Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Senator representing Edo South Senatorial district at the national assembly, Neda Imasuen has begged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his district to take after the Edo Central and the Edo North Senatorial districts and give him the return ticket.
He made the appeal when he visited the leadership of the senatorial district in Benin City, the Edo State capital to declare his intention to return to the Senate.
Senator Imasuen said that the Edo North and the Edo Central Senatorial districts have all agreed to give their tickets to their serving senators so that they can go back to the national assembly seamlessly.
Imasuen said when they get back to the Senate, they will automatically become ranking officers noting that, Edo South Senatorial district can borrow a leaf from those two districts so that he too can become a ranking officer at the Senate.
The serving Senator, while speaking on the importance of a ranking officer in the house, said that there are about 10 former governors in the house, despite their influence as formers governors, they are just floor members, a situation which he prays to avoid if given the return ticket.
“Like I said before, the Senate is the highest body, law-making body in the country. We are only 109 senators.
And it’s a body that’s comprised who is who in Nigeria. And so, it’s not a place for a starter. When a starter goes, he goes to learn.
“And the period of learning is over as far as I’m concerned because we’re in a period now that we have to have a ranking senator because each of the three local governments, whether they’re senatorial districts, whether we agree or not, competes against one another.
“And now we’re beginning to change ourselves when the Edo North is sending their senator back to rank. Edo Central is sending their senator back to rank. And Edo South says they want to send a fresher? I mean, he’s just going to be at the sideline and watch things happen and he cannot influence it. And so, it is in our own interest.
“And like the scorecard I’ve given them, I haven’t gone there to warm the bench. I can agreeably say that you cannot go to the Senate and don’t know who is who.
“And I chair one of the most sensitive committees in the chambers, in the Senate. And with that, I have public national exposure, as it were. And thank God I’m also close to the leadership.
“So, going back to rank is an added advantage to this. I have a voice. And I speak my voice. And so, I appeal to them to put sentiments aside.
“Let us do things in accordance to what will benefit us as Edo South Senatorial District because if we do that, the only conclusion we can come to is that Senator Neda Imasuen should go back to rank to be able to represent Edo South properly”, Imasuen said.
He said occupying a vital position at the national assembly at the moment was because there were a lot of first timers in the house, stressing that, such opportunity might not avail itself the second time. So, the leadership must do all in their powers to send him back to become a ranking officer.
He further listed his various achievements and promised to consolidate on them.
Earlier, the senatorial leader and former deputy governor of the state, Pius Odubu, urged Senator Neda Imasuen to go about his campaign peacefully and that he should avoid the campaign of calumny.
For Orobosa Omo-Ojo, he said Senator Neda Imasuen is still reaching out to contestants to step down with their ambitions so that he could go for the second time.
