BENIN CITY – AHEAD of the 2023 general elections, some groups; Edo North Professionals in APC (ENP-APC), Edo Political Renaissance (EPR) and a former Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki, Taiwo Akerele yesterday cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) over comments by a leader of the party in Edo North Senatorial District that the party would give automatic tickets to its members in the National Assembly and the state House of Assembly.
They were reacting to comments credited to a national leader of the party and former Edo North senatorial leader, Prince Malik Afegbua that the leadership of the party had agreed on the return of the lawmakers.
But Chairman of ENP-APC, Abdulazeez Salawu has vowed to resist any attempt to impose candidates on the party.
He said in a statement that “we will not fold our hands and allow enemies of democracy and oligarchs who feed fat on playing politics of exclusion and imposition to destroy the party that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and other patriots laboured very hard to build in the state.
“We note that Edo People and especially Afenmai indigenes have a long standing tradition of democratic practice and meritocracy. Our candidates have always emerged based on the wish of the people and the popularity of the candidates and not through the machination of an individual or group of individuals.
“We in Edo North Professionals in APC believe that to achieve victory in the 2023 election, we must present candidates that have wide acceptability and appeal across the different constituencies.”
Similarly, Akerele in statement advised the party to follow its own constitution in the nomination of candidates to contest in general elections.
He said “This is 2021 and not 1999 when people will just sit down in the comfort of their homes and endorse candidates. We must be extremely careful as a party.
“If the present occupants have done well, it should be the joy of the party to encourage them to showcase their records and invariably stand tall head and shoulder above their challengers.
“The youths of the party and indeed members of the general public are waiting patiently, observing with keen interest how we organize our internal democratic process.
ERP through its spokesperson, Darlington Osazuwa warned the APC against compounding its problems soon after it lost the last governorship election to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said “a true democracy wherever it operates, offers equal level playground for all individuals and groups equal participation and political liberties of various dimensions
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