An All Progressives Congress aspirant for the Edo State governorship election, Gideon Ikhine, submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at the party secretariat in Abuja on Friday.
Ikhine was the Deputy Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council for the re-election of Governor Godwin Obaseki in 2020 before he defected to the APC in July 2023.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had fixed the Edo governorship election for September 21, 2024.
While addressing journalists after he submitted his forms, the aspirant denied having a frosty relationship with former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, whom he claimed is like a father to him.
He said, “Are we talking about the same Oshiomhole? God forbid. For any child who abuses his father, don’t you know he will not go too far in life? As an elder, he is our father in the state. I don’t have a frosty relationship with him.
“I also don’t think he (Oshiomhole) has any anointed candidate as being speculated. Everybody has what we call a will, even though God is for all. I am not sure people are quoting him correctly. He has never said on any occasion that he has an anointed candidate. Please don’t let us misrepresent my leader.”
On why he refused to adhere to the directive of a committee set up at the instance of Oshiomhole, which pruned the aspirants to six, Ikhine stressed that he had done nothing wrong.
According to him, the leadership of the APC has removed the barrier and encouraged interested aspirants to pick up the N50m forms.
“Party leadership will be respected anytime and any day. You recall that after the screening, the National Publicity Secretary of APC (Felix Morka) came out and said anybody could pick up the form and contest. In a football team, you have a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and attackers. To score, everybody needs to play as a team.
“But in all, there is usually one striker, and that is what I am standing here before you today to represent. So thank God for the wisdom of the party at the national level, which encouraged everybody to pick a form,” he stated.
