Edo 2020: APC celebrates successful campaign in Edo North 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday celebrated the massive support the party derived from Edo North district during its ward-to-ward campaign. The Chairman of Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Council, John Mataki, in a statement in Benin City indicated that the massive support for APC in Edo North demonstrated smashing victory for the party’s candidate in the September 19 governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

Mayaki noted that the APC Vice Chairman on Media and Publicity Committee of the National Campaign Council for the Edo 2020, Patrick Obahiagbon, at a press conference, affirmed that the party’s successful campaign in Edo North, and the massive support reflected a thunderous victory for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in the September 19 governorship.

Mayaki, however, expressed that APC condemned the PDP attacks of its supporters in Ihevbe, Jattu and Ekpedo, adding that all stakeholders should condemn the attacks on APC members.

Obahiagbon had at the press conference, emphasised that the Edo North campaigns have shown who truly owns the land.

According to Obahiagbon, “From all that happened, from what we saw, and from all we can forecast, we are now confident of an overriding and comprehensive victory in Edo North.

“Not just any victory, but a resounding and energetic victory.  It is the type of victory our people would look at and say: ‘this one loud o!’ ”

Obahiagbon commended all Edo North APC partisans that organized the campaign rallies on behalf of the party, noting that they demonstrated mass love for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; and clearly prepared grounds for effective marketing and persuasion for wide acceptance of the SIMPLE agenda, the campaign manifesto of the APC candidate.

The former lawmaker declared: “The support was electrifying and amazing; their conduct was simply honourable and enviable.  They poured out in their large numbers and waited tirelessly to receive us. This shows the progressive culture of our party; and demonstrates the buy-in, into our party manifesto by the by the electorate; “simply glorious.”

Obahiagbon praised APC members for their courage to stand firm against the PDP violence in the constituency, saying the APC demonstrated “neck-stiff resistance” of open and murderous danger, from PDP “miscreants”.

Obahiagbon identified specific occasions PDP attacked APC members, pointing out: Ihievbe where “our podium and canopies were destroyed; Jattu, where our party supporters were dispersed by gun-toting PDP members, who drove away our party members from their peaceable assembly by firing gunshots into their midst sporadically and with reckless abandon.”

He added: “Ekpedo is another community where PDP youths shot at our party members and left women, men and youth severely wounded and hospitalized.”

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Obahiagbon demanded that all stakeholders should join in condemning “this senseless and violent attacks on our party members by sponsored PDP thugs”. He noted that PDP was misguided into thinking that such tactics would save it from electoral drubbing on September 29.

Obahiagbon stated: “We demand that all the institutions and structures necessary for free and fair elections to maintain their resolve not to brook any further attempt by the PDP to resort to underhand and anti-democratic stratagems.”

Obahiagbon was of the view that with the APC mass acceptance, the general popularity of its candidate and the marketability of its SIMPLE agenda, Governor Obaseki must realize he is ‘living’ on borrowed time.