BENIN CITY –  A former Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki and a House of Representatives aspirant for the Akoko-Edo federal constituency, Taiwo Akerele has condemned the attack on the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire and Sen Domingo Obende during weekends All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention over their alleged roles in the 2020 Edo State governorship which the party lost to the Peoples Democratic Party.

In a press statement by Akerele on Monday titled ‘I am against selective justice’, he said he was against anti-party activities but insisted that it was wrong for the two to be singled out where there were several other party leaders, particularly in Edo South Senatorial District where Ehanire comes from who were mobilized for the election yet lost whereas the party won in five out of the six local government areas that make up Edo North senatorial district where Obende comes from.

While congratulating the new leadership of the party and the successful conduct of the convention, Akerele said “For the avoidance of doubt I am not in favour of any anti-party activities. I would rather resign from the government and be loyal to my party. Hence in the 2020 elections in my unit, I gave PDP and its candidate a very wide margin. The results are there in INEC for verification. And to date I am still in APC working hard for its success.

“However, we must be very careful as a party in selecting some persons for humiliation over our defeat in the 2020 elections as this doesn’t resolve so many questions begging for answers in our party.

“The truth must prevail, the truth must be said and the truth is constant. APC in Edo should embark on comprehensive surgical self-examination and get the issues right once and for all.

“While people like Senator Obende insisted that he hates oppression, Dr Ehanire has never really demonstrated interest in the activities of Edo APC. By all intent and purpose, these are facts and we should commend them for being open in their stand.

“We in Edo north worked very hard to deliver the party in 5 LGAs, we lost the entire Edo south and Edo central to the PDP. The question is why? Who are the leaders there? Were they not mobilized with huge resources and logistics? Why did we lose so woefully to the PDP?

“Why were the leaders that led us to failure in Edo south not humiliated or booed at the national convention grounds? Why were they shielded and yet some persons singled Senator Domingo out for pestering? This is not acceptable by all standards.

“Akoko Edo delivered the APC and that is what should matter to us at this point, why have we not investigated what happened in Edo South? In 2011 it was only Osun state that secured victory for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate Nuhu Ribadu, nobody asked what happened in Ondo, Oyo, Edo and other states controlled by the same ACN and nobody was molested till date.”