HOW THEY STAND: Two lawyers, senator in race for Edo governorship seat

A thrilling political showdown is unfolding in the heart of Edo state – a hub of diverse cultural traditions and heritage. 

The long-awaited 2024 governorship election is here. With 2,629,025 registered voters in Edo state, the residents are set to decide who will lead them in the next democratic dispensation.

Two accomplished lawyers — Olumide Akpata, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), and Asuerinme Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — are locked in a fierce battle for the governorship seat. Each is armed with a “vision for a path to prosperity” for the state.

Monday Okpebholo, a Nigerian senator and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is also in the race, with his famed ability to cultivate grassroots politics to his advantage. 

As the trio clash in a quest for leadership, the people of Edo stand at a crossroads, poised to decide between the promise of innovative governance, the weight of political experience, and giving in for a third force. 

On September 21, the stage will be set for a captivating electoral contest that will shape the destiny of the state.

Though the electoral race is between 17 candidates, TheCable provides a lowdown on the three major contenders.

ASUE IGHODALO’S ‘PATHWAY TO PROSPERITY’ 

Ighodalo is arguably the strongest contender owing to the endorsement from Godwin Obaseki, the incumbent governor of Edo.

Apart from the support of the governor and the ruling party in the state, Ighodalo also hails from Okaigben, Ewohimi, in Esan south-east LGA, which falls under Edo Central, a senatorial district that had reportedly been sidelined from producing a full-tenured governor in the state.

Before his foray into politics, Ighodalo has been in the corridors of Edo governance for the past 16 years. He was an economic adviser to Adams Oshiomole, former governor of the state, and also a member of Obaseki’s economic team.

The PDP candidate is a founding partner of Banwo-and-Ighodalo, a tier 1 corporate and commercial law firm in Nigeria. Its speciality is corporate finance, capital markets, energy and natural resources, mergers and acquisitions, banking and securitisation, and project finance.

Ighodalo has also served as chairman of the board of directors at Sterling Bank, director at the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), and chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), among many of his career achievements.

With his wealth of experience, Ighodalo tagged his manifesto “Pathway to Prosperity for All” with strategic attention placed on the well-being of the Edo people, economic growth, environment, good governance, security, and order.

“I see a pathway to prosperity for our people and our state. I see a path to lifting the highest number of people into prosperity by implementing the most comprehensive social welfare program ever witnessed in south-south Nigeria,” he said in the manifesto.

“I see a path to making Edo state the safest state to live and work, a place where everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare. I see a path where the regeneration of Nigeria will begin right here in Edo, the heartbeat of the nation.”

Ighodalo is not going on this journey alone. He has selected another lawyer, Osarodion Ogie, as his running mate.

AKPATA MAKES PACT WITH PEOPLE OF EDO

Relying on the success recorded by the Labour Party (LP) in Edo during the 2023 presidential election, Olumide Akpata, former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is eyeing the governorship seat with a conviction to set the state on the right path of development.

Peter Obi, LP candidate in the 2023 presidential election, had set the stage for better visibility for the politically young party when he won in Edo with 331,163 — more than half of the votes cast in the state.

Neda Imasuen, the senatorial candidate of the LP in Edo South, where Akpata hailed from, defeated both the candidates of the ruling PDP and the APC to become the senator representing the district in the national assembly.

That was the extent of the power the LP pulled in the last general election in the state, which Akpata hopes to capitalise on in the guber poll.

Also, Akpata is a consummate lawyer who, in 2020, made waves by becoming the first non-senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to lead the bar.

Before resigning to participate in Edo politics, Akpata worked as a senior partner with Templers, a commercial law firm, but he has also been a vocal critic of violations of human rights and maladministration.

However, there is a covert roadblock on his way to the government house. Akpata comes from the same senatorial district as Obaseki, the incumbent who is on his way to completing eight years of a two-term administration.

A long-standing rotational gentleman agreement rooted in Nigeria’s complex political landscape has taken centre stage in Edo, posing a significant hurdle to Akpata’s aspirations.

This has given ground for the “It’s Esan’s time” mantra, gradually proving to become a rallying cry for disgruntled voters who are determined to uphold the rotational power-sharing tradition.

As Akpata navigates this treacherous terrain, he faces an uphill battle against entrenched biases and ethnic loyalties, threatening to derail his political momentum.

In his manifesto, ‘My Pact With the People of Edo state’, Akpata promised to create and grow a healthy, stable, sustainable and inclusive economy that benefits everyone in the state.

He divided the challenges facing the state into eight priority areas — economy and job creation, roads and related infrastructure, electricity and energy access, agriculture and food security, education, healthcare, security of lives and property and other essential infrastructure — and provided key solutions to solving them.

Akpata is going into the race with another lawyer, Yusuf Kadiri, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as his running mate.

OKPEBHOLO MONDAY, SENATOR WHO WANTS TO BE GOVERNOR 

Contesting a governorship election after spending less than two years at the national assembly, Monday Okpebholo, senator representing Edo central and an astute grassroots politician, is taking a shot at the Edo governorship seat.

Okpebholo clinched the governorship candidacy of the APC amid a primary election marked by confusion, contentious claims, and counter-accusations.

Following the voting exercise at the primaries, Dennis Idahosa and Sunday Dekeri, house of representatives members, were both announced simultaneously as winners of the election by different returning officers, before the party’s stakeholders subsequently affirmed Okpebholo as the flagbearer.

In his appraisal of Okpebholo, John Mayaki, chieftain of the APC and former chief press secretary to Obaseki, had described the candidate as “lacking even the most rudimentary understanding of what governance entails.”

He said the senator only “has instincts for politics” and never engages in discussions about important things such as policies, investment attraction, sectoral reforms, and development.

Nevertheless, Okpebholo stood triumphant, his name etched on the party’s ticket as the standard-bearer for the coveted seat. However, the fiercely contested primaries left the dust hovering in the air with the party edging towards a governorship election on a divided front.

Notwithstanding, being from Edo central, Okpebholo shares a key advantage with Ighodalo, which could work in his favour due to the stakeholders’ firm belief in power rotation.

With APC as the ruling party at the federal level, the senator also boasts of federal support, a significant advantage that could be in his favour. This backing may prove invaluable in the anticipated tight race, potentially giving him the edge he needs to secure victory.

With federal support, Okpebholo can leverage resources and influence that might otherwise be out of reach, making him a formidable contender in the election.

In a move that may be intended to appease disgruntled stakeholders or serve another strategic purpose, Okpebholo chose Dennis Idahosa as his running mate. This decision may be a calculated step to address potential sources of opposition and internal wrangling in the party.

In one of his promises to the electorates, Okpebholo vowed to declare a state of emergency in the education sector, security, health and infrastructure if he is elected into office as governor.

The APC candidate is also a business man and the founder of two companies, Chapman Computers Limited and Interweb Satcom Limited.

OTHER CANDIDATES IN THE RACE:

Uwaifo Osaro  — Action Alliance (AA)

Aner Aliu — Social Democratic Party (SDP)

Azena Azemhe Friday — New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)

Osifo Isiah — All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)

Ugiagbe Sylvester — All People Movement (APM)

Areleogbe Osalumese — All Peoples Party (APP)

Akhime Afere — Action Democratic Party (ADP)

Udoh David — African Action Congress (AAC)

Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena — Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)

Osirame Edeipo — Boot Party (BP)

Iyere Kennedy — Accord Party (AP)

Obazele Agbone — African Democratic Congress (ADC)

Key Ndidi — Peoples Redemption Party (PRP)

Okungbowa Ovbokhan — Young Progressive Party (YPP)