leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo Central senatorial district, Major General Cecil Esekhaigbe (retd), has said only unity of purpose and selflessness would enable the district to get the governorship ticket of his party and goes ahead to win the election.
In a statement yesterday, he alleged that other senatorial zones were ganging up against the zone with the slogan of no zoning but rather capacity and competence which he said was an attempt to undermine Esanland.
General Esekhaigbe lamented that despite his genuine intentions for his party and the people of Esanland, he had been called unpalatable names.
He recalled a screening exercise where some of the aspirants who willingly participated suddenly turned against him.
“Why will a man deny he was invited for an exercise which he deliberately skipped? Why will a man who knows his constitutional limitations of tenure continue to deceive himself? Is Esan looking for a one term governor? Can a man who is still on active service of a corporate organization come and take precedence over the men who have kept the party for years? Some known political scammers have assured them of the miracle of Damaan.
“Let us be wise and take a bold decision towards our quest for Esan governor. No avalanche of insults on me will give you the ticket. I have made my sacrifice, so please make yours. Stop wasting your hard-earned money on political jobbers who have no visible means of livelihood.
“Some Esan political Leaders are deliberately sowing seeds of discord to the advantage of the other Senatorial districts. Some are even positioning for deputy governorship.
“Let us have a conversation today on our best for the job. Tomorrow may be too late. Those calling me names today would remember this day tomorrow. Take the message and forget the messenger. We need only one man for the job. Edo Central needs the APC ticket so are other parties in Esanland. I repeat with emphasis that all the aspirants cannot all get the ticket. Only one aspirant will get the ticket,” Esekhaigbe stated.
Following agitation that the next governor of the state should come from the Central Senatorial District, Esekhaigbe and some other leaders in the APC, recently attempted to prune the number of aspirants from the district. The action has however generated a backlash among aspirants.