Tensions are running high in Edo State as the campaign season heats up ahead of the September 19th gubernatorial election. Addressing a crowd in Ekiadolor, Ovia, former APC chairman Adams Oshiomhole issued a stern warning to the current governor, Godwin Obaseki, saying “If you slap Okpebholo once, I will slap you 10 times.”
Oshiomhole accused Obaseki and the PDP of insulting APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and said they would face fierce retaliation. He claimed the PDP had even killed a police officer assigned to protect one of their candidates, which he condemned as the work of the “devil.”
Oshiomhole also criticized Obaseki’s track record, saying he had failed to deliver on promises like the Gelegele Seaport. APC House of Representatives member Dennis Idahosa pledged that an Okpebholo administration would focus on developing Ovia, irrespective of party lines.
Okpebholo himself thanked the crowd and vowed to reclaim all that has been lost, promising to revive healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and more. Other APC leaders like the women’s leader Dr. Mary Alile and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu rallied the people to support the party’s candidates.
The war of words underscores the high stakes and bitter rivalry in this election, as both sides seek to mobilize their supporters in this crucial battleground.