- The Labour Party in Edo State witnessed the emergence of two candidates for the governorship election in September 21
- Olumide Akpata secured the candidacy under Julius Abure’s leadership, while Anderson Asemota was named by the Apapa-led faction
Shortly after Olumide Akpata emerged as the Labour Party’s candidate for the September 21 governorship election in Edo, the faction led by Alhaji Lamidi Apapa has unveiled its own candidate for the same election.
A letter circulating on various social media platforms, including the WhatsApp group of the Labour Party in Edo State, bears the signatures of Alhaji Lamidi Apapa as the acting National Chairman and Alhaji Saleh Lawan as the acting National Secretary.
According to the letter, Anderson Asemota was named the governorship candidate, with Monday Mawah as his running mate.
Under the leadership of Julius Abure, Akpata secured 316 votes in the party’s election, outstripping his opponents by a considerable margin. Ken Imasuagbon, popularly known as ‘Rice Man,’ and Professor Sunny Eromosele garnered seven votes each, while Sergius Ogun and Earnest Àyegbe scored four and three, respectively. Paul Iseghohi withdrew from the race.
However, the Apapa-led faction submitted the names of their candidate and deputy governorship candidate in a letter dated February 22, 2024, addressed to the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. They asserted that Asemota and his running mate were elected in a primary held in Benin City on the same date.
Apapa confirmed the letter’s authenticity: “Yes, it is true. The letter is from us.”
Contrarily, the Edo State LP Public Relations Officer, Sam Uroupa, emphasized that the only recognized primary was the one where Olumide Akpata emerged as the governorship candidate. He asserted that this primary, conducted under Julius Abure, was free, fair, and credible.
Uroupa urged the public to disregard the purported primaries organized by the Apapa-led faction, reiterating that the election that declared Akpata as the candidate remains authentic.
In a separate development, amidst preparations for the September 21 Edo State governorship election, Philip Shaibu, the factional candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has vowed to continue his preparations, even if it leads to his impeachment by the state House of Assembly.
Shaibu made this declaration during a media briefing with journalists in Abuja, stating, “Even as we speak, my team has been calling me, saying they are going to impeach me for getting too far. I am not afraid of impeachment; I am fighting for the people’s right to choose.”
While Shaibu acknowledged Asue Ighodalo as his “far elder brother,” he expressed doubts about Ighodalo’s ability to win the poll. Shaibu, who defected to the PDP alongside Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki in 2020, asserted his capability to secure victory for the party, despite facing challenges in his current role.