Edo 2023 Election: How APC, PDP Political Vampires Used, Dumped People
By: Oriaifoh Godwins
The 2023 Presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections has come and gone, but the sorry tales of how the political vampires used and dumped the weak, poor, downtrodden masses, lingers on.
Like every other contest, there were the VICTORS and there were the VANQUISHED; in all of these however, Edo central Senatorial district are the biggest losers…. This discussion is however reserved for a later day.
Penultimate to the Presidential election that held on the 25th of February 2023, the All Progressives Congress, APC, constituted the Presidential Campaign Council that was made up of several units including the Contact and Mobilisation unit. A number of the members of these units, especially those at the grassroot, ignorantly committed themselves to work for the campaign council, unknown to them that their so called leaders were only out to hijack the expected funds, and they did that successfully.
In a chat with the Assistant Director, Edo state Contact and Mobilization Directorate, of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Dr. Goddy Osa Igbaekemen, he expressed dissatisfaction over the way his Coordinators from his Senatorial district, Edo central, were treated when the APC Presidential candidate visited Benin in January 2023.
Speaking with Esanland News Blog, Dr. Igbaekemen said, ‘…all the Coordinators of the contact and mobilization unit from Edo central, travelled to Benin with their personal funds with the hope that, their transport fare will be refunded to them, but to their greatest surprise, nothing was given to them’.
Dr. Igbaekemen condemned in its entirety the action of APC leaders that withheld the funds meant to mobilise APC faithful, saying; '...this is unlike what APC is known for...' He continued by saying; '...all what the Contact and Mobilization unit did, during the Presidential Campaign, was through personal contributions of key stakeholders that worked round the clock to ensure that the party succeeded in the election, even at that, proper accounting of the monies contributed, was not done...' When funds were eventually released for the campaign, he said, 'some people cornered the funds, to the extent that one of them was beaten to stupor in Benin after the Presidential rally.'
Today, as Edo state prepares for the gubernatorial elections, some of those that were involved in those frauds at that time, are today being projected by their errand boys, to contest for the gubernatorial race… What nonsense!
The legacy Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, members also worked with some APC leaders and candidates after they were paid by the latter to carry out the infamous service; I don’t blame them though, especially bearing in mind that they were ostracized from their home by Obaseki faction of the PDP.
Again, during the House of Assembly election, that held on Saturday, the 18th of March, a so called APC leader in Edo central was said to be personally involved in electoral malpractice of voiding ballots and even tearing some ballot papers in favour of the PDP. No wonder the suspension of the nine, so called leaders, that followed. It was said that they were handsomely paid to work against their party, APC. Hmmmm… even the leaders sold out. Hunger is a respecter of no person, including the so called leaders. These are the leaders that supposedly have some youths clamoring after them as leaders. This is how cheap your so called leaders are, and this is how low they can go. Well, I don’t blame those youths either, afterall, there is hunger in the land, and anything must go for the boys.
The activities of the Political Vampires should be an eye opener to all the sensible youths and politically active people in Edo state as we prepare for the 2024 gubernatorial election.