7th April, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Apparently scheming to avert being in opposition at the federal level, members of Benin Leaders of Thought on Tuesday took steps to correct the voting pattern of Edo South Senatorial District in the 28 March Presidential and National Assembly elections in which the ruling APC in the state lost the presidential and federal seats so far declared.
Consequently, Benin Leaders of Thought requested that the people of the South Senatorial district vote massively for APC in April 11 House of Assembly election and for Hon. Samson Osagie to give the district an opportunity of producing one of the officers at the Senate.
The Group while addressing journalists in Benin through the Enogie of Obazuwa, His Royal Highness, Prince Edun Akenzua, explained the reason for APC’s loss at the polls, saying that chieftains of the PDP, including Captain Hosa Okunbor, Lucky Imasuen and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu had made a case for the Benins to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan in order for them to be in the stream of national politics at the federal level.
The Group also accused chieftains of the PDP of using money at the polling centres to induce voters to change the outcome of the election.
While lamenting that no Benin man or woman was ever appointed into President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet, Prince Edun Akenzua called on all Benin people “to heed the wise counsel freely given by Captain Hosa, Pastor Ize-Iyamu and Mr. Lucky Imasuen to Edo not to put themselves in opposition to the Federal Government. This is the time to think more about the interest of the State than that of the party.
“In appreciation of Governor Oshiomhole’s brilliant performance in Benin, indeed, in all Edo State, the electorate should present his administration with a pro-active House of Assembly by voting over-whelmingly for APC on Saturday, so that Edo State , as Captain Hosa and Pastor Ize-Iyamu, rightly counselled, does not find itself in opposition to the Federal Government. The issue should be what the State gets, not what individual or the party gets,” Benin Leaders of Thought said.
Meanwhile, Prince Edun Akenzua has tasked the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the issues of corruption, security and power as he has promised.
“These are the issues that eluded the past government. Some of the companies that have moved to Ghana and some other paces would not have gone if these issues were addressed,” he observed.