EDO CENTRAL 2023: THE CLOCK TICKS FOR IDIAKE. By Francis Akhigbe

Since after the Political Parties Primaries in Edo Central  Senatorial District, the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory in next year Elections.

It is on record that the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State have not been able to come up with their candidates for the respective offices that will be contested next year, 2023. This political lakuna or quagmire of the PDP have further dimmed its fragile posture in Edo Central Senatorial District in particular and given the leverage to APC to soar higher.

Yours sincerely, the Publisher of The PEN Media Online/ Magazine decided to reach out to some of the leaders of the People's Democratic Party to find out why PDP have not been able to put its house in order. It was a heculean task getting them to speak to me. They gave the excuse that the matter was before a Court of Law and until the outcome, they preferred not to talk about it.

I took a step further to interact with the leader from Esan West who spoke to the crew of The PEN Media Network last week to say something about the logjam of his Party, the PDP because of the recent development of some aspirants being given Certificates of Returned by the Party.

This is what he said, " last week, I told the crew of The PEN Media, that if the aspirant I am supporting is knocked out, I would have no other option than to remain in PDP and work for Dcn. Patrick Idiake of APC. As I speak to you now, I heard that some people who claimed to be aspirants of the People's Democratic Party have been given Certificates of Returned by the Party, even when they know that the matter is in the Court of Competence Jurisdiction.  To me, what that means is that the PDP have lost the election even before its conduct. My area of interest is the House of Representatives and by the conduct of the leadership of the PDP, they have just given the victory to Dcn. Patrick Idiake of APC on a platter of gold. Mark my words".

Dcn. Patrick Akhimiemona Idiake

I put a call through to the Number One Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Esan Central Local Government Area, Prince Willy Shaka Momodu to see if there  would be any collaboration with what the PDP leader said about Patrick Idiake having victory on a platter of gold.

Read him, " the victory of Patrick Idiake for the House of Representatives election in 2023, is not negotiable. We told him when he came to inform us, the leaders of the Party  in Esan Central on his intention to vie to contest the House of Representatives election to represent Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben Federal Constituency, that victory was already staring him in the face. Since then, we have not relented. I can tell you now that Esan Central have  sealed that victory for him and we only need to give it to him during the election" 

When asked to speak on the PDP logjam, he said, " I am not a member of PDP, so I will not want to talk about it. But my prayer is that, they should continue to be in disarray".

I also put a call through to the APC Number One Leader of Igueben Local Government Area, Barr. Ken Ihensekhien on the preparedness of the Party for next year Elections, especially that of the House of Representatives. He told me that victory for Idiake was a done deal. 

He said, " I told you that before now and the position has not changed. But if you want to hear more from me, call me in two weeks and by then, I would have been back from Abuja to Benin".

If the responses above from  the leaders are taken into account, it therefore means that the Clock is already ticking in favour of Dcn. Patrick Akhimiemona Idiake for the House of Representatives election come 2023.

The PEN Media Network, Publishers of the PEN Online/Magazine will continue to update the public of the political developments in Nigeria.