By Ozioruva Aliu

Sen Monday Okpebholo popularly called Akpakomiza is the first All Progressives Congress, APC, senator from Edo Central. He said he has supported Benin in the past to be governor and now they should reciprocate. He urged the APC to consider the rotation of offices as stated in the party’s constitution.

Why do you think you are the right person to be the APC candidate?

I have been supporting other tribes. In 2012, I supported a Benin man; 2016, I supported a Benin man; 2020, I supported a Benin man. Now it is their turn to support us. Why I am saying this is for justice, equity and fairness. It is our turn. I am not forcing them but they should know and remember that there is always tomorrow, they will also need us.

So, we need them this time around, when it is their turn, we will also support them. If you look at how things have been trending in Edo you will know that when Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was there, he made his mark; Chief Ambrose Alli also made his mark. If you look at the history of Ambrose Alli and that of Oshiomhole, they are similar. Ambrose Alli brought a university to Esanland, Adams Oshiomhole took a university to Edo North. Oshiomhole cared about education, Amrbose Alli cared about education. If it was not Ambrose Alli, I would not have gone to even primary school not to talk of secondary school. Many of us here are witnesses to this.

When Adams Oshiomhole came there were red roofs everywhere in Edo State. Now Akpakomiza is coming to follow the legacies of Ambrose Alli and Adams Oshiomhole.

What are your plans if you become the governor?

I am coming with a five-point agenda to develop Edo. Other people will tell you they have a simple agenda, others will tell you they have this and that but mine are five points and by the time I finish with the five points, Edo will never be the same again. Even before I became a senator, my number one agenda has been security. I was already in it providing security, providing vehicles to protect the people. Now that I am going to use government money, I am telling you, we will pursue the criminals from our land and smoke them out.

Infrastructure

Do we have infrastructure? Do we have roads in Edo, do we have schools? Right from Day One, I will declare a state of emergency on our roads and turn Edo into a construction site. I have seen it. If you go to the Airport Road in Benin, you will see it. Thank God for the Oba, a progressive man. He said, ‘if this palace wall will stop progress from coming to Edo, pull it down.’

Of course, the wall was never pulled down but the expansion of the Airport Road Oshiomhole wanted was achieved. If you go to Benin today, you have very good roads from Ring Road to almost all the major roads in the city all courtesy of Adams Oshiomhole. So, on infrastructure, I am still going to emulate him.

Education

Today, many of our children don’t want to go to school again because many schools are dilapidated. I cried when I went to a school last week. When you are inside the classroom, you will be seeing the sky. When rain is falling you will not find anywhere to hide. This is because the government of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has failed us. I am not talking to them yet until when it is time to campaign because they have nothing to tell us, they have nothing to show.

Agriculture

We will do our best because the major source of revenue to Edo State is agriculture. We will introduce mechanized farming and give loans to farmers so we will have enough food to feed other states.

Health

If you come to health, the only General Hospital that was built by Oshiomhole, they came and vandalized it, they gave it to an individual to manage now we don’t have a hospital. We will go back to the drawing board, we will make sure that nobody is dying prematurely in Edo State again, when you have good infrastructure, when you have good facilities, life will be safe. We are coming to save lives.

What will you say about the internal screening that is causing ripples in your party?

I want to plead with our brothers, for sometime now we have done rigorous exercises on screening. The party leadership in its wisdom said we want to scale this number down so that we can have a number that is manageable but what happened, the exercise was going on, at the end of the day, four people emerged and Akpakomiza is one of them. Is that not a sign of good things coming to Edo Central?

In our constitution, the APC constitution, we have rotation of power. Article 20 Section 4 makes it clear. What is in my mind is to have the Edo of our dream. I have gone to other states, I was in Akwa Ibom, I thought I was in the US, look at Edo before you get to the Government House, you will see erosion. So by the grace of God the day they declare us winners, we will start working. I have the experience, I am the striker just entering the field and we will score.