A public affairs analyst, Mr. Odeh Ekpoma has called on the Governor of Edo state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki to demand the resignation of all political office holders who have gubernatorial ambition in the forthcoming election in the state in 2024.
In a press statement released in Abuja and dated August 7th 2023, Mr. Ekpoma said the business of the state is too serious for opportunist appointees to start toying with in their quest to occupy the governor's office.
According to the statement "coming in the heels of the news that the Edo state Secretary of the State Government SSG, MR. Osarodion Ogie and the Deputy Governor, Comrade Phillip Shuaibu have shown interest in succeeding their principal we cannot allow political appointees to start comprising their offices because of their ambition thereby stunting the progress Governor Obaseki has made in his reforms.
In the case of the Deputy Governor, whose duties are strictly at the pleasure of the governor, Mr. Ekpoma called on the Governor to limit his deputy's functions to representing the governor in ceremonies and events and remove any form of executive activities from his scope of work so that he can find time to concentrate on his campaign and not compromise the affairs of the state.
The statement noted that in other climes political appointees or elected officials find ways to separate their office from their campaigns whereas in Nigeria the office and state resources are used to pursue political ambitions.
"Edo state has made giant leaps in the right direction since Governor Obaseki came to office largely because he is not your typical politician and the people of the state cannot sit back and allow professional politicians who have done nothing else but politics in the past twenty years to now set us back using their offices for undue political advantage. "Resigning now will guarantee fairness and encourage people of competence to enter the race" Mr. Odeh Ekpoma concluded.