Some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the Esan West Local Government Area have kicked against the commissioner-nominees list submitted to Governor Monday Okpebholo.
The aggrieved members in a protest letter dated 21 November, 2024, and addressed to Governor Okpebholo through the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Musa Umar Ikhilor, stated that the list submitted to the Governor did not reflect the five kingdoms that make up the local government area.
The petition titled: “Re: Nomination of five names from Esan West Local Government,” was written by APC leaders from the ten wards in the locality. The signatories to the petition were Chief Edwin Ogieriakhi, Chief Saturday Ogbeide, Hon. Abu Momodu, Mr. Visly Udaze, Chief Festus Ozoba, Mr. Wesley Oran, Mr. Sam Akhigbe, Chief Ikpea Ojie, Joe Aise Aisdion and Hon. Monday Ehighawa.
According to them, the nomination was done by Mr. Thomas Okosun, a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly and one time the State chairman of the defunct, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Mr. David Imuse, the former state chairman of APC.
The petitioners also alleged that the nomination was done without consulting the leadership of the party in the local government as it was being done in other local government areas in the state.
They also alleged that the two nominees, a female, simply identified as Mrs Ogbidi is a wife to chairman of the party while the other nominee, Pastor Odigie is a pastor in Thomas Okosun’s church.
They further noted that the selection of the nominees did not cover the whole of the local government area, even as they added that it was contrary to the usual practice when one person was being nominated from each of the kingdoms.
“We the concerned leaders of Esan West local government area wish to register our protest against the list of commissioners’ nominees from Esan West local Government.
“Firstly, the nomination was done by Mr. Thomas Okosun and Mr. Imuse without consulting the leadership of the local government as it was done in other local governments.
“Secondly, the list is made up of his relations and friends. For example, the female in the list is Mrs. Ogbidi the party chairman’s wife and Mr. Governor’s greatest critics while Pastor Odigie is Thomas Okosun church pastor.
“Also the selection did not reflect the spread in the local government as Esan West is made up of 5 Kingdom namely, Ekpoma, Idoa, Ogwa, Ujogba, and Egoro.
“Our usual practice is selection of one nominee from each of the kingdom but in this case, all the nominees are from the Ekpoma kingdom,” the petition stated.
The party leaders, who posited that the list was capable of bringing division within the party in the locality, however, called on Governor Okpebholo to set aside the list for the sake of justice.
They therefore called on Governor Okpebholo to use his discretion to set aside the list in order to save the party as there was already tension in the local government over the list.
