THE number of aspirants jostling for the governorship position in Edo State increased by one yesterday as the spokesman of former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), Prince Kassim Afegbua declared his interest to run for governor of Edo state.
Declaring his interest, Afegbua said infrastructural decay, leadership deficiency, amongst others, as presently experienced in the state, made him to join the race with a view to correcting them.
He lamented that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state is engaged in “needless squabbles and altercations and Edo people are disoriented by the politics of pretense and high handedness.”
Afegbua made this declaration when he visited the secretariat of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council where he said he would pursue his ambition on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He added: “We cannot afford to be in opposition, when we have a Federal Government that is poised to renew our hope and take us to a place of prosperity, economic strength, stability, and pride.
“I am determined to make a big difference with positive impacts. With your support, I will redefine the essence of governance for the benefit of our people.
“The era of lamentation will be gone when I take the lead. Edo must rise again; she must rise from the ashes of this present mis-governance, to a state that will occupy its rightful place in the assembly of states in Nigeria.
Afegbua who lamented that “Edo is seriously begging for attention with the level of infrastructural decay and leadership deficiency,” said: “I can’t stand the kind of roads I saw while traveling through the state.”
On the agitation to zone the governorship ticket to Edo central, the aspirant said: “There has never been a zoning arrangement of governorship position in Edo State. Anybody who says there is zoning will be missing the point.
“In 2007, when Oshiomhole came on stream to contest the position, as at that time Edo central had three ministers yet Osunbor who is also from central was elected governor. Now, from that time till now, every primary conducted by political parties has always been featuring every aspirant from all the zones. So, this time, nothing of zoning should stop any worthy son of Edo to aspire to govern the state.
