· Promises four different people his senatorial seat if they support him to be governor
· Arc. Mike Onolememen agrees to proposal
· House of Reps seat currently in Uromi to go to JOEFEL
THE candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21 governorship election, Senator Monday Okpebholo, is currently enmeshed in a web of political office sharing scandal, it was learnt on Wednesday.
According to a source close to the candidate, the Edo Central lawmaker has offered his seat at the Senate to at least four different former governorship aspirants who contested the primary with him, promising to facilitate their going to the senate if they can support him to become governor.
The source affirmed that as at the last count, Sen. Okpebholo has promised to support four different Esan politicians as his replacement in the senate. The politicians, who all lost out to Sen. Okpebholo in the race to be the APC governorship candidate include: Arc. Mike Onolemenmen, a former Minister of Works, who hails from Esan North East Local Government; Chief Festus Ebea, Esan South East; Hon. Joe Ikpea, Esan South East and Victor Eboigbe, also from Esan South East.
Finding show that with the scandal now blown open, some of the former aspirant have withdrawn to their shells ostensibly because they don’t want to be used and dumped, a practice said to be very common with Okpebholo.
Further information from inside Okpebholo’s campaign council showed that the said agreement was the reason behind Onolememen’s recent sudden declaration of support for the APC governorship candidate.
Findings showed that Onolememen, a former minister under the PDP, finalised his decision to work with Okpebholo over the weekend so as to take over from him at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. In agreeing to work with and for Okpebholo, the former Works Minister had to go against his friend, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, whom he had earlier promised to support and work for.
The source said: “Minister knows Asue is a more competent and by far a better candidate than Akpakomiza; but for the allure of office, he wants to go to the Senate. They have reached an agreement to give Monday’s Senate seat to Arc. Mike if APC wins the election. And if things go according plans, the implication will be that both Senator and House of Reps member will be from Uromi axis.
“For that reason, it was agreed that when Hon. Odi Okojie finishes his first term; then his House of Reps seat will go out. Ecause Uromi cannot hold the Senate and House of Reps seats together. We have agreed that Dr Felix Akhabue, a.k.a JOEFEL will be the next Reps after Odi.” the source, a former youth leader stated.
The news which started as a rumour has gained traction and it is said to have unsettled Hon. Okojie, the current House of Representatives member representing Esan NE / Esan SE federal constituency and husband of celebrity Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson.
Asked if Hon Okojie will probably align with any of the other Esan South East politicians so that he can preserve his Reps seat, the source stated that “Odi is a young boy, a loyal party man and a true son of Uromi. The senate is better than Reps for Uromi. Let Odi relax. He has time. After minister finishes in the Senate, Odi can go back to the National Assembly. When Akpakomiza wins the election in September, Odi can be made a commissioner if he helps to deliver Uromi for us,” the source declared.
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