Edo APC cautions governorship aspirants on 2016 polls

THE Edo State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday cautioned aspirants jostling for the party’s governorship ticket next year to allow the party come out with appropriate modalities for the exercise and also not distract the government from performing its responsibilities to the people of the state in the remaining months of the administration of Adams Oshiomhole.

The party also said it was awaiting the report of the police on investigations into recent cult-related killings in parts of the state that led to the arrest of some senior members of the party and the government.

Speaking with journalists at the party secretariat on various issues relating to the party, state chairman of the party, Anselm Ojezua, who was flanked by leaders of the party, including its Publicity Secretary, Godwin Erahon, also cautioned the aspirants not to build any structure that would create factions in the party but to rely on the structure already built by the party to further their ambitions.

Ojezua said: “The party will come up with guidelines. We have told all those working to embark on consultations and not serious campaigns yet because governance is a product of politics but experience has shown that both of them cannot live side by side. One must give way to the other. That is why when it is time for campaigns, governance suffers and politics, campaigns and all the rest take the centre stage by the same token. When the campaigns are over, governance must be allowed to hold sway so that you can perform those things you said during campaigns. That is why we emphasised the need for those who are aspiring to exercise restraints at this moment.

“For now, they should confine themselves with making consultations and not building structures because it has a capacity of creating faction in a party and we are not going to allow that because the only thing that will make APC lose election now in Edo State is self-implosion but if we manage ourselves well, we are the party to beat in Edo State at the moment. We are not going to allow anything that will create the impression that there will be factions or so-called structures. There cannot be any other structure but the party’s structure. Anything outside that we will eliminate before they start and if we trace it to an individual, we will disqualify that person. We have told them.”

On its members arrested in connection with recent cult clashes in the state, Ojezua said: “some of them are members of our party. Their arrest was not as a result of political affiliations; it was as a result of the associations they belong to and some of those associations I am aware are registered associations by government. I am also aware that some of those arrested were actually helping the police in their investigation, at least, that is the impression the police gave us initially but what is more important is the fact that the police are investigating and until the report of their investigations are out, so we will wait and see the outcome.”

Ojezue said the party has not closed its door for new comers or former members who want to come back but that members only cautioned the governor, Adams Oshiomhole and the leadership of the party not to allow specific individuals whose names were mentioned in the meeting not to be allowed back into the party.