… Sponsored to waste votes in Edo South Senatorial district
By Vincent Osaghae
Fresh facts have emerged revealing stunning details of how Labour Party Governorship candidate in Edo State, Olumide Akpata is working in secret alliance with All Progressives Congress(APC) and is being sponsored by the party to waste votes and undermine the chances of Peoples Democractic Party(PDP) in Edo South Senatorial district ahead of the forthcoming Guber Election in Edo State.
Akpata has been a very close friend and business ally to President Bola Tinubu and their relationship dates back to 2001 when Tinubu was Governor of Lagos State. It is said that Tinubu played a major role in Akpata’s emergence as NBA President and the President was also instrumental to his recent decision to join Labour party in July 2023 and has been a major financier of his Governorship bid right from the Primaries.
Insider sources in Aso Rock reveal that President Tinubu and APC are behind Olumide Akpata’s Governorship ambition in Labour Party. Their ultimate agenda is not to support him to win, but to use him as proxy candidate to divide the votes in the cosmopolitan Edo South Senatorial district which is considered a PDP stronghold and which also has the highest number of registered voters in Edo State.
The Labour Party whose flag Akpata will be flying in the Guber race, won last year’s Presidential election in the state, a reflection of the Party’s popularity in the State.
Akpata deliberately set out to leverage on the existing “Obidient Movement” built around Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi. The movement is very popular in Edo State and the APC considers it a major threat and stumbling block to their quest to take over Edo hence the secret engagement of Akpata as a 3rd force to whittle down PDP’s influence in the zone.
“Akpata was neither a member of Labour Party nor part of the Obidient movement during the 2023 General elections in Edo State. He was no where to be found when the likes of Dr. Isaiah Osifo and Dr. Azemhe Azena who are now candidates of APGA and NNPP were championing Labour Party in Edo State” A Labour Party Chieftain disclosed
Findings show that Akpata is being sponsored heavily by the Presidency through the office of the Chief of Staff to President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. In February, he received $850 thousand dollars from the Presidency to grab the Labour Party ticket against Kenneth Imansuangbon, Hon. Sergius Oguns and other Aspirants from Edo Central Senatorial District. He also received additional N1.6 Billion for his Ward campaign tours and N450 Million Naira for TV ads specifically in May 2024.
It may be recalled that the Labour Party Primaries that produced Akpata was characterised by serious controversies and has been the subject of unending litigations in court over allegations of manipulation of delegates list, bribery, corruption and sharing of 1,500 Dollars per Delegate.
With barely a month to Election, Akpata was last week sighted in Abuja holding late night meetings with Gbajabiamila and Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Borno state Governor’s lodge in Asokoro. It is believed that President Tinubu has more than a passive interest in Edo State and has mandated the trio of VP Shettima, Senate President Akpabio and Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila to deploy all necessary resources required to assist Akpata to remain in the race against PDP.
