By Jethro Ibileke
Ahead of the 21 September governorship election in Edo State, an Esan-centric socio-cultural group,
Esan4OsadebeHouse2024Team, has charged all sons and daughters of the region to unite and avoid division and vote-splitting.
While emphasizing the need for Esan people to act as one united family and avoid the possibility of splitting their votes, the group urged them to join hands together and vote for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election, Dr Asue Ighodalo.
This, they said, was because of the potential danger and inherent disadvantages of doing so.
The group in a communique titled: “Unity and Support for Asue Ighodalo – A Call to Action”, and signed by Barr Patrick Egbadon Okpebholo, reasoned that should the Esan people allow themselves to be led by emotion rather than by reason, it could become counterproductive for the Esan nation.
The full communique reads:
“We, the Esan people, stand at a critical juncture in our history. The upcoming Edo gubernatorial election presents a rare opportunity for our community to produce a candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who has consistently demonstrated respect, commitment, and dedication to our welfare.
“However, we face a danger that threatens to undermine our progress: division and split votes. If we allow emotions to dictate our actions and fragment our support, we risk inadvertently contributing to the victory of opposing forces, specifically the Labour Party (LP).
“The consequences of such an outcome would be dire. It may take another two decades for Esan to have a similar opportunity to produce a gubernatorial candidate. We cannot afford to squander this chance.
“Therefore, we urge all Esan people to unite behind Asue Ighodalo, our chosen candidate. Let us pool our resources, energies, and votes to ensure his victory. This is our moment, and we must seize it.”