Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, Igbo people resident in the state have been charged to support candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dim Uche Okwukwu, yesterday, enjoined all Ndigbo in Edo State to support Ize-Iyamu to ensure that he emerged victorious at the poll.
“Any organisation that distances itself from politics and election is doomed and not worthy to exist. This realisation informed my timely mobilisation of Igbo in Edo State, which includes indigenes and non-indigenes.
“The Igbanke are indigenous Edo people just as we have a large population of non-indigenous Igbo people doing business and residing in the state,” he said
He pointed out that the state was important to Ndigbo because Edo and Igbo share a common destiny as beneficiaries of the River Niger civilisation; like the Nile, Congo and Benue Rivers civilisations, adding that Ize-Iyamu was a reliable candidate.
“Osagie Ize-Iyamu is a thorough and reliable fellow. He is also a disciplined character and accomplished leader with a huge political experience. Igbo in Edo State should support him in his just quest to become governor,” he said.
Okwukwu predicted that Ize-Iyamu will likely to win the election because of three factors going for him, including that “APC controls Edo political structure, it also controls the centre and his candidacy enjoys popularity and credibility across the state.”He also urged the electorate to vote for Ize-Iyamu to ensure rapid development of the state.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo scribe, however, appealed to the Edo people, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to conduct themselves in an orderly and peaceful manner to guarantee a transparent, free, fair, credible and violence-free election.
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