1st December, 2023
By Jethro Ibileke
Prince Kassim Afegbua, a former spokesman of ex-military President, Ibrahim Babangida, has joined the race for next year’s gubernatorial election in Edo State.
Afegbua who is also a former Commissioner for Information in the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, announced his intention on Thursday evening, at the secretariat of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council.
He disclosed that infrastructural decay and leadership deficiency, amongst others, as presently experienced in the state, made him join the race to correct such.
According to him, the “needless squabbles and altercations among the leaders of the ruling party in our state, [Edo people are] disoriented by the politics of pretence and high-handedness,” which he said should not be.
Afegbua who want to run on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), assured that he would “seamlessly reposition the state in sync with national reckoning, and fully explore the opportunities beckoning to us.”
He added: “We cannot afford to be in opposition when we have a federal government that is poised to renew our hope and take us to a place of prosperity, economic strength, stability, and pride.
“I am determined to make a big difference with positive impacts. With your support, I will redefine the essence of governance for the benefit of our people.
“The era of lamentation will be gone when I take the lead. Edo must rise again; she must rise from the ashes of this present mis-governance, to a state that will occupy its rightful place in the assembly of states in Nigeria. Edo state deserves more than just a passing interest.
“Edo is seriously begging for attention with the level of infrastructural decay and leadership deficiency. I can’t stand the kind of roads I saw while traveling through the state.
“Immediately I am sworn in, I will start working on our roads. Mobility is key in any human existence. How do we encourage our rural farmers to take their farm produce to the urban centres when our roads are in bad shape. So, road infrastructure will be my number one priority.”
He added: “Education will follow. I will continue the red- roof revolution of the government before this present administration. This is because that particular policy helped in covering infrastructural decay and rots, but unfortunately, this government has since abandoned that particular sector.”
Speaking further, Afegbua said he would make the health sector his third priority, just as he added,
He added: “I have tried to search for Godwin Obaseki government’s new health centres; community health services and lots more, but I haven’t seen any.
“Very passionate about resetting the political architecture and dynamics of the state, through purposeful leadership that will birth a new lease of life for us all as a people.”
“I am encouraged by the knowledge of the natural resourcefulness and ingenuity that lie in our people, and their can-do spirit, now unfortunately in despondency,” he added.
Commenting on the agitation to zone the governorship ticket to Edo central, the aspirant noted that “there has never been zoning arrangement of governorship position in the State. He noted that anybody who says there is zoning will be missing the point.”
He added: “In 2007 when Oshiomhole came on stream to contest the position, as at that time Edo central had three ministers, yet Osunbor who is also from central was elected governor. Now, from that time till now, every primary conducted by political parties has always been featuring every aspirant from all the zones.
“So, this time, nothing of zoning should stop any worthy son of Edo from aspiring to govern Edo.”