From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Labour Party (LP) governorship aspirant in the 2024 Edo State governorship election, Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, has denied being funded by the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.
He refuted the claim in Benin on Saturday shortly after being honoured as Guest of Honour at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council 2023 Press Week.
Akpata said the claim of being sponsored by the Edo State governor is being peddled by some disgruntled elements both within his party and those outside his party adding that, such does not portray sign of political maturity.
“It is an unfounded rumour, faceless. It was banded by two irresponsible online blogs, who I shall be going after with all the venoms I can muster because my approach to fake news is that, you nip it in the bud and deal with it before it festers.
“And it is also being banded around by some disgruntled politicians including my party and I said to them, that is very weak argument.
“My relationship with the governor has never been hidden.
“So, it is only politicians who do not know how to agree to disagree that will quickly conclude that when two politicians sit together, they must belong to the same camp.
“In Bendel State, my father’s elder brother senator Olu Akpata, represented Bendel state in the UPN in 1979, his cousin, Tayo Akpata was the chairman NPN in this same state. They had lunch and dinner together, was Tayo the agent of Olu or the other?”, Akpata asked rhetorically.
Akpata, while speaking on who should be the party’s governorship flag bearer, said if the party must win the forthcoming gubernatorial election, “they must put forward a candidate that can match up to the opponents we know we will confront at the election.”
He said except the intention of the party participating in the governorship election is not to win, but if the intention is to win, “it must be palm-for-palm,” declaring that he is the only one who can make such match with the opponents.
According to him, he has been going round the 18 local governments canvasing potential delegates with the expectation that when the time comes, they will make the right choice by voting him at the primary.
He added: “I have been canvasing our potential delegates; I have been speaking to persons who belong to a pool from which delegates will be selected. I have been speaking to them, and I hope that the message that I have been passing across will not fall to the bear ground. I have traveled the 18 local governments.”
Akpata continued: “If Labour Party is ever going to win the election in Edo State, they must put forward a candidate that can match up to the opponents we know we will confront at the election. Except the intention is not to win, if the intention is to win, it must be palm-for-palm. We cannot compare apples and oranges, you must compare apples and apples.”
On the allegation that he is using his financial strength to make sure he gets the party’s ticket by all means, the former NBA President said: “I have been a Lawyer for 30 years, I have worked only as a Lawyer, maybe a few businesses on the side that have come out of the fact that I am a lawyer.
“So, I think I have succeeded. I am the type who spend in what I believe in. It is when you spend your treasure in, what you believe in, that is when you can be taken seriously.
“The funniest thing is that, those who are calling me money bag, have been spending lavishly even before I came into the scene. I just wondered what the issue really is. When people feel uncomfortable, and they see a competition that they cannot really match up to, they must look for a fault. It is a case of giving a dog a bad name so you can hang it.”