Edo 2024: Akpata Speaks on Obaseki Funding His Campaign, Says “I’m Not Answerable to Any Godfather”

• The candidate of the Labour Party in the September governorship election in Edo, Olumide Akpata, has cleared the air on how his campaign is being funded
• Akpata maintained that he was not answerable to any godfather, including Governor Obaseki, whose anointed candidate is PDP’s Asue Ighodalo
• The former NBA chairman also noted that he could not be remote-controlled by any political benefactor if elected in the poll

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Edo state, has denied being sponsored by Governor Godwin Obaseki, as speculated ahead of the September 21 election.

Akpata denies funding from Obaseki

The immediate past president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) made the rebuttal when he appeared as a guest on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.

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As reported by The Punch, Akpata said that despite being his kinsman, he could not be a Plan B for Obaseki’s government, which the Edo people have rated low for performing woefully in office.

The Labour Party governorship candidate also cleared the air on his campaign funding. Akpata said he was funding himself and had good friends who believed in him, adding that "your network is your networth".

“I have no strings attached. I am not answerable to any godfather. I am not answerable to any political benefactor.

“That is one reason they (Edo people) can trust the Labour Party government because we are answerable to the people,” Akpata added.

Read more about Olumide Akpata here:

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Poll predicts winner of Edo governorship election

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, was leading the Edo state governorship race with 68% of the vote.

The poll revealed that 96.9% of respondents had collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), but only 73.1% were committed to voting.

The Edo Business Development Agency (EBDA) managing director, Sharon Orisakwe, has predicted a potentially low voter turnout of around 20% based on past trends.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng