2027: Edo NDC Kicks Off Election Campaign, Names Yakubu, Others as Candidates

The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in Edo State has moved to consolidate its preparations for the 2027 general elections with the formal presentation of its senatorial and House of Representatives candidates.
At a ceremony held Wednesday in Benin City, the party named Hon. John Yakubu as its candidate for the Edo Central Senatorial District, while Mr Osayuki Epelle-Asemota and Madam Maria Osemojie were presented as the party’s standard-bearers for Edo South and Edo North respectively.
The event, which took place at a private venue on Airport Road, also provided the NDC leadership an opportunity to unveil its Campaign Working Committee Caucus as part of efforts to strengthen the party’s election machinery across the state.
State Chairman of the party, David Olukoga, said the next phase of the NDC’s activities would focus heavily on ward and community-level mobilisation.
He urged party members to leave behind internal disagreements arising from the primaries and redirect their energy towards building a united front capable of delivering electoral victory.
Olukoga maintained that disputes should be addressed through established legal and party channels, warning members against violence and conduct capable of creating further divisions.
“The time for the primaries is over. Whether we are satisfied or dissatisfied with the outcome, we must now think about the larger objective.
“We have an election to win, and that can only happen if we work together and carry our message to the grassroots,” he said.
The gathering was attended by several members of the state executive, including State Secretary Hon. Peter Ajigbe, State Women Leader Mrs Helen Osegbe and Hon. Susan Osagiede, among others.
In his remarks, Peter Ojemen, the party’s Deputy Chairman for Edo Central, said unity would determine the strength of the NDC ahead of the polls.
He called on members to see themselves as partners in a common political project and work collectively to expand the party’s support base.
While candidates were announced for several House of Representatives constituencies, the party withheld the name of its candidate for Esan North-East/Esan South-East Federal Constituency.
Olukoga explained that outstanding documentation matters were yet to be concluded, expressing optimism that the process would be resolved shortly.
According to him, the party would formally communicate the decision to the public and the media once the necessary issues had been cleared.
Speaking after his emergence as the Edo Central senatorial candidate, Yakubu described the NDC as a platform seeking to offer Nigerians a different direction amid the country’s worsening economic challenges.
He thanked party leaders and supporters for their confidence in him and called for wider participation in the democratic process.
Yakubu also urged Nigerians, including members of the media, to take greater interest in the 2027 elections, insisting that political participation remained critical to shaping the country’s future.