A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Vincent Obioha, has cautioned the party’s stakeholders in Edo State on the purported pruning of the party’s governorship aspirants in the forthcoming election in the state.
It would be recalled that the Edo APC two weeks ago set up a committee in Abuja which reportedly pruned the 29 aspirants to six and later to two.
But in a letter addressed to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the leader of the party in the state, and titled: ‘An Open Letter to Adams Oshiomhole About His Unsettling Actions in Edo APC’, Obioha, while expressing dismay at the reported pruning, argued that as “an opposition party in Edo State, the APC should aim for a strong and well-grounded candidate with political and electoral experience, rather than choosing a provincial candidate out of parochial and primordial sentiments would be completely counterproductive.”
Obioha, who admitted that though he is not from Edo State, however, said pruning the aspirants out of sentiment, would not only guarantee “APC’s failure in Edo 2024, it will nonetheless ascertain the party’s incapacity to ever reclaim the state.
“Upon examining the six aspirants presented to you by the so-called committee, it was difficult for me to envision any of them going head-to-head with Governor Godwin Obaseki’s rumoured favoured candidate.
“Moreover, the process that precedes the emergence of a candidate must be perceived as fair by other aspirants and the general public in order to foster cooperation within the party and to earn the trust of the voting population.
“In the search for the right candidate for the party, it is imperative that you look beyond your personal stake and consider the collective interest of the party and that of the Edo people.
“The APC needs to feed a popular and credible candidate with the holistic capital to win. Edo people are in dire need of a governor who can substantially develop the state, thereby adding significant value to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid,” he added.