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Shock Withdrawal: Candidate Bows Out Hours Before Edo Election

Published

3 months ago

Sep 20, 2024.

Kennedy Iyere, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, has officially withdrawn from the upcoming 2024 Edo Gubernatorial election. He cited his ambition to serve Nigeria at a higher level and address pressing social and economic issues, particularly the ongoing food crisis.

In a statement outlining his decision, Iyere emphasized his commitment to using his expertise to develop effective solutions for the country’s challenges. He highlighted his previously proposed initiative, the “Food4All Initiative,” which he presented to President Bola Tinubu.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that this program aims to enhance food security and generate mass employment for youth and women through the innovative “One-Family-One-Farmer Scheme.”

Iyere also addressed the internal conflicts within his party that contributed to his withdrawal, specifically mentioning a conspiracy involving his running mate, Bright Enabulele, who he claims attempted to undermine his candidacy.

Despite these difficulties, Iyere urged voters in Edo State to remain peaceful and choose their representatives thoughtfully. He stressed the importance of equitable power rotation among the three Senatorial Districts.

Looking to the future, Iyere expressed his commitment to national development and his willingness to assist the federal government in creating a roadmap for economic inclusion. He underscored the necessity for social intervention programs aimed at engaging and deradicalizing youth.

He said, “My focus is no longer on the governorship seat but on a higher and bigger portfolio than a Governor. I want to serve Nigerians at large and not just Edo indigenes. I want to help rebuild Nigeria’s lost economic greatness.

“Serving as a governor will actually place limitations on me. So, when I saw the plots displayed by Enabulele and some leaders of Accord Party at the State Level, then I knew it was time for me to embrace a higher calling, which was to step up my game to the federal level where I am presently hugely contributing my efforts towards national development.

“I am assisting the federal government to devise a road map for the economic inclusion, engagement, self-emancipation,

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and deradicalisation of youths by designing and driving social intervention programmes that aim to mitigate unemployment and enhance youth and women entrepreneurial opportunities for mass self-employment, wealth creation and poverty alleviation.

“These programmes will fully kick-start in the month of October 2024 and Nigeria will be placed yet again on the pathway of rapid economic recovery. Our intervention programmes will enhance opportunities for youth entrepreneurship engagement in multiple sectors, especially agriculture, food and beverage, technology, entertainment, innovation and creativity.

“More than six million youth and women entrepreneurs (as MSME owners and operators) shall be created or produced within the first one year of the official kick-off of this entrepreneurship programme.