Former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, has thrown his heart into the ring for the Edo state governorship election, declaring officially his interest in contesting under the Labour Party (LP).
He declared his interest in the 2024 exercise during a visit to the Edo State Secretariat of the party in Benin City on Thursday, Channels TV reports.
“My interest is for the people of Edo State. And what I find in politics and governance in Nigeria today is that the people have been taken out of the equation. Nobody seems to care about the people,” he said during the event.
“And when I look around, the only party I find to be people-centric and people-oriented and to be interested in lots of our people is the Labour Party of Nigeria. It is therefore fitting that it is with this party that I have come to pitch my tent, and it is on the platform of this party that I would like to run for the governor of Edo State.”
Akpata’s political ambitions came a few months after he joined the LP, a move many predicted was because of the 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
While joining the LP, he explained that his reasons for diving into circular politics were because he wanted to be a part of the solutions to the state’s challenges.
“Quite several people have called or messaged me to confirm the news, currently making the rounds, that I have joined a political party,” he said.
“Yes… I joined the @labourparty_ng in March this year, and on Sunday I attended my first ward meeting at Oredo Ward 6, in Benin City, where I was formally introduced to members of the ward and presented with my party membership card.
“This was a major step for me and not one that I took lightly… but
I simply got tired of complaining about Nigeria every day and bemoaning her fate, and I decided to take the plunge and try to be part of the solution rather than agonizing continually over the problem.
“This, for me, is the start of a very important journey, and it is my prayer that I arrive safely at my destination.”
