2023 Poll: How Ex-Edo Speaker, outsmarted Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde leaders for Labour Party ticket
By: Idris Umar Momoh, Benin
To some, politics is a dirty game but to others, it is a game full of intrigues, manipulations, godfatherism and moneybags. These assertions were further exacerbated at the just released final lists of candidates vying for the various elective political positions in the forthcoming 2023 general elections in the country.
In the lists released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), contentious names like Senator Godswill Akpabio made the final lists as a results of court orders.
But, in Edo State, persons like the first female speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Elizabeth Ativie, made the list of candidates for the Labour Party for the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde federal constituency against the contestation of the leadership of the party in the constituency.
Recall that the former speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly had on September 6, 2022 officially announced her resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party that gave her the platform to be elected speaker of the state house of assembly.
Ativie, in a letter dated June 1, 2022 and addressed to the state chairman of the party, through her ward 4 chairman to the Uhunmwonde local government chairman attributed her resignation to the "current unresolved crises" rocking the party in the local government, the federal constituency and the entire state.
The former speaker, who, however, dispelled the rumour making the rounds that she dumped the party because of the failure to secure the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde/federal representatives ticket, added that she would make known her next political move to the general public.
But worried by the alleged political
manoeuvring of the former lawmaker to discreetly take the ticket from the duly elected candidate, Honourable Murphy Imasuen, the leadership of the party in the constituency on September 17, 2022, last Saturday at a press briefing in Benin City, kicked against the action of the lawmaker.
The spokesperson of the group and the State youth leader of the party, Comrade Ken Omusi, opined that any attempt to shortchange the party's candidate duly elected in Abudu, the administrative headquarters of Orhiomwon council, in July 13, 2022, by undemocratic process will be aggressively rejected by the members.
Omusi flanked by Orhiakhi Osaigbovo and Austin Oronsaye, Orhiomwon and Uhunmwonde local governments chairmen of the party, respectively, however, called on the national and state leadership of the party to as a matter of urgency advise the former speaker not to parade herself as the party's candidate for the federal constituency seat.
According to Omusi, Murphy Imasuen, was duly given the ticket to run for Orhiomwon/Uhunmwonde federal constituency during the substitution primaries held in Abudu on the 13th day of July 2022.
"It has come to our notice that the duly elected candidate representing Orhiomnwon/Uhunmwode federal constituency, Hon Murphy Imasuen's name was recently removed from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) list in Abuja and replaced with Hon Elizabeth Ativie.
"That Hon Elizabeth Ativie at the time of the substitution primaries was unarguably absent because she was still a card carrying member of the APC at the time.
"We boldly say without fear or favour, we will not accept any other candidate except the candidate who anticipated in the process and guidelines recognized by INEC.
"We demand that Elizabeth Ativie be called to order to stop parading herself as the candidate for Orhiomwon/Uhunmwode federal constituency, an act which is impersonating and also capable of sending her to jail.
" We are not unaware of the allegations against some individuals who have decided to bring shame to the party. We will not hesitate to bring them to public ridicule if they do not desist from their malicious act.
"That Ativie who recently resigned from the APC on September 6,2022, which is less than two weeks ago urged her teeming supporters to remain calm while assuring that in a few weeks, she would let the whole world know her next political action/move.
" We hereby make bold to say that we do not recognize Ativie yet as a member of the Labour party, Edo state chapter not to talk more of being the House of Representatives candidate for Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde federal constituency. This is laughable and a mere propaganda ",he said.
He also called on the security agencies to call on the former speaker to order as her action was capable of breaching the already existing peace in the state.
Reacting to the allegation, Elizabeth Ativie, said she had been a member of Labour Party prior to the 2007 general elections where she was a state executive member of the party in the state.
Elizabeth added that she left the party to the defunct Action Congress to support the political aspiration of the former governor of the State Adams Oshiomhole.
She disclosed that she had since registered and rejoined the party since May this year before her official resignation from the APC.
"I have always been a member of Labour Party by my profession as a retired nurse. I have been to the national leadership of the party, state chairman who handed to me a membership card.
"I have been to the national headquarters of the party in Abuja to see the national chairman. I also visited the state chairman of the party who register and handed to me the party registration card.
" The party chairman and others happily welcomed me to the party. I also visited some state leaders, elders as well as Uhunmwonde local government party leaders and elders before and after my rejoining the party",she stated.
She however urged members of the party in the constituency to exercise patience and wait for the final release of candidate's list before raising unfounded and unnecessary alarm.
She also called on the party faithful not to allow themselves to be used by opposition parties to destabilize the party that is already gaining momentum popularity in the state.
With the inclusion of the name of Hon Elizabeth Ativie in the final lists released by INEC for the presidential, Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates for the election, it has now dawned on the party members that her move was not for mere propaganda but reality.
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