62 candidates and pretenders vying for EDO 2024 Obaseki

 62 candidates and pretenders vying for  EDO 2024 Obaseki

In Edo State, 61 candidates are vying for the governorship tickets of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), and Labour Party (LP) ahead of the political parties' primaries next month.

Their goal is to take over for PDP governor Godwin Obaseki, whose second term ends on November 12, 2024. The election has been scheduled for September 21 by the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC.

Looking over the lengthy list of candidates, the LP has 32, the APC has 19, and the PDP has 11. The majority of the candidates for the Edo Central Senatorial Zone are women, with three of them.

The current Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, John Yakubu, and Anslem Ojezua are among the PDP candidates.

Shaibu

He is a native of Edo North Senatorial District and Jattu, Uzaiure in the Etsako West Local Government Area. He asserts that no one from Edo North has ever received the governorship ticket in PDP history and that he is the most experienced candidate to succeed Obaseki.

Ighodalo

He hails from Esan South-East Local Government Area's Ewohimi. He claims to have been a part of the government since Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was the state's governor in 2008 and hails from the Edo Central Senatorial District.

Yakubu

John Yakubu, who served as the local government chairman of Esan North-East, is regarded as one of the PDP's most grassroots candidates. He is from Edo Central, namely Uromi. He uses his success as the chairman of the local government as an example of his ability to deliver.

Ojezua

He was the Edo State chairman of the APC before he and Obaseki switched to the PDP. He is a native of Eidenu in Irrua, Esan Central LGA. He claims to be the peacemaker and mediator between technocrats and politicians, and he has the skills and ability to unite the PDP's divided sections in order to win the party's election.

APC opposition

Agba

Prince Clem Agba, who is from Uzanu in Etsako East LGA, Edo North Senatorial District, is one of the candidates in the opposition APC. He served as commissioner for the entire eight years that Governor Oshiomhole was in office. After that, he was named Minister of State for National Planning and Budget in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Idahosa

Dennis Idahosa is a resident of the Edo South Senatorial District's Ovia South-West LGA. Known by his constituents as Mr. Projects, he is a member of the House of Representatives serving a second term as the representative for the Ovia Federal Constituency. Being little older than forty, he stands for the movement advocating for young people to seize power in the state. When he defeated Chief Gabriel Igbinedion's daughter, Omosede, in 2019 and she was the area's representative in the House of Representatives, his notoriety skyrocketed. In 2023, when he ran as the PDP candidate, he again defeated her.

Eboigbe

APC leader Mr. Victor Eboigbe hails from Ewohimi in the Esan South-East LGA. He claimed that he entered the competition in order to help the public.

Osunbor

Before the courts ended his term as governor in 2008 to make room for Oshiomhole, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor led the state for eighteen months. Having served in the Senate for eight years prior to becoming governor, he is perhaps one of the more seasoned candidates. He claimed that although the last eighteen months had been eventful, he still needed to build on the progress the APC had made in the state. He hails from Edo Central's Iruekpen, Esan West LGA. In Edo's history, Edo Central has only ever held the Government House during his brief, 18-month reign.

Obhakhan

Mr. Gideon Obhakhan was the commissioner of education under the Oshiomhole administration. He comes from Ekpoma, Esan West LGA in Edo Central. His supporters assert that he is capable of leading the state and that he has a history of philanthropy.

Ize-Iyamu

cleric Osagie The APC's 2020 candidate was Ize-Iyamu. He asserted that several APC governors' internal sabotage lost him the win. He asserted that the APC needs to win the governorship this time, and he is the best candidate to do it. When Lucky Igbinedion was the state's governor, he served as chief of staff and then secretary to the State Government (SSG). He headed the PDP section that merged with other organizations to establish the Action Congress of Nigeria, which eventually became the APC. He is an excellent state-wide mobilizer. He is from Edo South's Orhionmwon LGA.

