Edo 2024: APC stalwart warns against imposition of alleged criminal

By Ukpono Ukpong

An aspirant in the coming gubernatorial election in Edo state, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere has warned that the plot by anyone to impose a candidate with an alleged criminal record on the people will lead to a major implosion in the party at the state level and an automatic defeat at the polls.

In a statement made available to newsmen yesterday, Agbomhere alleged that the Prof. Julius Ihonvbere-led screening committee set up by some APC leaders was coerced to tactically prune down the number of the APC aspirants from thirty to one, in the person of one Dennis Idahosa who was indicted in 2015 for fraud by an administrative panel of inquiry set up by Governor Adams Oshiomhole and sacked as Commissioner of Investment, Public/Private Partnership.

Quoting copiously from a PM News publication of 15th February 2015, Agbomhere said; “The state governor then, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole received series of petitions, mostly from abroad, alleging that Mr. Idahosa was engaged in fraudulent activities (popularly called 419) on an industrial scale. The petitioners, purporting to be his victims, alleged they have been swindled of huge sums of money.

“Disturbed and consistent with his zero tolerance for corruption or any conduct that might tarnish the image of Edo state or bring the country to international odium for that matter, Comrade Oshiomhole set up a high-level administrative panel to look into the grave allegations discreetly.

“After weeks of forensic investigations, the panel’s findings were startling. Mr. Idahosa became aware that the administrative panel was on the verge of formally requesting him to answer those weighty charges and immediately decamped to the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) where he sought protection from then President Goodluck Jonathan”, the report said.

Blessing Agbomhere said Former Governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is a leader who is revered and loved by many people including himself (Agbomhere), he however vowed not to allow his love for Oshiomhole to overwhelm his sense of reasoning and good judgment and allow his leader (Oshiomhole) to make another mistake in choosing the next Governor of Edo State, considering what his choice of Godwin Obaseki has cost the members of the APC and the good people of the State.

“The disqualification of twenty nine other aspirants and the planned endorsement of Idahosa as sole candidate will lead to a massive crisis in the party in Edo state. Edo people are too sophisticated to accept the imposition of a candidate on them and will definitely lose faith in the APC and cast their ballots for other parties in the contest”, Agbomhere said.

Agbomhere is also quoted as saying “Edo State parades a good number of men and women who are qualified to govern it. It is wrong, disrespectful and divisive to screen out all these men who have paid their dues to the party and the state only to pave way for a nonentity who can only be remembered for his alleged criminal record.

“I am deeply grateful to the National Working Committee of our great party which has condemned the clandestine move to destroy the goodwill that the party enjoys in Edo state. The party leadership should be commended for opening up the space again for all thirty aspirants to sell themselves to the people of Edo state, as it would have been catastrophic if they folded their arms and allow any body toy with the party’s glorious opportunity to reclaim the governorship seat in the state”, Agbomhere added.