Wonders, indeed, shall never end, according to a popular adage. When I entered the 2023 Edo Central Senatorial District race, I knew I would be battling the APC and the PDP senatorial candidates for the exalted seat. What I didn't expect, however, is the ongoing strident campaign of calumny being waged against me by a few folks from Ewohimi who believe my candidacy will jeopardize their chances of becoming Governor of Edo State in 2024.
They have been calling my friends and family members and making pitches before Ewohimi stakeholders, urging them not to support me or fund my campaign on the argument that Ewohimi should produce a Governor rather than have a Senator.
It is sad, very sad that, while the other candidates in the same Senatorial race are pulling their resources together for a formidable war chest against me, I am contending precariously with my town folks who are doing everything possible to pull me down. And that's a two-frontier attack.
Also, they have gone to the extent of recruiting one Ewohimi journalist as a major campaign speechwriter for one of the Senatorial Candidates. When I confronted him about two months ago, he told me it was about the money. The fact that the candidate they are fronting is from the same community as the incumbent Senator who has been in the Senate for the past eight years doesn't prick their conscience.
Anyway, democracy is about the money in Nigeria and they have the right to support any individual or political party they want. Be that as it may, conspiring to derail my campaign and at the same time, urging me to step down for a candidate in another political party, when they are busy funding and supporting the same candidate, is a sin against humanity.
I serve a living God, and I firmly believe He didn't bring me this far to abandon me. You can't touch the anointed. I pleaded before God to place me on the ballot, given the years of unmerited marginalization my community has suffered. And He did. Now is the time to commit victory at the poll into His Hand. And I just did. Stepping down for another candidate has never been an option or in contemplation.
This is not about me or my ambition. Getting "settled" by other candidates and smiling my way to the bank was never in the picture when I began this race. The motivation is about the interests of my beloved people of Esanland - to facilitate the federal presence that's abysmally lacking in the Edo Central Senatorial District. I want to be a catalyst for a bold industrial revolution and sustainable development throughout Esanland, focusing on advanced infrastructural facilities.
Adding to that, I am involved, because, compared to the other candidates in the race, I firmly believe that I have a better understanding of the workings of government and its various institutions as well as how to harness the available opportunities within the system to benefit and meet the expectations of my beloved people of Esanland. It's about the Esanland, not my bank account.
My name is Alex Ehi Aidaghese and I stand by this message. I am the author of the essay, titled "Nigeria is Worth Saving," and it's available on my Facebook page. I am the Accord Party Senatorial Candidate for Edo Central Senatorial District. Please, donate kindly to make Nigeria a better place to live and work.
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