‘NDC,The New Bride In Town’, Edo HoR Aspirant Sings Party’s Praise, Shares 6-Point Agenda

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:01]Well, we did say that we're going to be joined by somebody from the Nigerian Nigerian of the national Nigeria Democratic Congress, the NDC. And joining us now studio this morning is honorable Benjamin Oyamendan who is an aspirant to the House of Representatives from Eastern North East Eastern South East Federal Constituency.

[00:00:23]Good morning and welcome to Sunrise Daily. Good morning, madam. Thank you for having me. Yes, so here we are looking towards the primaries that your party is conducting and it does appear that they're going to be going down the route of consensus. Is this something that sits down well with you?

[00:00:38]Oh, well, I believe NDC officials the national chairman and other leaders in the state and the ADC his Excellency former governor of Bayelsa state they know what is going to be the best for the party.

[00:00:52]As you know, we are the new bride in town and um they have tried everything possible best to make sure they put a good mechanism in place to make sure that in subsequent election they will know how to go about it. The process is tedious, but they are giving all their best to make sure that they feed in good candidate that will be able to win election for them. What can I ask you why you've decided to pitch tent with a party that is relatively new?

[00:01:15]Mhm. Good question.

[00:01:17]Um NDC is viable not just viable and is a party that we all see apart from the ruling party that doesn't have any litigation at the moment and we we follow our leader Peter Obi and engineer his Excellency engineer Poponso from the last election.

[00:01:38]I believe politics is all about loyalty and we just have to follow him down to wherever he goes. So, you are an obedient 100% not a member of the Labour Party. I'm not a member of the Labour Party.

[00:01:50]>> You never joined the Labour Party?

[00:01:51]>> I joined the Labour Party. I I never I left when Peter Obi after the general election and I moved down to PDP back to PDP.

[00:02:01]But then you left PDP.

[00:02:02]>> Yeah, I left PDP and I returned I went to NDC. And now you're with NDC.

[00:02:05]Exactly.

[00:02:06]Are you some people do say you've just been an opportunist. How would you respond to that? Because you've just been leaving you've left the Labour Party, you went back to PDP, now you're NDC. Is this about furthering your own ambition or this is really about something that you believe in? It's something that I believe in. I would like to throw more light into that.

[00:02:26]Um, we are Nigerians.

[00:02:28]And um, you shouldn't say that is not an opportunity. Let us be honest about it.

[00:02:34]And nobody want to stay in the home that is unhealthy.

[00:02:37]And um, we have all we we all pray that if Labour Party worked out, we'll have actually stayed in Labour Party. I've been in PDP since 2003.

[00:02:46]And uh, since that time and um, when Peter Obi decided to run for presidency, we all moved down to Labour Party for that simple reason. Hold on. You've been in PDP since 2003. 2003. That is 20 over 20 years ago. I was in secondary school.

[00:03:01]You joined the political party in secondary school?

[00:03:03]>> When I was in secondary school, I was already working for PDP.

[00:03:06]Yeah. Were you 18? Uh, come on. I I was already I was already 18 then. Okay.

[00:03:11]Yeah. Okay. Well, so if you joined the PDP as far back as 2003, I mean we're just speaking with a guest now who said that often times when you have to make appeals, it's not just to aspirants. You also have to appeal to followers because it's very difficult for them to change their party just like that to change their loyalty just like that. So, how was it easy for you to just change your loyalty in the manner that you have done? Um, I was molded in a society where you see things and said, this is the right thing to do.

[00:03:43]Politics isn't just about party anymore.

[00:03:46]There are good people in APC.

[00:03:49]There are good people in ADC.

[00:03:51]There are also people in in NDC.

[00:03:56]It depends on what you think what this person is bringing to the table.

[00:04:02]What can he do? What is his antecedent?

[00:04:05]For example, some of us left PDP and joined Peter Obi in Labour Party because we know his political mantra and what is the message he was preaching.

[00:04:16]So, let me tell you why I went back to PDP after the general election.

[00:04:20]I went back to PDP because a dual election was an off-cycle election where I campaigned for my overage elder brother, Dr. Asue Ighodalo of the PDP.

[00:04:31]Because at that particular time, we the Esans feel that we were marginalized, which was true.

[00:04:37]And we have two candidates. PDP gave us PDP gave us a ticket to Asue, who is from Ubiaja, Esan South East.

[00:04:48]And APC gave a ticket to Edo South person. Along the line, they changed the ticket and gave it to him.

