By Omeiza Ajayi

Ahead of the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, from Edo Central Senatorial District, have closed ranks to trim the number of aspirants to two from the over 25 currently aspiring for the top office.

At a news conference Tuesday in Abuja, leader of the party in the Senatorial District, Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe (retd), said his team has also begun lobbying leaders from other parts of the state, saying it was necessary to get the buy-in of Edo South and North to support the emergence of the next governor of the State from Esan extraction.

He said already, the number of aspirants from the Senatorial District have been trimmed down to only six, after a thorough engagement with them.

The former Nigerian Military Attache to the United Kingdom added that in the coming weeks, the number of aspirants would be further reduced to only two ahead of the primaries of the party in the first quarter of 2024.

The APC leaders in Edo Central had organized a forum where interested aspirants from the District believed to be hugely marginalized came before the party leadership in the area to give their manifestos on why they should be considered for the top job.

After the screening exercise, six of the aspirants were penciled down to slug it out with other aspirants from Edo North and Edo South.

Those who emerged successful are Festus Ebea, Monday Okpebholo, David Imuse, Victor Eboigbe, Thomas Okosun and Senator Oserhiemen Osunbor.

Ebea is a former Deputy Speaker in the Edo State House of Assembly and hails from Ubiaja in Esan South-East Local Government Area.

He is followed by the current Senator representing Edo Central in the 10th National Assembly, Monday Okpebholo, popularly known as Akpakomiza.

Retired Colonel David Imuse, the APC Chairman in Edo State, is next in the screening alongside a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Thomas Okosun.

While Victor Eboigbe, Federal Commissioner at the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) also scaled the Edo Central exercise, a former Governor of the State, Oserhiemen Osunbor emerged too in the contest.

Osunbor, a Professor of Law, is arguably the most experienced of the lot, having served as senator representing Edo Central on two occasions from 1999 to 2007 before contesting, winning and eventually sworn-in as governor on May 29, 2006 before the Tribunal removed him on November 11, 2008.

Before joining active politics, Colonel Imuse, the incumbent Chairman of the APC, is a trained medical doctor from the University of Benin and a retired military officer having served meritoriously with the Nigerian Army.

Okosun, the first Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly in 1999 is one of many who joined the race but miraculously scaled through in 4th position.

However, Ebea and Eboigbe seem to be the newest entrants into the game of politics compared to the other four based on their antecedents.

Esekhaigbe said: “We are consulting with leaders from Edo North and South. They will support us to succeed. Edo North since 1999 has had eight years. By the time Godwin Obaseki completes his tenure, Edo South would have had 16 years.

“Only Central is left out. That is why we are appealing to our friends and colleagues from the other two geopolitical zones to give Edo Central a chance to produce the next governor of Edo State.”