Ahead of the September 19, 2020 governorship election in Edo State, special adviser to the state governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has run out of ideas that will make its governorship candidate electable and is constantly chasing shadows in the face of a burdensome credibility crisis.
Osagie, who spoke Wednesday in Benin City, the Edo State capital, while reacting to APC’s call on the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate Governor Godwin Obaseki for an allegation of unfair award of contracts by his administration.
“The APC has run out of ideas at a time Edo people are willing and ready to assess the various candidates in the forthcoming gubernatorial election based on their time-tested and workable ideas,” Osagie said.
He claimed that Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the APC, and his media handlers are, however, bereft of such ideas and so have resorted to chasing shadows.
“We sympathise with their frustration resulting from the burdensome credibility crisis which they face,” Osagie said.
He said marketing its candidate may have been a herculean task for the APC because “Edo people are very rational and intelligent people that will not be swayed by false alarm and propaganda”.
He maintained that the allegation by Andrew Egboigbe, “who is said to be a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ward 3, Orhionmwon LGA of the state, that Governor Godwin Obaseki engages in unfair award of contracts to companies, is false, as Edo State under Governor Obaseki, prides herself as one of the most transparent states in the management of her finances”.
“As a matter of fact, Edo has been rated highly by the World Bank and other development institutions for her openness and transparency in the allocation of scarce resources, beginning with the process of making her budget, awards of contracts and release of funds to contractors.
“We understand that in the electioneering times we are in, such bogus and baseless claims will be sponsored by members of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and their allies, who are threatened by Governor Obaseki’s growing popularity and democratic credentials predicated on his sterling performance in all the sectors of the state.
“As we head into the election, our eyes are constantly on the ball and we will not be distracted by such falsehoods and feeble attempts to tarnish the image of the Edo State Governor,” Osagie said.
