From Tony Osauzo, Benin
A political support group, Team Alimikhena, has announced that it has begun fund-raising and rallying canvassers across Edo North for the nomination and re-election of Senator Francis Alimikhena.
Convener of the group Sunny Ifijen, in a statement jointly signed with Omeiza Ogumah, said the decision was taken after its meeting in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
He explained that the mobilisation of funds and canvassers that would campaign across the six Local Government Areas of Edo North senatorial district is to ensure that the re-election bid of Alimikhena does not falter, adding that it is their own way of saying thank you to the senator who has contributed in no small measure to the development of the senatorial district since he was first given the mandate in 2015.
‘His constituency projects transcend the entire 64 wards in the district, from boreholes, schools, educational materials and scores of solar street lights,’ the statement reads.
‘Others are the provision of electricity infrastructures, security facilities, health centres, including a dialysis centre in Auchi.
‘Alimikhena’s human empowerment programmes are second to none and we are saying the only way to say thank you to all of this is to contribute to his re-election bid.
‘The first thing we are doing is to mobilise funds for his nomination and expression of interest form and then his re-election proper.
‘In order not to lose anything to chance, we have mobilised canvassers to commence wooing delegates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for his nomination.
‘Good a thing, we are already getting positive response from our field team but we will not rest until our aim is achieved,’ the statement added.