[00:04:54]Edo Central.

[00:04:55]Because they know where the odd was going. So, when you look at this, you will not begin to ask, is should I remain in PDP? If Asue Ighodalo or I see somebody who was better than him in another party, I would have quickly joined forces with that person and made sure that person wins the election. That's what matters.

[00:05:11]It doesn't mean what the party said because it's not party that is ruling or making policies.

[00:05:16]It's that the are the people that you elected into position that you elected through a political party that went to House of Assembly, National Assembly, or maybe Senate, or even presidency that made these policies that govern this country.

[00:05:27]So, we shouldn't just be looking at party alone to say they are APC, they are PDP, they are all the same. I understand, but there are people who are there.

[00:05:35]The party officials does not have any influence of any policies or bills being passed in the National Assembly. Which is actually an oddity, which is a which is an aberration because that's not how it's supposed to work. It should be right now in a situation where the tail is wagging the dog.

[00:05:51]The dog ought to wag the deal with the the tail the the political parties are supposed especially the ones that win office. So, that's why parties want to be in majority. They're the ones who are supposed to tell the government you know what it is that they have campaigned to the people for and you know and the government of the day now has duty to carry that out. But, clearly that's not how it works anymore.

[00:06:13]Yeah, but let me come back to your situation in Edo State. So, you left to support uh Mr. Asue Ighodalo. Assuming he had Just say it. Assuming he had won and was governor today in Edo State. Would you have left the PDP?

[00:06:28]At the moment PDP has not feed a candidate for us to have emulated that we say okay, this person is so and so. That is at the moment. I'm just assuming he had won. I'm just painting a I have a leader before my dear brother Dr. Asue Ighodalo of the PDP. As long as Peter Obi was on the ballot, wherever Peter Obi goes I will have also gone and vote for him.

[00:06:49]Just like what we did in Edo State. You remember the governor the former governor of Edo State uh Godwin Obaseki His Excellency. He was the one that made the Obedient movement known. When he came to the national TV and said, "Obedient is a household name in Edo State." We actually look at it Obedient Edo State is the headquarter of Obedient movement.

[00:07:06]That is where he actually originated.

[00:07:07]That's where he started from.

[00:07:09]So, during the election, nobody You know, Edo people we are one of the most electorally educated in Edo State in in in in the in the whole country. If if in statistics we are very very educated.

[00:07:20]That is no politician that can tell us this is how it's supposed to be because we always believe this is equity, fairness and justice. So, we know where the cause and the odds go. Then we'll follow it. We don't want you to be angry because we don't want to be angry. But, when it comes to the things of making decision politician will always say this is our interest. But, we'll tell them, "Giving you this interest will not favor the people of this particular region." So, that is what uh that is what is currently happening and it's happening and we continue to maintain that structure. So, the political structure in Edo state is slightly different. I would have also gone to tell the governor of Edo state, say, I supported you and I did this for a reason. Please permit me to support whoever I want to support. But, knowing him I know who he is, Dr. Adams Oshiomhole, uh he's somebody who understands. He would say, "Okay, as long as he's not an anti-party thing, I can I can equally go and do my do my own thing." Just like what Obaseki did in Edo state. He never asked PDP people to say you must vote for a PDP candidate. Even at that time, PDP was in disarray because His Excellency, the current Minister of the Federal uh Capital Territory, Ezenwo Wike, was the one that all of us were also clamoring for to become the presidential candidate. Who worked for the party then. He worked for the party that labored for the party, held the party strong and gave it a life, sponsored governors to become to win election.

[00:08:36]See, they also win election. But, His Excellency, Elijah, came from somewhere and just wanted to take over the party and everywhere and the uh the delegate at the primary were dollarized. So, he got angry and all of us also got angry. You can see where the chain of command is going. So, it doesn't mean who actually own the party, who is there, but it is the person the people all the party are presenting. If a party present a candidate that we members cannot defend, I we can we we we we we'll find our different path. It's not a marriage that we cannot divorce.

[00:09:07]We can divorce ourselves at any time.

[00:09:11]It's all right. It's okay.

[00:09:12]>> [laughter] >> Uh no, now you know I trust you.

[00:09:17]It's better to divorce a marriage that is toxic than to stay in a marriage that uh become an obituary. You understand?

[00:09:23]Yeah, yes.

[00:09:23]>> [laughter] >> All right. So, let's let's talk about and and I I do have to give you some nuance.

