From Ighomuaye Lucky , Benin
A leader of Edo State Labour Party (LP), Oghogho Okundaye has kicked against the clamour in some quarter for the zoning of the ticket to one of the three senatorial districts in the state.
Fielding questions from newsmen in Benin weekend, he said that LP is well known for adhering to its constitution which does not make provisions for the rotation of its offices.
“Anybody who is suggesting that the number one seat in the state should go to a particular area is not doing so in good faith.
“Such person is not abiding by the constitution. If we must be a party that abides by its constitution, then our discussion should not be revolving around rotational offices and sharing.”
“Our politics should move away from sectional interests.
“This has not done justice to governance whether at the state or national level.
“It has not helped us in any way. Anybody who is suggesting that the number one seat in the state goes to a particular area is not doing so in good faith.”
Okundaye who did not say if he is contesting or not, said that the focus of party faithful is and should continue to be how to build the party in Edo State, quickly adding that he was available to serve in whatever capacity that the party deems necessary.
“If you want anything more, you’ll have to wait for a few months but as it stands today, the work is to build the party and make sure that we are relevant so that the gains of yesterday are not lost to the personal pursuits of today.
“Very soon that matter will be put to rest. The issue in Labour Party is not that there are no good candidates and if I am considered one of those good candidates, I’ll appreciate that good gesture”, Okundaye said.
From winning the last February 25 presidential election in Edo State, he said that the party struggled to win a couple of seats in the rescheduled March 18 House of Assembly election in the state presidential election in Edo State because of some fundamental errors which the party has however taken notice of.
Sounding upbeat, Okundaye remarked that the structure that gave victory to LP presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi in the last election is still intact, predicting that with a little bit of adjustment of its strategy, the party will bounce back and win the Edo governorship in the 2024 election.
“The structure that produced victory for Obi in the February 25 presidential election is still very much intact. When it came to the state election, we may not have done exactly what we did in the presidential election. We have learned from that.
“Success is not in falling but rising after each fall. We may have fallen during the state election but we have learned from that. We are going to do things differently in the governorship election. There were some structural things that ought to have been done but were not done. We have taken notice of those things.
“The state executive has been working assiduously to ensure that most of those mistakes are not repeated in subsequent elections. If we do what is needed. If we do what ought to have been done, I am sure that we will be ready come 2024 to win Edo State”, Okundaye added.
