EDHA 2003: Why, How Ojiezele Won the election
…..should be the next speaker
By Innocent Okoh.
27 March, 2023
About a week after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced winners of the House of Assembly election keenly contested on March 18, 2023, in Edo state, expectations are high among the constituents in Esan South East.
The people are pressuring on their elected representative Hon. Ojezele Sunday, aka Ikpenomhen, of the PDP to start preparing for the seat of the speaker, because Hon. Marcus Onobun, who had been the immediate speaker of the parliament has been elected to represent Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.
The seat of the speaker had been zone to Edo Central, which necessitated Hon. Frank Okiye and later Hon. Marcus Onobun both from the same region elected as speaker. And now that Hon. Ojiezele, who is also from the region is returning for a second term in the state assembly, the expectations of the people are high, they see him as most qualified and experienced for the seat, in fact the people have rolled out their drums to orchestrate his emergence owing to the fact that his party has majority in state legislative house expected to be inaugurated on a later date.
Perhaps, the reason why majority of the people voted for Ojiezele, to represent them for a second term despite the stiff resistance from the opposition and some individuals, isn’t far from the fact that they have seen the future and believe it’s achievable with the endowed leadership qualities of Ikpenomhen as he is popularly called. And now their prayers points are targeted at this special need.
Investigation reveals that, it was one of the campaign strategy which he sold to the people and they bought it as well worked towards it. The further hope that with the trust in Ikpenomhen, the Ugboha-Ubiaja road project will be accelerated and completed before Governor Godwin Obaseki, leaves office. They also hope the Udo road and other important roads, in the constituency will be captured in the subsequent budgets, while more communities would be connected to the national grid, and more educational and health facilities rehabilitated and equip to world class standard.
Before now the people have been benefiting from the sunny osezua welfare foundation, which he formed in 2012, when he wasn’t in government and since then he have been giving enrollment grants to deserving students writing waec examination, and market women.
And to further encourage teenage youth in the secondary schools to take their learning serious, he has been printing and distributing exercise notebooks, text books and calculators to pupils and students in the Local government. Some deserving students too have also benefited from his scholarship scheme which has brought smile and relief to benefiting families.
Would be recalled that in the March 18, state assembly elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 12 seats, APC won 8 seats and LP won 1 seat out of the 21 constituency seats so far declared, 3 seats namely Egor, Oredo East, and Ovia South West constituencies were inconclusive.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, returning officer, for Esan South East local government area, Prof. Augustine Aideyan Osagiede, of the department of Mathematics, University of Benin, Accord Party -06, ADC-13, ADP-21, APC-7,058, LP-1566, NNPP -03, PDP-8,638, SDP-01 and ZLP-04. He then went further to declare Hon. Sunday Osezua Ojiezele, of the PDP, winner of the election in the LGA, haven met the requirements by the 2022 electoral act..
Meanwhile in the full result announced in Benin for the 24 Constituency, the winners of the 21 seats are: Asonsere Friday (Ikpoba-Okha, PDP), Edosa Osaro (Oredo West, LP), Atu Evbaguehita (Orhionmwon I, APC), Iyamu Bright (Orhionmwon II, PDP), Aiguobarueghian Charity, (Ovia North East I, PDP), Uzamere Andrew (Ovia North East II, PDP), Eric Allison (Owan East, APC), Agbebaku Sheriff (Owan West, PDP) Osamwonyi Kaycee (Uhunmwode, PDP), Idiaye Oisayemoje (Akoko Edo I, PDP), and Okogbe Ojemeh Donald (Akoko Edo II, PDP).
Others are, Igbiremonlen Sunday (Esan Central, PDP), Addeh Isibor (Esan North East I, APC), Edeko Omozele, Esan North East II, PDP), Ojezele Sunday (Esan South East, PDP), Ibhamanu Jonathan Aigbokhan (Esan West, APC), Oshmah Ahmed (Etsako Central, APC), Ugabi Kingsley (Etsako East, APC), Lecky Mustapha (Etsako West I, APC), Akokhia Abdul Ganiyu (Etsako West II, APC) and
Inegbebor Eugine (Igueben, PDP).
