A retired permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Ernest Umaghighe, has declared his intention to run for the governorship of Edo State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
Declaring his intention on Saturday night in his hometown, Otuo, Owan East Local Government, the chartered accountant promised to bring his 35 years of experience in service to bear on the state, especially in the area of poverty alleviation.
He said he would use his “Fresh Hope Agenda” which, according to him, is based on access to health care, agricultural revolution, youth empowerment and entrepreneurship, women empowerment, transportation, SME growth and development, as well as infrastructure and rural development, to put a smile on the faces of the people despite present despair.
He said, “I have had extensive experience working with the private sector in delivering projects of Public-Private Partnership. I hereby yield to all the patriotic calls, because the voice of men they say is the voice of God.”
The governor aspirant disclosed that he became a card-carrying member of the party in 2021 after the Supreme Court judgment allowed civil servants to be members of political parties.
Meanwhile, another aspirant on the platform of the APC, Gideon Ikhine, has urged party members to support his candidacy, urging those he described as “pretenders” to quit the race.
