Ex-NBA President Akpata Wins LP Gov Primary For Edo

A former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Olumide Akpata has clinched the Labour Party (LP) ticket for the September 2024 governorship election in Edo State.

Akpata scored 316 votes to win the exercise held in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Friday.

The Deputy Governor of Abia State Ikechukwu Emeta declared Akpata as the winner of the election.

“I hereby declare as follows: Mr Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, having scored the highest number of votes and certified the provisions of the constitution of the party, is hereby declared the winner and the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party for the Edo State governorship election 2024,” Emeta who is also the chief returning officer for the election said.

After his emergence, Akpata paid tribute to a former governor of Ondo State and NBA president Rotimi Akeredolu who was buried on the same day.

He also thanked his supporters and members of the party for their backing, promising to work for the good of the state if he wins the governorship election.

His victory comes months after he declared interest in the Edo State governorship race under the Labour Party.

In October,  he had visited the Edo LP secretariat in Benin City to formally declare his interest in the race, pinning the decision on his love for the people.

“My interest is for the people of Edo State. And what I find out about politics and governance in Nigeria today is that the people have been taken out of the equation. Nobody cares about the people,” Akpata told the mammoth crowd that welcomed him.

“So, when I look around, the only party I find to be people-oriented and interested in lots of our people is the Labour Party. So I have come here to express my interest and to carry the people along.”

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