The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, said Governor Monday Okpebholo has the inalienable right to support aspirants seeking to emerge as candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general elections in the state.
Prince Afegbua stated this on Monday, April 27, 2026, while responding to questions at a press conference in Benin.
DAILY POST reports that members of the APC, especially supporters of some aspirants for the State and National Assembly seats, have alleged that the state governor has preferred aspirants he wants to emerge as candidates in the party’s primary elections scheduled for next month.
They alleged that the governor is behind the aspirations of some political appointees who resigned from his cabinet.
The supporters mentioned some of the alleged preferred aspirants as Dr Paddy Iyamu, the former Commissioner for Education, who is aspiring for Oredo Federal Constituency; Dr Washighton Osifo, former Commissioner for Water Resources and Sanitation, aspirant for Uhunmwonde/Orhionmwon Federal Constituency; and Andrew Ijegbai, former Commissioner for Mining, Oil and Gas, for Owan Federal Constituency.
Also mentioned was Dr Lucky Eseigbe, former Commissioner for Physical Planning, Urban and Regional Development, for Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency, among others.
Speaking on the allegation, Afegbua said that as the leader of the party in the state, the governor has the inalienable right to support any aspirant to emerge as candidate, as well as to win the election.
He, however, added that despite that right, the governor would not impose any candidate on the electorate.
“Talking about politics of endorsements or all that, the governor has the inalienable right to support an aspirant or a candidate.
“That right is called inalienable because you can’t take it away. How he exercises those rights is left to him and him alone as the leader of the party in the state.
“This governor is very magnanimous when it comes to the issues of politics. He allows for cross-pollination of ideas. He allows for a lot of consultations. He allows for robust engagement before decisions are taken. He is not in the business of imposing people on the electorate.
“We will look at what is best for every senatorial district, what is best for every scenario we are confronted with, and we will try as much as possible to be united in taking a decision that will lead the party to victory come 2027.
“So, I am not going to speak to the mind of the governor. He is the leader of the party, but I can assure you that there will be a collective decision-making process and not a selective decision-making process,” he said.
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