It is few weeks to the political party primaries for the Edo 2024 governorship election, and aspirants across different political divides are intensifying their consultations with key party leaders and stakeholders as well as fellow aspirants in a bid to muster the needed support ahead of the party primaries in February.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in a schedule of activities and timetable for the Edo gubernatorial election released on 26th September 2023, had fixed the governorship election in the state for 21st September 2024, while primaries of various political parties should hold between 1st-24th February 2024.
As the race gets fiercer, some aspirants are emerging stronger as some others reassess their aspiration.
For Dr. Asue Ighodalo, a front-line aspirant in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the coast seems to be getting clearer by the day.
News emerged on Wednesday that a two-time Chairman of Esan North-East Local Government Council and governorship aspirant of the PDP, John Yakubu, has stepped down from the gubernatorial race and declared his total support for Ighodalo.
Yakubu, who spoke with journalists at Igueben, the administrative headquarters of Igueben Local Government Area, shortly after a closed-door meeting with the Edo Central PDP Special Committee headed by the former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, said he decided to step down for the interest of the party as well as the positive activities displayed by the leading governorship aspirant.
“After due consultation across our top party leadership spectrum, members of my campaign organisation, and my teeming supporters across the three Senatorial Districts and beyond, I have decided, for the overall interest of our party and the yearnings of Edo people to continue to have the PDP at Osadebe Avenue, to lay down my gubernatorial aspiration,” Yakubu said.
“Going by the wise direction paved and shown by our party senatorial leadership so far, the body language of members of our party, and the positive activities displayed by Dr. Asue Ighodalo himself, it has become very clear that he, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, stands in good position to bring about this much-needed development to us as a party and in the state.
“On this ground, I stand solidly behind Dr. Asue Ighodalo, not only as our gubernatorial candidate but in all of the activities that will ensure his victory and our victory at the polls come September 2024,” he said.
Last week, Ighodalo received a boost to his aspiration to become the number one citizen of the state and lead the state to greater heights as some aspirants from Edo Central, a zone clamouring for the number one seat, dropped their aspiration and declared support for him.
On Saturday, 6 January, a leading governorship aspirant in the PDP and the House of Representatives member representing Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. Marcus Onobun, informed the Ikimi-led Edo Central PDP Special Committee that he was withdrawing from the race in order to support Ighodalo, a former Chairman of Sterling Bank Plc and co-founder of the law firm of Banwo & Ighodalo.
Onobun’s message was conveyed in a letter read by High Chief Ikimi during a meeting of the PDP Special Committee assigned with the task of screening the party’s governorship aspirants from the Senatorial zone.
“I have done consultation across the state, and in the spirit of sportsmanship and respect for our leaders, I wish to suspend my aspiration for Edo Governorship 2024 and support my brother, Barr. Asue Ighodalo,” Onobun said in the letter he personally signed and addressed to the committee.
“It is my desire to see an Esan man become Edo Governor in 2024. And I pledge my commitment to take a front seat in this struggle. God bless my leader and the Edo Central Special Committee,” he said.
A press release issued by Amb. Tony Okonigene, Publicity Secretary of the committee, said Senator Ordia also announced to the committee that he had decided to queue behind Ighodalo’s aspiration, saying that in the overall interest of the party, personal sacrifices must be made.
Earlier, two other aspirants in the PDP, Friday Itulah and Hon. Kenneth Ahbulimen, had also withdrawn from the race and declared support for Ighodalo, citing patriotism and the interest of Esan and Edo people for their decisions.
With this development, Ighodalo is on the verge of emerging the party’s consensus candidate from Esan land, even as the Edo Central PDP Special Committee is expected to announce its consensus aspirant today, Thursday.
Recall that the National Organizing Secretary of the PDP, Umar Bature, on 16th November 2023 said the party has fixed 22 February for its governorship primary while 24 February is for the appeal on the governorship primary.
The party also stated that aspirants interested in contesting the governorship election will get the nomination form for N21 million, while youths aged between 25 and 30 will get a 50 percent discount on the nomination form fees. Sales of expression of interest and ad-hoc forms for all offices is slated for January 10-16, while January 17 is the last day for the submission of already completed expression of interest and ad-hoc forms. The screening of aspirants for the governorship seat by the National Working Committee will hold on January 18, 2024.
Sales of the nomination forms to aspirants who completed and submitted their expression of interest form is slated for January 19-25, while January 27 is the last date for submission of already completed nomination form.
Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has released its timetable for the Edo gubernatorial election.
The APC timetable was released on Monday and signed by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaimon Argungu.
According to the party, the sale of nominations, expression of interest and delegates forms for contestants will begin on January 10 and end on January 29, 2024, while primary election is slated for February 17, 2024.
The APC pegged the price for the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at N10m and N40m, respectively.
The party said female aspirants and persons living with disabilities are to pay for Expression of Interest while the Nomination Form is free.
“Youths from 25 to 40 years are to purchase Expression of Interest forms with a 50% discount on Nomination Forms,” the APC stated.
However, the Labour Party, which many political pundits and stakeholders have predicted to be a major shocker in the coming Edo gubernatorial election following its successful outing in the 2023 general election, has yet to release its timetable for the governorship election.
