Edo 2024: NRM Kicks As Guber Candidate Akoriogie Flags Off Campaign

National Management Committee (NMC) of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) said it has come to its notice that Mr. Issac Udeh, its absconded ‘National Chairman’ and Dr Dennis Akoriogie, NRM gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming Edo State governorship election, staged a campaign flag-off without the knowledge of the members of the party’s National Management Committee and/or the State Executive Committee in accordance with the party’s constitution.

The National Management Committee, in a statement signed by the national publicity secretary of the party, Comrade Olusola Afuye, sent out to journalists on Friday in Abuja, condemned the action of Mr. Udeh “who ‘nicodemously’ hid himself at Bolingo Hotel Abuja, to hand over the party’s flag to its candidate; an action inimical to the Modus Operandi of our great party and usurpation of the power of the National Management Committee (NMC); and therefore null, void and of no effect. In the light of this show of shame, the party hereby requests election stakeholders to disregard the Udeh’s hoodwinked
charades.”

The statement said the party was deeply disturbed by the ignorance shown by its candidate, Dr Dennis Aikoriogie, who should have known better that Mr. Isaac Udeh cannot singlehandedly hand over a party flag to him, saying the show of shame was a dangerous situation that portends failure.

The party wondered if the candidate had forgotten so soon how he came into the party, got his nomination forms, screened and subsequently emerged as the NRM’s candidate and those that stood firmly with him when charlatans were using underhand factors to rubbish his efforts and trying to cut short his desired ambition.

“It would be recalled that the struggle against his exclusion on the INEC Candidates list, the National Management Committee staged a robust protest at the INEC Headquarters covered by the media. The party is shocked that the candidate is now deceiving himself in a sudden and accidental friendship with Mr. Issac Udeh, who undermined the party’s effort to have him uploaded as candidate of the party,” it said.

The statement read: “It is obvious that the NRM National Management Committee is so magnanimous in victory and ready to uphold the party’s principles, which is the reason the leadership is happy after the high court judgement that validated his candidature. However, for the sanctity and respect of our party structures, especially the State Executive Committee (SEC), the National leadership of the party cannot keep a blind eye for any candidate to relegate the State Executive Committee in exercising its responsibilities to our great party before, during and after the election.

“Stakeholders may not have forgotten that Mr. Isaac Udeh had sponsored a mob crowd
in Benin and paraded them as members of NRM in order to stage a parallel primary meant to frustrate the candidacy of Dr Dennis Osaron Aikoriogie. Udeh connived with disgruntled elements in INEC Headquarters and Benin to submit the name of one Barr Irabor as his candidate. An illegal activity the party National Management Committee fought so hard to overturn even as Prof Mahmood Yakubu
set a high-powered Panel to look into it. Thereafter, the same Isaac Udeh’s ‘candidate”
with his tacit approval approached a federal high court to declare him as candidate of
the party.

“The National Management Committee of the NRM is clear that the party will not condone any act of lawlessness or brigandage targeted at undermining any organ of the party or our constitution. We do not blame Isaac nor Denis Aikoriogie. The duo have no idea of the strength of the party in Edo State especially where we have tested the ground during the last governorship election in which the NRM came fifth even with our Candidate withdrawing for Obaseki.

“The National Management Committee by this release directs Isaac Udeh, who has not visited the party National Secretariat since February 2023, to report to the Office on or before 2pm Friday 26th July, 2024 or risk further sanction from the party as no officer of the party is bigger than the party as ours is an organization run by law.

“Finally, the National Management Committee of the NRM will update the members of the public in the coming days on our stand in the Edo Guber Poll and urge all our gallant party faithful and supporters under the leadership of the indefatigable grassroots mobilizer and revered Chief Sam Arase in Edo State to be patient and keep selling the NRM message to the good people of Edo State as we take necessary steps to address the numerous atrocious infractions.”