Title: Olumide Akpata’s denials: No sponsorship, no money for his candidacy for governor
Introduction :
As part of his gubernatorial bid, Olumide Akpata, former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), recently faced rumors of being financially sponsored by Governor Godwin Obaseki. Akpata strongly denied the allegations during a press conference in Benin City.
A categorical rejection of the rumors:
At the press conference, Akpata described rumors of sponsorship by Obaseki as “baseless and unfounded”. He also stressed that these rumors were spread by irresponsible online blogs and that he planned to take legal action against them. Akpata stressed that his relationship with Governor Obaseki was never hidden, but it was wrong to automatically conclude that they were from the same political camp.
Reflection on political maturity:
Responding to allegations that he was an influential businessman trying to secure the Labor Party nomination, Akpata described the claims as acts of immaturity and weakness. He stressed that politicians should be able to discuss and disagree without directly linking these discussions to political affiliation. He recalled his family’s political history and meetings between members of different parties, emphasizing that this did not necessarily mean a political alliance.
Conclusion :
Governorship candidate Olumide Akpata has strongly refuted rumors that he is being sponsored by Governor Obaseki. He stressed that the allegations were unfounded and promised to take legal action against online media responsible for their spread. Akpata also called on politicians to be mature when debating and not automatically jump to conclusions regarding political alliances.