By Ozioruva Aliu, BENIN CITY

ANY doubts of who the Edo South Senatorial candidate for the 2027 is was cleared on Tuesday as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presented Honourable Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama as its senatorial candidate for the district in the 2027 general elections.

The party chairman, Jarret Tenebe alongside Governor Monday Okoebholo also presented the four candidates for the House of Representatives and 10 candidates for the State House of Assembly elections.

The candidates were presented at the flag-off of the Edo South senatorial campaign for next month’s local government council election in the state.

Speaking, Tenebe said other opposition political parties in the state were not strong enough to challenge the APC in the coming local government elections because of the performances of Governor Monday Okpebholo.

According to him, “We are sending this message to the people in the grassroots, the opposition parties are nowhere to be found, where is the PDP, where is the ADC, where is the NDC. The opposition cannot stand us because of what the governor is doing.

“Not everybody will be in the urban areas to see what the state government is doing, we have chosen these chairmanship and councillors candidates to go our local government areas all over the state to replicate what Governor Okpebholo is doing. He promised to make Edo State a construction site and he is fulfilling that.

“We are also presenting our Edo South Senatorial District candidate, Hon Omorege Ogbeide-Ihama, our four House of Representatives candidates and the ten House of Assembly candidates.”

On his part, former deputy governor of the state, Pius Odubu said the coming local government area election was a dress rehearsal for the 2027 election while Major General Charles Airhaivbere (rtd) said the governor has done enough to ensure victory for the APC in the local government election.

Speaking, Governor Okpebholo said the kidnappings happening across the country were being orchestrated because of the 2027 election.

While calling for the unconditional release of the school pupils and teachers in parts of the country particularly Oyo state, Governor Okpebholo said such unpatriotic actions would not distract President Bola Tinubu.

He said “For the past eight years, you have not seen anything like this in this state and this is because of what the president is doing. Those people that are looking for power, let them stop disturbing our President, let them allow him to think on how to move Nigeria forward, let them stop kidnapping, kidnaping cannot give them the Villa, kidnapping cannot give them house of assembly and the National Assembly.

“They are using kidnapping to disturb us, the children that they have kidnapped, let them release them unconditionally. They are using kidnapping to make it look like the president is not doing anything, but the president is doing more than enough, he was bold enough to remove the subsidy and it is the money that we are using to work for you in Edo State and other states of the federation.”

He called on the people to vote for all candidates of the APC in the local government election and the 2027 elections.