By DADA AYOKHAI
Billboards inscribed with Labour Party (LP) logo along with the picture of Pastor Azemhe Azena of Omega fire ministry has copiously adorned several strategic places across Edo state .
The billboards according to many is an indication of Pastor Azena interest in governorship of the state even though he is yet to formally declare his intention.
Likewise, his foot soldiers have trooped into the streets and major towns to canvass support for him ahead of his declaration.
Pastor Azena is the Benin-based senior pastor of the Omega Fire Ministry, a wave-making Pentecostal church hails from okpella in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo North senatorial district of Edo state.
Political observers have postulated the likelihood of a repeat of the Benue State experience where an ordained Catholic priest, Rev. Fr Alia dumped his cassock for the murky waters of politics.
The General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministry Worldwide, the fiery and controversial Apostle Johnson Suleiman during the heat of the presidential election told his congregation that ” him and his family are obidient.
The Labour Party in Edo state recorded a significant impact in two of the three senatorial districts in the state during the last elections namely Edo South and Edo Central respectively. It, however, met its Waterloo in the Edo North senatorial district, the stronghold of Comrade Adams Oshiomole, a former governor of the state and also former APC national chairman
Hitherto, elections in the state have often been a two-way horse race between the two dominant political parties, that is, the PDP and the APC. The other political parties only make up the numbers as mere bystanders.
It remains to be seen how he intends to navigate the murky waters of politics in achieving his ambition.
Some political watchers are of the opinion that riding on the crest of the Labour Party’s popularity alone will not guarantee him political success.
