… displays class, preparedness against fluff by LP candidate
... APC’s Okpebholo conspicuously absent
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, glowed brilliantly as he exhibited class and preparedness for the top job in the first major debate on Friday ahead of the election.
The debate organised by the Unuedo Renaissance saw Ighodalo squaring up against the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Olumide Akpata. The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, was evidently absent.
Ighodalo drew applause as he clearly articulated and espoused his plans for the state drawing richly from his manifesto titled: ‘The Pathway to Prosperity for All’ while Olumide, who didn’t present one to the gathered audience spent almost 50 percent of his time agreeing with Ighodalo on important issues.
Both candidates that were present received commendations from the organisers for honouring the invitation, while Okpebholo took flak for his continued hide and seek game with the people of Edo State.
From all indications, it was clear that Ighodalo is miles ahead of other candidates in terms of preparation for governance and the task of building Edo State.
Ighodalo spoke coherently on issues, showing his good grasp of the situations in the state and giving a hint of how to solve all identified problems.
“The state government has done well in terms of education and growing our economy, but there is still a lot more that I believe can be done,” Ighodaro said during the debate session.
The PDP gubernatorial candidate emphasised the need for adequate security as a foundational prerequisite for his economic revival plans, and drew out his plans for vocational education and a review of the curriculum to focus on STEM subjects to make every child well equipped with the skills needed to thrive in the modern world.
The absence of Okpebholo was described by an attendee as political hara-kiri.
“Unuedo is arguably one of the most important social-cultural Edo diaspora groups; That Senator Monday Okpebholo would choose to boycott this event speaks volumes,” the attendee noted.
At the end of the debate, the general consensus by the audience was that Asue Ighodalo was best suited to lead Edo State.
A widely expressed opinion was that Monday Okpebholo and his APC are taking the people of Edo State for granted.
