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The aspirants if the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Edo Local Government Council elections have called on the party’s leadership to allow the people decide their representatives.
Some of the aspirants spoke, on Sunday, ahead of the March 3 poll.
The aspirants flayed attempts to impose candidates on the party by some of its leaders, urging for support and promotion of popular candidates.
They also decried attempts by some of the aspirants and leaders to drag the names of Governir Godwin Obaseki and the state leader of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, into their undemocratic activities.
The aspirants described such elements as “desperate” to govern their respective councils through the back door, while the also alleged that these people had been claiming endorsement by the governor and his predecessor.
An asirant for the Chairmanship of Owan West Local Goernment Area, Omolei Imadu, said that any attempt to force candidates on the people would be a great disservice to those who have been loyal to the party.
He said that allowing the people choose their representatives would enthrone democratic dividends, through popular participation, as well as assuring the best to emerge among the aspirants.
Similarly, Bagudu Suleiman, a chairmanship aspirant for Etsako Central Council, said that those responsible for name-dropping were the unpopular aspirants that were afraid to face the people in a free and fair primaries.
“Oshiomhole, to me, has not, and I am sure, he will not endorse any body in my council, in spite of the rumour that one particular aspirant has been endorsed by him for the chairmanship position.
“In any case, Oshiomhole is a democrat; he is the proponent of one-man, one-vote, and, as such, he will want a free contest, where the people and only the people determine who their candidate is. Same thing also goes for the governor,” he said.
Suleiman said that the people of South Uneme, a minority part of Etsako Central Local Government Area, deserve to be given the opportunity to produce the chairmanship of the council.
According to him, “The people have for long been marginalised in the allocation of political positions in the council and should, thus, appeal to the leadership of the party to stick to the earlier arrangement that zoned the chairmanship seat to the area.
Meanwhile, the former governor has denied endorsing any candidate for chairmanship position in the poll.
Oshiomhole’s media aide, Victor Oshioke, said that his principal is a democrat, who believe that party guidelines and constitution should be followed strictly, especially as it regards conduct of primaries.
He said those using Oshiomhle’s name were doing so without his knowledge and advised the electorate to disregard such.
“Just like the other party leaders, he believes that it is okay if leadership of the party in a particular council are able to arrive at consensus candidate and not imposing candidates on them as being peddled,” the spokesman said.