Amuse

Col The APC's state chairman, David Imuse, retd., comes from Ekpoma in Esan West LGA, Edo Central. Prior to being unanimously chosen as the APC's Acting Chairman following Ojezua's departure, he served as the state vice chairman of Edo Central. If elected, he claimed that his experience in the military and the medical field would be a benefit in promoting growth in Edo.

Amu

The only other woman to date to express interest in the race on the APC platform is Dr. Victoria Amu. She works as an occupational therapist in Edo North's Owan West LGA. She has been a longtime member of the party and ran for the state House of Assembly until the party decided to automatically distribute tickets to the 14 lawmakers who did not take the oath of office.

Ebé

Mr. Festus Ebea is from Ubiaja in Esan South-East LGA. He was the deputy speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly before. In an effort to lower the number of candidates from the zone, he is one of the three APC leaders from Edo Central who are supporting him.

Okosun

Edo Central is home to Mr. Thomas Okosun, a former state chairman of the party and speaker of the house of assembly.

Agbonayinma

In Edo South, Mr. Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma from Ikpoba-Okha LGA was the first candidate to formally notify the party's state leadership of his contest intention. In the House of Representatives, he represented the Ikpoba-Oka/Ego Federal constituency. He stated that, should he be elected, his background as a deputy to Governor Oshiomhole will be useful in his efforts to reroute the state.

Sunday

Mr. Anamero Sunday, also known as DANCO, is a resident of Okpella in Edo North's Etsako East LGA. He presently serves as a representative in the House of Representatives for the Etsako Federal Constituency.

Sen. Okpebholo Monday Okpebholo is from Uromi in the Esan North-East LGA and serves as the senator for the Edo Central Senatorial District. To the amazement of some observers, he won both the election and the APC senatorial ticket in his first attempt at competitive politics.

Okpella, located in Etsako East LGA in Edo North, is the home of Afegbua Prince Kassim Afegbua. He served as Oshiomhole's Chief Press Secretary before becoming a Commissioner. He is highly well-liked by his people and has been a devoted member of the APC.

Ikhine

Governor Obaseki abandoned the APC in 2020, and Gideon Ikhine was the first candidate to resign. He put a lot of effort into helping Obaseki win the election, but it was reported that he became angry when he learned that Obaseki had different goals from his, despite their "agreement." He defected from the PDP to the APC and has started negotiating with party chiefs to secure the party's candidacy.

Labor Party

Barr  Imasuangbon Ken Imasuangbon, often known as "Rice Man," is likely the most well-liked LP candidate, partly due to the rice distribution he has been performing on an annual basis for many years. He has experience with both the PDP and the APC, and he is convinced that the LP will allow him to realize his long-held goal of becoming the state's governor. He is one of the people arguing that power should go to his senatorial zone. He is from Ewohimi in Edo Central. The state leadership, local government, ward, and unit levels have all been consulted by him, who was the first to announce his plan.

Zena

In the Omega Fire Ministry of Apostle Johnson Suleman, Dr. Azemhe Azena serves as a pastor. He is a businessman and philanthropist. He is from Okpekpe in Edo North's Etsako East LGA.

Okojie

Dr. Dorry Okojie is from Ohordua, which is in Edo Central's Esan South-East local government area. Recently, he met with the traditional leaders of Esanland at his hometown of Ohordua, at the palace of HRH Steven Ehizojie Eluojerior I, the Onojie of Ohordua Kingdom, in Esan South-East LGA, to ask for their blessings and support.

Barr. Olumide Akpata, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, has captured the attention of the LP ever since he announced his candidacy. He is from Edo South, Benin. In order to mobilize support for his dream, he gave 22 Sienna buses to the party leadership and a brand-new Toyota Hiace bus to the organization. In the recently concluded LGA election in the state, he also paid the necessary expenses for the candidates running for local government chairperson to pursue their petition at the election tribunal.

Ogun

The Esan North-East/Esan South-East Constituency was represented by Mr. Sergius Ogun in the House of Representatives. He hails from Esan North-East LGA's Uromi. When coupled with a well-liked running mate from Edo South, he is thought to be one of the few candidates for the LP that can win an election.