known thugs and known cultists as members of the security network.
 
He was using that network to terrorise every perceived opponent and the police will not allow that to continue. You’re aware how the personal police escort was shot and killed in cold blood when APC candidate was coming out of Benin airport. You and I know also that very many people have been seriously beaten, maimed, and they’re all taking treatment at Benin hospital. So, the police now go after those that carried out that very heinous act, and they are crying wolf.
 
In the last House of Assembly and the local government elections, Obaseki ordered his boys to move from unit to unit, from polling booth to polling booth, beating people and collecting ballot boxes, and declared a council election inside his office. After filling all the forms and declaring the result, he called the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to come and announce the result. And that is what he wants to do. No police will allow that. He can’t do that again.
 
Obaseki and his candidate are known to be lawless, and a very big threat to the survival of our democracy as far as Edo State is concerned. When the policeman said, no, you cannot continue like this, he said the police are biased. He is talking of federal might. Is it the federal might that is asking him to be using school fees for rallies? Is it the federal might that is making him stop opponents from erecting billboards across the state? Is it the federal might that is making him stop opponents from using the Edo State broadcasting Service? Is it the federal might that sends him to order his boys to be beating and maiming people across the state?
 
Police only arrested those that allegedly killed the police inspector. And the police didn’t just go to arrest them. There is a warrant from the court of competent jurisdiction that people who carried out the killings should be arrested.
 
Are you saying because there is an election in Edo State, people will commit offence and go scot-free? If the governor is enjoying immunity, will all his supporters and his killers’ squad also enjoy immunity? He’s talking of INEC being biased. His cousin is working in INEC, his Attorney General just left INEC as federal commissioner. When he contested, that person was in INEC as a federal commissioner. He didn’t accuse anybody of using INEC. The wife of the state chairman of PDP is a very senior staff of INEC. Nobody is saying because his wife is a senior staff of INEC that they’re using INEC. So, where is the federal power? Let the law take its course. If you commit a crime as long as you don’t enjoy immunity under the constitution, you will account for it. People, not the federal might will decide this election.
  
Obaseki is only crying wolf because everybody that really has a stake in Edo State is not happy with his policies. Starting from Oba of Benin, to the Catholic bishop and Reverend Fathers, to the pensioners, civil servants, students are not happy with him. Is it the Catholic Reverend Father of the Government House chapel that he drove away and closed down the chapel that will want him to win the election? 
 
When they returned the artifacts, he dragged them with the Oba of Benin, is it the federal might that asked him to do that? Is it the federal might that said he should stop Oba of Benin’s allowances and entitlements? Knowing fully well that in the Benin kingdom, you don’t drag with the Oba, you don’t equate yourself with the Oba. You don’t make enmity with the Oba, you don’t boast with the Oba. Above all, Oba owns Benin.
  
These things are as good as basic laws. When you’re growing up in Benin, you’re taught all these things, no matter how educated you are. Those days when you commit infractions against these norms, it is your family that will hand you over to the palace for execution. But we are in the modern world, if you do these things these days, nobody will kill you but you will pay dearly for it. That is what will happen to him on Saturday.

Do you think the election will be peaceful considering PDP’s refusal to sign the peace accord?
Signing a peace accord is not a statutory command. So, you have the moral obligation to sign and if you choose not to sign, it shows that you don’t want to commit yourself to a peaceful and orderly conduct of the election.

What is the implication of not signing the peace deal?
Obaseki is planning to unleash mayhem on the opposition and we are waiting for him but the police will not fold their hands. We’re waiting for him because for the past two weeks, the governor and his cohorts have been busy recruiting thugs from different states and there is an intelligence report to that effect. That is why they’re afraid to commit themselves to the peace accord. Like I said, nobody is going to commit infraction against the laws of the land and go scot-free. One thing you must know is that immunity is not forever.

You are concentrating your attack on PDP, don’t you think Labour Party’s candidate, Olumide Akpata can spring surprises and defeat both APC and PDP?
 Let me tell you, Labour Party’s candidate is my cousin but unfortunately he cannot win the election because in Edo State, there’s this general consensus that the Benins have had their 16 years in power. We have three senatorial districts, Edo South, the Benin speaking area; Edo Central, the Esan speaking area; and Edo North, the Afema speaking area. Esans are the only ones that have been left out, so there was this consensus that this time around, we should let the Esans from Edo Central have a shot. That consensus is building up on a daily basis because in Edo State we’re all one. We’re all under the great Benin Kingdom that is why the Oba is supreme in Edo State.
 
We all agreed that our brothers should at least have a shot because we cannot afford to be so unfair to them, as to deny them the opportunity to serve the state. If you deny them that opportunity it would not be fair, it would not be just and it would not be equitable. Akpata went ahead against this consensus agreement.
 
Besides, the Obi phenomenon that was rampaging everywhere is not there again. More so, LP is already balkanised, as we speak now, the state chairman of the party doesn’t campaign with Akpata. They don’t have leadership at the state level, so LP is out of it. Coming to the PDP that would have been a force to reckon with, Obaseki and his Lagos boys have totally killed the party in Edo State.