Edo North, pointer to smashing victory- APC

The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, hailed its successful campaign in Edo North, which it declared would fetch it a thunderous victory at the September 19 governorship poll.

The party, however, frowned at the PDP’s attack of its members in Ihevbe, Jattu, and Ekpedo, urging I the media to join in condemning the attacks.

Addressing journalists in Benin City, Vice Chairman, Media, and Publicity Committee of the APC National Campaign Council for the Edo 2020 gubernatorial election, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, said the party’s Edo North campaigns have shown who truly owned the land.

“From all that happened, from what we saw, and from all we can forecast, we are now confident of an overriding and comprehensive victory in Edo North.  Not just any victory,” he added, “but a resounding and energetic victory.  It is the type of victory our people would look at and say: ‘this one loud o!”

Obahiagbon lauded all the Edo North APC members that put it all together, and were able to demonstrate mass love for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the APC candidate; and the wide appeal and acceptance of the SIMPLE agenda, his campaign manifesto.

“The support was electrifying and amazing; their conduct was simply honourable and enviable.  They poured out in their large numbers and waited tirelessly to receive us,” he said, adding that “this shows the progressive culture of our party; and demonstrates the buy-in, into our party manifesto by the electorate,” a wide acceptance he dubbed as “simply glorious”.

He hailed the courage of APC members, who stood firm against PDP violence in the area, actions he described as “neck-stiff resistance” of open and murderous danger, from PDP “miscreants”.

Obahiagbon decried PDP’s violence, naming specific instances such as Ihievbe where “our podium and canopies were destroyed; Jattu, where our party supporters were dispersed by gun-totting PDP members, who drove away our party members from their peaceable assembly by firing gunshots into their midst sporadically and with reckless abandon.

“Ekpedo is another community where PDP youths shot at our party members and left women, men and youth severely wounded and hospitalized.”

He called on the media to beam attention on and condemn “this senseless and violent attacks on our party members by sponsored PDP thugs”, warning however that the PDP was misguided, if it felt such tactics would save it from electoral drubbing on September 19.

“We demand that all the institutions and structures necessary for free and fair elections to maintain their resolve not to brook any further attempt by the PDP to resort to underhand and anti-democratic stratagems.”

Obahiagbon said the Edo APC would resort to the 2015 spirit with which, as an opposition party, it sacked the PDP from the centre, adding that with the APC mass acceptance, the general popularity of its candidate and the sellability of its SIMPLE agenda, Governor Obaseki must realize he is living on borrowed time.