[00:09:29]The reason why we're asking all of these questions about these It's a lot of movement for a young politician.

[00:09:34]It's because we're we're beginning to see a culture in Nigeria where there is no staying power. Where we have politicians who are just jumping from one place to the other, achieving whatever political aims that they have and without a care as to the structures and what political parties are important.

[00:09:49]>> Yeah, very very important. And ideologies of political parties are very they're very serious things. We're trying to build our country to one where we can trust our institutions.

[00:09:58]>> Yeah. So, when we see a a culture of people who are moving We've seen this before. Yeah. This happened when Peter Obi What was it? Labour Party?

[00:10:05]>> Yeah. We saw everyone riding on the coattails of of that and a lot of them came into office. Yeah, and they jumped the ship. And all all of them almost all of them jumped ship.

[00:10:14]>> Yeah. And so and now look at the problem with the Labour Party, which means that that party itself now has issues.

[00:10:19]>> Yeah. Then we now see it happening with other political parties as well.

[00:10:23]>> Yeah. So, we're afraid as Nigerians, as patriotic Nigerians, that we are destroying political parties with this behavior.

[00:10:30]>> Yeah.

[00:10:31]How can the Nigerian people from Asia and East East and North East and North, East and East and South East.

[00:10:38]How can they trust you? That's the most important thing and I like that question. You know, politics is about knowing and seeing other people's antecedents, what they have done before.

[00:10:50]One thing we have in this country that is becoming common that is relating to what you're saying right now that Nigerians are beginning to feel fed up is that there are policies and there are rules that need to be made. I have a six-point agenda. On that list on the first on my list is Child Protection Bill and I have a reason why I put it there. I will explain later.

[00:11:10]We'll come to that. Mhm. The second one on that list is No, we'll get to your agenda. No, no, I'm I'm talking about that.

[00:11:16]>> moving from party to party >> is making a law.

[00:11:19]We need the National Assembly need to make a law that will restrict we politicians.

[00:11:26]That will restrict we politicians not to jump ship when you are already in an office.

[00:11:32]Until that is done, we can't do anything about it.

[00:11:35]Because when you Let me put it this way. When If you watch Criminal Minds, they will bring up the the the the constitution of that country.

[00:11:43]The criminal law, they'll bring it down and begin to say, "Where are the loopholes?"

[00:11:49]With that loopholes, they find a way to commit a crime.

[00:11:52]And they will have lawyers that will tell them, "Do this and do this. I will be able to bring you out." You understand what I'm saying? That's our policy. Until we sit down in our national assembly to say, "We are going to make this law so that if a House of Assembly member or a House of Rep member or a senator who was elected in his or her constituency or in his or her senatorial zone, come into the red chamber or the green chamber, you are not allowed to jump ship while you are in office." Let me make an example. I like what the APC did. They are not my favorite party. I like what they did right now. They showed the spirit of LOYALTY TO PARTY.

[00:12:29]WHEN most of them in Labour Party jumped the ship and went back to APC, they were all thinking that it's just going to be the end of it. But they all went there.

[00:12:38]Not knowing that the people have been in the APC who have been working to save the party, they all they they they patched them.

[00:12:45]You know when you patch a child to school? They patched them to attend the primaries, attend the screening. Now they cannot go to another political party and contest.

[00:12:53]Now, if you look at the Labour Permit me to use that word. They are at the moment for the next 4 years relegated from politics.

[00:12:59]That's why it's good for a politician to have a have a plenty office. You must have a profession.

[00:13:05]You must have a business that give you money, not just depending on what you're going to earn in politics.

[00:13:11]That still comes down to the policies and the bills that we, the National Assembly members, by the grace of God in the NDC that we need to push that every person representing a constituency, you have to represent that constituency for that 4 years or 5 years before jumping the ship, before joining another political party. If we are able to do that, you see this all this political tussle, people jumping ship, disobeying the the rule of law, that will automatically stop. It's going to be a difficult one because people have the right to assembly and they can do whatever they want to do. I understand. But let's let's get to your agenda. I'm looking at six of them. Child support and protection, effective representation and voice of the people. Very very good. Uh oversight and accountability of government institutions.

[00:13:54]>> 100%. Vocal participation in national budget process, peace building and industrial harmony, and active community engagement and legislative work.

[00:14:02]>> Yeah.

[00:14:03]Laudable. Thank you.

[00:14:04]>> And I saw you you actually took your time to break down what each of those things mean.

[00:14:08]>> I I is something that I've been on my file.

