• Ex-APC lawmaker resigns from party
• Support candidate with respect for women, Obaseki urges women

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 21 governorship election, Monday Okpebholo, yesterday, assured Edo state people of an all-inclusive government, saying that he will not be the governor of Edo Central but for all Edo people.

Okpebholo remarked during the ward-to-ward campaign in Iguobazuwa, Ovia South West Local Council of the state.

The governorship candidate of the APC vowed to ensure that the government presence is felt across the state, saying: “I assure you all that our government will right all the wrongs that have been inflicted on the people.”

On his part, the deputy governorship candidate, Dennis Idahosa, appealed to the people of Ovia to massively support the APC, noting that the rival political leaders in Ovia have joined the APC.

MEANWHILE, with less than three weeks to the September 21 governorship election, a chieftain of the APC, and a lawmaker, who represented Akoko-Edo II from 2015 to 2023, Emmanuel Agbaje, has dumped the party.

In a letter to his Ward 10 chairman, in Akoko-Edo Local Council dated September 2, 2024, Agbaje complained of alienation and alleged sidelining in the scheme of things in the party and the ward.

Part of his resignation letter reads: “This decision has not been taken lightly, but after careful consideration and consultation with my support base and leaders, I believe it is the best course of action for me at this time.

“Since democracy provides choices, I have reviewed my involvement and seek alignment that recognises loyalty, dedication, and sacrifices. I can no longer accept the deliberate alienation and the sidelining of core party faithful and leaders, particularly from our ward.

“As a founding member of the party, it is a difficult decision, considering the relationships built within the party over the years. To my good friends who may choose to remain, my assurances are that our friendship and relationships remain protected and insulated. Life outside politics is larger.”

Agbaje was said to be the only APC lawmaker in the state House of Assembly, besides 14 members that were not inaugurated in 2019, and who did not defect with Governor Godwin Obaseki from the APC to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2020 governorship election.

ALSO, the wife of the Edo State Governor, Betsy Obaseki, yesterday, urged Edo women to be thorough and extra-careful in their choice of leadership for the state ahead of the September 21 governorship election, cautioning against those who might exploit the state’s resources for personal gain.

Mrs. Obaseki made this call during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Women Campaign Council rallies in Okada, the headquarters of Ovia North East Local Council.

She stressed the importance of electing a governor committed to the progress and development of the state, particularly promoting the rights and interests of women and the girl child.

The governor’s wife noted that a vote for Asue Ighodalo would ensure continued development for Edo State.