By Odi Okojie Media Team
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:18-20).
The above opening bible text explains why the Ebakota political agreement in Edo Central Senatorial District which settles the rotation of the Senatorial seat between the old Okpebho Local Government Area and Agbazilo Local Government Area has resufed to die, no matter how some persons who term themselves as politically powerful have tried. This principle has also come to bear in the rotation of the House of Representatives seat between Esan South-East and Esan North-East Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the old Agbazilo. It is also operational in the old Okpebho, though Igueben Local Government Area has not benefited.
That the Edo Central Senatorial seat will become vacant after the 12th of November lend credence to the fact that God almighty has sealed that rotational agreement as expoused by the quoted opening bible text.
The Senatorial seat is on its second round of rotation in the district. By that arrangement, it is now the turn of Esan North-East Local Government Area to produce the Senator as Esan South-East had its turn in the first round of rotation which was between 2007 and 2015; that saw Senator Odion Ugbesia occupying the position. Now that a bright opportunity has come to continue with the arrangement, equity demands that the slot go to Esan North-East Local Government Area, which is its proper place in this dispensation.
That Esan North-East LGA has been supporting the Senatorial ambition of other LGAs in Esan land to clinch the Senatorial seat doesn’t mean they don’t have what it take politically to arm twist others to get the slot in the past; but preferred to support other LGAs to foster unity and oneness of Esan land and its people. Satstistics from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that Esan North-East has a total of 106,280 registered voters, second only to Esan West with 113,067; Esan Central 68,338, while Esan South-East has 90,240 and Igueben has 54,549 registered voters. That the LGA has always used these votes to support candidates from other LGAs underscores their unflinching desire for Esan unity.
It’s against this backdrop we’ll continue to emphasis why the All Progressives Congress (APC), should cede its Senatorial ticket to Hon. Odi Okojie, the incumbent member of the House of Representatives representing Agbazilo federal constituency. His nomination will afford Agbazilo constituency the opportunity for the possibility of Esan South-East leaders to negotiate with Esan leaders to appeal to Esan North-East to cede the House of Representatives seat to them in the spirit of unity and brotherhood. Negotiation is needed because by coincidence, the Ebakota agreement has brought both the Senatorial seat and the House of Representatives seat to Esan North-East LGA. Esan South-East should leverage on Odi Okojie’s Senatorial ambition to convince their Esan North-East brothers to allow them have that slot so that it will revert to Esan North-East after two tenures.
Let us not forget how Esan North-East with eleven wards and more delegates ditched their own son, Hon. Friday Itulah to vote Hon. Sergius Ogun in 2015 in the spirit of Ebakota; to allow the seat go to Esan South-East LGA.
It is on this note we wish to appeal to the APC political gladiators in Esan South-East LGA to unite behind Hon. Odi Okojie, present him to the larger Esan body of the party and table their negotiating request.
We also appeal to other APC stalwalts from Okpebho federal constituency where the Governor will be residing from 12 November; qto support the emergence of APC Senatorial candidate from Esan North-East LGA, pick Odi Okojie as their choice to expand the frontiers of negotiation for their Esan South-East brothers.