[00:14:12]>> So let's talk practical here.

[00:14:13]>> Yeah. What is the major need of the people of Esan?

[00:14:17]Esan North. Esan North East. I have to get this thing right. Esan North East and Esan South East.

[00:14:22]>> Esan South East. That is my zone. Yes.

[00:14:24]What is What's the What What What would you say is the biggest problem? And what would your representation solve in that area?

[00:14:30]>> very moment, I must tell you the governor is not he's not he's not my favorite person, but at the moment he's doing a lot in Edo State.

[00:14:39]>> He's from your constituency as well.

[00:14:40]Yeah, he's he's from my he's from Edo he's from Esan Esan Central. Mhm. He's doing a lot when it comes to road infrastructure and the rest of it. The last time I traveled there last month, I saw a lot of them.

[00:14:51]But there are children on the street that will need to be removed.

[00:14:56]Insecurity is growing in Nigeria.

[00:14:58]When you look at the foundation that gave birth to that insecurity that is growing in Nigeria, it's because our children have been left alone to survive.

[00:15:09]They've been left alone to survive in the sense that if you don't have a father, you don't have a mother, you have to feed for yourself.

[00:15:15]I was molded at school in an environment in Germany, molded in a society where ties a child becomes so important that even when it's not your own child, you have to respect that person. You have to respect that child. Give the moral support and anything support that you can give for that child to grow.

[00:15:34]For example, removing the children that are on the street in Edo South and Edo Central and Edo North, it is it is very easy to do.

[00:15:43]We are not that much. We are just like two local government when it comes to House of Rep issue and all that.

[00:15:49]Ovia and Owan and we have 21 wards.

[00:15:53]Based on my statistics, we have nothing less than 50,000 children that are out of school.

[00:15:59]They are just out of school.

[00:16:02]They are not well funded. The school are most of the school are so dilapidated that you go to the school today, you keep asking yourself, is it where our children are learning?

[00:16:12]And when you have a person that >> I say, "I'm just a little curious. Sorry to interrupt you. How is it that how many governments executive governments I mean, we had that of Adams Oshiomhole.

[00:16:22]He had a program on education. Uh you had Obaseki who said he had Edo BEST.

[00:16:29]>> Yeah. Uh teachers were all hailing that program. And we always see that you know, these schools are properly built. So, I've wondered, how many schools are there possibly in Edo State that every single after every administration, there's always drives. You're still seeing dilapidated DILAPIDATED SCHOOLS.

[00:16:49]HOW HOW is it that that is happening in Edo State? Is it Is it film trick that we're seeing or what exactly is happening there?

[00:16:55]>> What they are giving is what is called cosmetic solution. Cosmetic?

[00:16:59]>> Cosmetic solution. We need to find a basic solution that will first of all build a foundation and will continue to maintain it.

[00:17:08]Like you already said, Oshiomhole came after the era or rather the regime of or rather the the of Lucky Igbinedion.

[00:17:16]>> Yeah. Edo State was an was an eyesore.

[00:17:19]It is what I say also money came and did a few job. I must tell you the truth. It didn't work that much in Edo in Edo Central.

[00:17:27]It didn't work that much.

[00:17:29]But he did some few job. He was able to give Edo State the limelight.

[00:17:33]Because the resources was limited. We understand that.

[00:17:37]Obaseki came. Obaseki brought Edo best and all that. Obaseki invested on teachers in Edo State.

[00:17:45]When you go to Edo State today, teachers will be able you see that confidence in them. They will be able to demonstrate that confidence that I am well trained.

[00:17:54]I came into the system with the right process. That's what matters. Training and retraining and retraining program for our teachers.

[00:18:01]But at this very moment as I speak to when I say it's a cosmetic solution to our problem in Edo State is that a situation where the children learning center are not well furnished according to the international standard, it is worrisome.

[00:18:19]So what do you as a House of Reps member should you win intend to do about that because don't forget you're only there to make laws.

[00:18:28]So what laws you hope you can make that will affect the state of schools in within your constituency?

[00:18:34]>> That is where you have the child protection bill. The child protection bill is not just about supporting children or family with financial support monthly and all that. You've taken a look sorry to interrupt you.

[00:18:44]You've taken a look at the child rights act I saw it. before you came up with the family. So what's the major difference? The major difference is that the major difference is that in that child's right act there is no financial support for the children. Child born.

[00:19:00]And at the same time there is no special bill protecting children from doing hard labor.

