Senator Monday Okpebholo, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo state, says his opponents are “baby politicians” who “believe in speaking fine English”.
In a statement on Wednesday, Okpebholo said if elected governor, his administration will be different from that of Godwin Obaseki, incumbent governor of Edo.
The serving senator said there will be increased federal government presence in the state if he assumes the reins.
“My running mate, Hon. Dennis Idahosa and I, alongside with other party faithful, will be speaking with the people directly during the campaigns. We will address their concerns and leave no stone unturned,” he said.
“We will not lie to the people or deceive them. Our word will be our bond. We will address their concerns and ensure that everyone is carried along.
“We will talk to our people directly and give them reasons why they should give us a chance to serve them. We have done it before. We will do it again.
“The good thing is that my running mate and I have contested and won elections before. We are currently members of the national assembly. Those trying to challenge us are baby politicians who believe that speaking fine English will translate to victory.
“We will teach them a lesson they will not forget on election day.”
The candidate said no amount of intimidation or blackmail will stop him from campaigning.
“When we unveil our manifesto soon and our winning campaign team, we will hit the ground running,” he said.
“For us, this is a marathon, and we will win the race in the end. No amount of intimidation or blackmail will derail us. We are in this contest to win and we will take over Edo State by the grace of God.”
Okpebholo will be contesting the governorship seat with Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP), and 14 others