Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday restated that electioneering campaign ahead of the July 14 governorship election in the state must be issue based.
This is just as he urged the electorate to ask the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to present their report card to the people when they ruled the state for 10 years.
Oshiomhole made the comments while addressing large supporters of Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) at Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area of the state, during the flag-off of his campaign. He said that gone was the era where campaign by politicians was based on rhetoric, where the electorate was fed with lies.
“This election must election must be issue-based because our people have been fed with rhetoric in 2007. When I have the opportunity to campaign in Esan, everywhere we went to, we saw that the people wanted change and light. They are tired of darkness. It is not as if changes were impossible; if we can have the right people in the system, but they also realised that the power of the godfather was such that they could not do anything about it.”
The governor explained that his fight against godfatherism in the Edo State was a fight against the privatization of the collective wealth of the people which, he said, had been under the? control of the PDP which had controlled Edo State, adding that the battle was to free the resources of the state for? the common interest of the people.
The Isekhure of Benin Kingdom, Chief Nosakhare Isekhure, in his remark at the rally, described the PDP as a sinking ship and declared Oshiomhole the only candidate recognised by Edo South people. He also urged the people of the Edo Central not allow themselves to be deceived.
The Director-General of the Oshiomhole Campaign Organization, Pastor Ize Iyamu, berated the PDP administration of the state, and said that Edo South people had decided to vote massively for Oshiomhole.
Oshiomhole, who later visited the Onojie of Irrua, Alhaji W. Momodu (II), also sought the blessing of the royal father ahead of the governorship election? and promised to? fast-track development in Esanland when he wins a second tenure after the? July 14 governorship election.
The royal father acknowledged the developmental efforts of the governor and advised other candidates in the race to give the office a shot after Oshiomhole must have completed his second tenure.