By Gabriel Olawale

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo South Senatorial District, Mr. Etinosa Igiebor has sent a passionate appeal to aggrieved aspirants who lost in Orhiomwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency primaries  to embrace peace and work with the winner, Chief Billy Osawaru for the progress of the party.

Dr. Billy’s win was earlier threatened by a subterranean move by some powerful forces in Abuja who made attempts to substitute him with the third runner up, Hon. Elizabeth Ativie just as a legal suit disputing his membership of the party was instituted against him by Hon. Washington Osifo who came second in the election.

On his efforts to reach out to the aggrieved aspirants, Etinosa Igiebor said although he was yet to reached out to the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie, because he was being mindful of how to broker the peace move since she was a mother figure to him.

According to him, “As a respected and well trained person, I’m being careful on how to deal with our elders. She is a mother. I know she’s probably old enough to be my mum. I have never said anything bad about her. I don’t disrespect people; neither will I disrespect my brother Washington Osifo. I, on my own have called Washington and we discussed.

“I spoke with my brother, Hon. Washington Osifo when I saw a post on a court case against Billy Osawaru. As brothers, I and Washington have hanged out one or twice before and I called him bro, I just saw your court case against Billy. We had a conversation and said bro what are you doing in court because I was there when the three of them agreed that whoever wins, will get the support of the others”, he explained.

Igiebor said Dr. Billy Osawaru has made several efforts to reach out to them. His words, “from the time of the election, he has done his best to reach out. I have also advised him to continue to reach out. If he comes to town, let us go and meet him, let’s go to his house irrespective of his feelings.

“Sometimes, people feel disappointed. When he called me, I understood he had problems with the leaders; that the leaders let him down after he suffered for the party but I will continue to appeal to him to sheath his swords for the progress of the party and the development of our constituency.

“I know in politics you have to accommodate everything. We are one family and at the end of the day, Hon. Elizabeth Ativie, Washington Osifo, and the candidate of the party are one family. Contestation of interest and ideas can create a lot of political burbles but we must continue to sue for peace”.

While defending the membership of Billy Osawaru as a bonafide party man, Igiebor narrated saying, “I think his political activities and his love for politics as a vehicle to help better the lives of his people is over two decades.

“I am sure you know he was a member of the ACN and at the same time, he was the Secretary General of the ACN diaspora group worldwide which eventually metamorphosed into APC and he still retain the position as the Secretary General of the APC diaspora affairs worldwide.

“Before we got here, for a man who has been in the party for that long, dating back to the time of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as Governor or even before then, it’s very unfair to assume that such a man is not a member of the party.

“We as party members do not exercise or exhibit the powers to decide who is a member of the party but don’t forget that Dr Billy Osawaru from Uhunmwonde has his membership card validated. This same card is something you work with and it’s transmitted to the national level. The national office was the particular office that screened Dr. Billy Osawaru in his quest to becoming a member of House of Reps. and had no problem with his membership, neither the party in Edo state nor his ward had problem with his membership. It’s just like somebody telling me that I am not a member of the party”.

He explained how Billy Osawaru worked hard to win the ticket of the party to represent the people of Orhiomwon/Uhunmwonde federal constituency adding that the ticket wasn’t about anybody but the people.

His words, “the ticket is not about Billy anymore. It’s about us; everybody that is from Orhiomwon and Uhunmwonde. To assume and to say that he is not a member of the party is not fair.

“He contested the primaries and he won with huge margin; it was a landslide having worked so hard. He got 73 votes, Washington Osifo with all due respect got 19 votes, the third runner up, the former Speaker, our mother, Hon. Elizabeth Ativie got 16 votes.

“For you to come out and now say that a man who has won free and fair primary, which is not being disputed at all but that he is not a member of the party is an insult not just to the political system, it an insult to members of the party”.

While commending the efforts of former national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole over his efforts to salvage the attempts to substitute Dr. Billy Osawaru candidacy, Igiebor said, “If the people have spoken through their votes and Dr. Billy got 73, don’t you think it will make the election more easier?

“I want to specially appreciate Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for his intervention on this matter – how he got involved as a leader from Edo state. By every right as a leader, he can interfere in the matter especially against injustice.

“Comrade was reported to have said that he cannot work against his conscience to now want to change the narrative to now say the third person in the election should be made the first”.

He said whatever any aggrieved person feels or do about the mandate freely given to Dr. Billy Osawaru, they should remember that it is against the collective interest of the entire Orhionwon/Uhunmwode people because according to him, “Billy is now a project of the people. I won’t sit here and allow the project truncated”.