Angry youths from Orhionmwon East Constituency on Friday staged a protest in Abudu, the administrative headquarters of Orhionmwon local government area, rejecting the re-election bid of the Deputy Speaker of the Edo state House of Assembly, Osamwonyi Atu, over alleged unfulfilled campaign promises.
The protest coincided with plans by the embattled lawmaker to flag off his re-election campaign in the area.
The youth, under the aegis of Concerned Orhionmwon East Youths, vowed to resist the exercise, insisting that the deputy speaker must first fulfil promises made during the 2023 electioneering.
Carrying placards with various inscriptions, the protesters accused the lawmaker of neglecting critical issues affecting the constituency, including the failure to address a prolonged power outage said to have lasted over 15 years, as well as the non-completion of a comprehensive school project, among others.
However, Atu dismissed the allegations, attributing the protest to backlash from individuals affected by the state’s anti-cultism law recently passed by the Assembly.
“Those protesting are pained by the anti-cultism law. The law has come to stay,” he said.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Osamwonyi Atu Campaign Organisation, Martins Ozakpolor, alleged that the protesters were sponsored by a rival aspirant seeking to discredit the deputy speaker.
Ozakpolor maintained that the lawmaker had delivered on key campaign promises, including the construction of a comprehensive school in the constituency.
He further disclosed that Atu was received by members of the Abudu Elders Council, who offered prayers for the success of his re-election bid.