Obaseki not funding my campaign, says Akpata

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Edo state, Olumide Akpata, has denied being sponsored by the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, as speculated ahead of the September 21 election.

The immediate past president of the Nigerian Bar Association made the rebuttal when he was featured as a guest on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Akpata said that despite being his kinsman, he could not be a Plan B to Obaseki’s government, which has been scored low by the Edo people for performing woefully in office.

The LP governorship candidate also cleared the air when asked to tell Nigerians where he got his campaign funding.

He said, “Who is funding me? I don’t want to appear to be ducking any questions. I am finding myself, and I have friends. You know the popular saying that your net worth is your network. I have friends who believe in me and in this cause. I have people from Edo State who believe we can do much better. Firstly, I am really flattered by the fact that there is so much attention focused on me. That means I am doing something very good and right.

“As I said on another channel, Na tree wey get stone dem dey stone. Nobody will come up to you if you have nothing to offer. With them working with me, we have been able to get the kind of funding that we require. Which general goes to war without first counting the costs? So we have taken into consideration all that is required for this race and I assure you, we are going to win.

“Those who are hoping and praying we run out of steam have something else coming for them. Initially, I was set to be the agent of Governor Obaseki. We were able to debunk that. Today, I am said to be sponsored by the APC. The conspiracy theorising, as it is termed, is so stupid. But we will push back on that.”

Akpata refused to back down when asked if he was truly an agent of Obaseki or the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The lawyer insisted that with the harsh treatment meted out to him by officials of the governor and the vandalisation of his campaign materials, he can’t afford to be seen mingling with their camp.

“That was what they were saying when I became the candidate of the Labour Party. We have told them clearly that there is a gulf between myself and Governor Obaseki. It is like night and day. I cannot be associated with a government whose performance has been underwhelming.

“You know I have been attacked and my billboards pulled down. Everybody knows that I am not his choice. I am not even his Plan Z. We have local government officials and the PDP going after my billboards. But we have warned them and they have desisted,” he lamented