.State will be safest in Nigeria if elected, says Umakhihe
A former Political Adviser to former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Charles Idahosa, has cautioned the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to jettison the agreement the party had with a former member of the House of Representatives, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, in the build-up to the party’s primary in 2020.
Idahosa, now a chieftain of the PDP, spoke in Benin City, the Edo State capital, saying that he had to speak out because he was instrumental to Ogbeide-Ihama’s withdrawal from the 2020 gubernatorial race to pave the way for Governor Godwin Obaseki, who had been shut out of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the time.
According to him, the PDP made some promises to Ogbeide-Ihama after pleading with him to yield his ticket to Obaseki, adding that the time to fulfill the promise and reward party loyalty is here.
He stated that, so far, the national leadership of the party has been trying to resolve the issues in the party. He also said that PDP leaders should not create problems the party won’t recover from.
He said: “They (party leaders) should give the primary their best; handle it with care because I am afraid if they don’t handle it with care, it will affect the PDP.”
Idahosa added that the governors and leaders of the PDP knew what led to the said agreement with Ogbeide-Ihama.
Meanwhile, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, yesterday, said that if elected, the state would be the safest place to live and do business in the country, devoid of killings and other crimes and criminality.
He said he would tackle insecurity ravaging the state, ensuring that women and youths return to their farms and go about their legitimate businesses without fear of criminals taking them hostage.
Umakhihe, who spoke separately during a visit to APC delegates in Okada, the Ovia North East headquarters, and Iguobazuwa, headquarters of Ovia South West Local Council, as well as Uselu, in Egor Local Council pledged to reduce sufferings of Edo people.
He said he has been tested and trusted in government when he served as Federal Permanent Secretary and would replicate his performance if given the mandate to govern the state.
