The Edo State Labour Party Governorship aspirant, Kenneth Imansuangbon has urged party faithful in the state to not give tickets to political neophytes.

He stated this at the LP secretariat in Igarra, Akoko-Edo Local Government of Edo State on Thursday during a visit to the party’s executive members to interact with them on his intention to run for the 2024 governorship election.

He said, “If given the mandate to fly the party’s flag and elected as governor, my administration will address the dearth in infrastructure and open up Akoko-Edo to massive investment and development.

“You cannot compare me with Olumide or Dorry. They are newbies in politics. Don’t make the mistake of giving your votes to unpopular candidates. We need an experienced and popular candidate who can take on the APC and the PDP.”

He lamented that his attempts to govern Edo State were frustrated by political godfathers and enemies, who have continued to hold the state by its jugular and appealed for support to emerge the candidate of the party.

Meanwhile, a former Commissioner for Information in Edo State, Kassim Afegbua, on Friday, declared his intention to run for governorship under the All Progressives Congress, noting that there has never been a zoning arrangement in the state.

Afegbua said that those clamouring for zoning were missing the point and the whole essence of democracy.

He said, “There has never been zoning of governorship positions in Edo State. Anybody who is saying that there is zoning will be missing the point altogether.

“In 2007, Adams Oshiomhole contested for the governorship position and he brought his popularity as the National President of the NLC to Edo State. He contested on the platform of AC which later became ACN and later APC and won against the PDP.

“Then the state had four ministers from Edo Central and also, Prof Osunbor, who was governor then, and nobody zoned anything to anybody. From then to now, every primary conducted by PDP or APC has been contested by candidates from the three zones,” he added.

Afegbua, who is from Edo North, said he was offering himself for service as Edo people are presently disoriented by the politics of pretence and high-handedness occasioned by the needless squabbles and altercations among the leaders of the ruling party in the state.

He also said that the state is begging for attention over decaying Infrastructure.

[Punch]