Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The governorship candidate of Young Progressive Party (YPP), Amb.Iyobosa Jones Osagiobare, yesterday, said he would build on the legacies of defunct Bendel State governor, late Ambrose Alli if elected as the governor of Edo State.
He made the pledge while answering questions from Journalists in Benin as he looks forward to the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
“We must understand that we have experimented with two major political parties from 1999 to 2020. The PDP was embarrassed out of power by the APC for corruption and inconsistencies.
“Ever since then we have been trying to put together a government that is people oriented but from all indications we found out that the political parties can’t provide the dividends of democracy to the people, hence the emergence of Youth Progressive Party (YPP).
“YPP is a party that has service to the people and our emergence in the political scene is to bring about a paradigm shift to governance.
“From the time of Ambrose Alli, the governance of this state has shifted. When Ambrose Alli was in power he brought free education and free health services into the defunct Bendel State.
“Ever since he left governance, we have experienced a democracy of retrogression. Governance has retrogressed and the people have been separated from governance. Governance is supposed to be a collective responsibility and not restricted to some persons.
“The purpose for which YPP is coming to governance is to bring back Ambrose Alli’s development governance system . YPP is coming to change the status. We are coming to bring in a government that is people oriented”, he said.
Osagiobare, while reacting to the question of whether his party has the financial muscle to contend with other political parties i the state, said the era of money bag politics is over, stressing that the electorate are no longer money driven but are willing to change the narrative in the forthcoming election.
“Our people are no longer interested in money but a change in governance. They want a new party that will give them what they want. We don’t have money but we have the people, and the people are there, they will vote us by the grace of God”, he said.