By Ehichioya Steve Odion
Hon. Johnson Elema, a chieftain and dedicated member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been a pillar and very supportive of his party in Oredo local government area.
Elema contested the last local government election in 2023 as the APC chairmanship candidate, Oredo local government in the poll midwifed by the last PDP administration in the state.
It is no longer news that contesting a local government election as an opposition candidate in Nigeria has become a wild goose chase. But Johnson Elema took the bull by the horns and took a plunge and contested the election on the platform of the APC against all odds.
All these he did because of his firm belief in the party and also willingness to keep the momentum of the activities of the party going, especially for the party's future elections.
Really, during the period he collected his party nomination forms, which was duly processed and submitted to the leadership of the party. Thereafter, he was given the nod to contest the local government election having gotten the final clearance from EDSIEC.
As soon as the ban on campaign activities was lifted by the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, Johnson Elema hit the ground running and campaigned rigorously across all the twelve Wards in Oredo, gaining massive support from the leadership and members of his party.
Although after the election he did not win, but he made a bold statement and confident in his ability to lead in that third tier of government while hoping that another opportunity will come one day to actualize his dream of becoming a local government chairman.
Really, the period has come and members of his party recognize this and equally believe that it is time to reward dedication and loyalty to the party as exemplified by Elema.
They hold that this man of purpose should be given all the necessary support to be victorious at the party's primaries for nomination of the APC chairmanship candidate.
It would be recalled that during the last local government election in 2023, potential parties' candidates and their platforms were reluctant to contest the election, but Johnson Elema boldly took up the challenge not oblivious of the financial implications and the uphill task of running against the ruling party at that tier of government.
Unlike the one coming in 2026 you can see the arrays of contestants already parading themselves across the social media for the position, may be because they believe it would be easy because the APC is in power.
So, why not just consider a party member who can weather all storms in the party at any given time, and who stands tall in this capacity is Johnson Elema.
There is no doubt things are already working in his favour as the chairman of APC, Jarrett Tenebe recently praised the candidates that participated in that 2023 Edo State local government election where Johnson Elema was one of them who actively participated.
The party chairman openly applauded them for coming out to contest the election, adding that their participations in the last local government election played a big role in the victory the party recorded in the last governorship election in the state. He promised that the party will consider them in this coming local government election and reward them accordingly during its primaries.
The APC leadership has started on a good note by recognizing the exploits of these loyal party men. There's no doubt that this will further encourage party discipline, loyalty and dedication amongst other members of the party who would be willing to key into the project this fostering unity for the growth of the party. Therefore, all hands should be on deck to rally round and support the aspirations of Johnson Elema to fly the APC's flag as chairmanship candidate, Oredo local government council.
There is no doubt that the candidacy of Elema will be in the best interest of the party and the people of Oredo given his antecedents as a loyal and result oriented party leader.
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