[00:19:07]If it does, it's not totally spelled out.

[00:19:10]So in the next bill that we are going to push every child under the age of 12 should be able to decide this is what I want to do. I want to go to school, I want to learn a technical. I want to use Germany as for example.

[00:19:24]Germany is a country that have a society different society.

[00:19:29]If a child is born today, automatically that child become he has a what they call social security number.

[00:19:35]That social security number that child become all his or her benefit monthly.

[00:19:40]It might not be enough for the child or for the parents to actually cater for that child.

[00:19:45]That is what they call it kindergeld.

[00:19:46]You see parents come together they can decide to have three or four children and they because they can earn more money. But, it support and encourage parents to take care of their children. Because if you do not take care of your children, government will cease giving you that financial support. Even while the house you are living as a mother as a father, you also have what is called uh incentive like the a reduction of your house rent. Things like that. So, we need to bring all those things into the bill.

[00:20:14]Because in all those things If that is what you really seek for the people of Edo State, yeah, why you not running the local election in Edo State? Because we will say not just ONLY FOR EDO STATE ENTIRELY. WHEN YOU LOOK WHEN YOU WHEN YOU READ down there a little bit, you will discover that I said the entire country. Then why don't you do the state assembly? Yeah, they Laws are made in state assembly for a different reason.

[00:20:35]The problem the children are facing I'm using the children in my constituency as a point of contact because that's where I come from.

[00:20:41]The children in Nigeria the Nigerian children who are under the years who are under the the 18 years old need to be taken care of. For example, what is happening in the north?

[00:20:50]If they are well educated, well informed, have all the right information, have all the right skills to learn, have all the right tools to learn something. Even when you cannot go to school and become and do theory and the rest of it.

[00:21:00]>> ask you another question?

[00:21:01]>> Yeah. If this is it's a local issue, why aren't you >> just a local issue. It's a national issue.

[00:21:06]>> Hold on a second. Yeah.

[00:21:07]If if we're looking [clears throat] If you're looking at your community and you're very passionate about the young people in your community, won't you run on the state assembly and then focus on your community and see how you can bring your children out instead of going the route that you're taking right now?

[00:21:20]>> I I I I understand that part clearly.

[00:21:24]There are some things you see, you say this is no longer a local issue. That's why I said it's a national issue.

[00:21:31]In Edo state, we have insecurity problem.

[00:21:33]We have herdsmen, we have people kidnapping and the rest of it.

[00:21:38]And when most of these people are arrested, they are not just our locals.

[00:21:43]They are coming from another region.

[00:21:45]That is why we always say the problem of insecurity in the country is something all of us have to come together and address it.

[00:21:52]So, if we are able to address the issue of the children not being in school, if we are able to address the children of address the issue of children being taken care of from the tender age, we will not have more children being coerced, being forced to take arms and join Boko Haram or join whatever other terrorist organization just for 100,000 to go and carry out bombing. You know what I'M SAYING? SO, THAT IS THE REASON WHY WE NEED TO MAKE a law to make sure every children in this country is protected.

[00:22:18]Another thing I also need to talk about is that every child need to be digitally documented in this country for us to know how many are we in this country. I agree completely with you and I'm sure Kayla agrees as well, but you have to scale the primaries first to vote on this thing. Would there Would there be primaries? Um Uh uh at the moment, I believe there's going to be primaries, but we have not have We have not received any circular after the screening and uh the the promise of that is going to vet every document submitted and every individual coming because they want to win election. They want to feed They don't want to feed in candidate that doesn't have um credibility to win election or not have any credibility at the grassroots level. So, that will happen this week? Hopefully. Today is Monday. We We there is a new There's going to be a new circular coming out from the NDC. All right, Honorable Benjamin. We wish you the very best as you proceed and move forward in your career. Thank you so much for speaking with us this morning on Sunrise Daily.

[00:23:11]Honorable Benjamin Ojadmadan Yes, he is an aspirant on the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Congress for the House of Representatives for Isan North East and Esan South East Federal Constituency. We thank you once more.

[00:23:27]Thank you so much. Well, that's where we draw the curtains on uh Monday's edition of Sunrise Daily. We're hoping that you'll be with us throughout this week.

[00:23:34]Thank you so much for watching. I'm Maupe Ogun-Yusuf. We've got business at the top of the hour. I'm Kayla Megwa.

[00:23:39]Enjoy the rest of your day.

[00:23:43]>> [music] [music]