Edo Central senatorial district was locked down on Thursday as the All Progressives Congress (APC) staged its grand finale rally in Ekpoma, Esan Central Local Government Area, ahead of Saturday’s August 16 senatorial by-election.
The rally drew an unprecedented crowd, flooding the streets with party supporters, traditional groups, and residents from across the district in a show of strength many described as the biggest political gathering in recent memory.
APC’s top hierarchy was on full display former Edo governor and Senator representing Edo North, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole; Secretary to the State Government; Chief of Staff Mallam Ganiyu Audu; Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, alongside members of the House; Edo Central senatorial leader, Gen. Cecil Isekhaigbe (Rtd); and several party heavyweights.
Governor Monday Okpebholo used the occasion to take a swipe at his predecessor, accusing the PDP administration of abandoning the state’s development.
“Because of what we are doing in Edo State, people are asking where the funds were. Let me tell you Obaseki and the PDP were never interested in developing our state. They were purely transactional,” Okpebholo charged.
Speakers at the rally called on Edo Central voters to come out en masse on Saturday to deliver victory for the APC, assuring that an APC win would guarantee effective representation, peace, unity, and accelerated development for the senatorial district.
The atmosphere was charged with music, cultural displays, and roaring chants of party slogans as Oshiomhole and other leaders hailed the progress achieved under Okpebholo’s nine-month administration and praised the Esan people for their loyalty.
