Accord Party Candidate, Kennedy Iyere Withdraws From Edo Governorship Election

Kennedy Iyere, the Accord Party Candidate in the 2024 Edo Governorship election, has withdrawn from the race.

Kennedy Iyere announced his withdrawal just 24 hours before the election amid internal party conflicts, with accusations of a conspiracy involving his running mate, Bright Enabulele.

Speaking on his decision to step down, Iyere said he wants to focus on serving Nigeria at a national level, using his skills to tackle the country’s social and economic problems, especially the ongoing food and hunger crisis.

He had previously introduced the “Food4All Initiative,” a multi-billion dollar food program aimed at securing food supplies and creating jobs through the “One-Family-One-Farmer Scheme,” which he presented to President Bola Tinubu.

Iyere also revealed that internal party issues contributed to his withdrawal, including alleged plots by his running mate, Bright Enabulele, to undermine his candidacy.

Despite stepping down, Iyere urged Edo voters to vote peacefully and with their conscience, stressing the importance of fair power distribution across the state’s three Senatorial Districts.

Iyere said he plans to focus on national development by helping the federal government create plans for economic inclusion and youth engagement through social programs.

The Accord Party candidate emphasized that his decision is based on a desire to serve the country, not party politics.

He said: “My focus is no longer on the governorship seat but on a higher and bigger portfolio than a Governor. I want to serve Nigerians at large and not just Edo indigenes. I want to help rebuild Nigeria’s lost economic greatness. 

“Serving as a Governor will actually place limitations on me. So, when I saw the plots displayed by Enabulele and some leaders of Accord Party at the State Level, then I knew it was time for me to embrace a higher calling, which was to step up my game to the federal level where I am presently hugely contributing my efforts towards national development.

“I am assisting the federal government to devise a road map for the economic inclusion, engagement, self-emancipation and deradicalisation of youths by designing and driving social intervention programmes that aim to mitigate unemployment and enhance youth and women entrepreneurial opportunities for mass self-employment, wealth creation and poverty alleviation. 

“These programmes will fully kick-start in the month of October 2024 and Nigeria will be placed yet again on the pathway of rapid economic recovery. Our intervention programmes will enhance opportunities for youth entrepreneurship engagement in multiple sectors, especially agriculture, food and beverage, technology, entertainment, innovation and creativity. 

“More than six million youth and women entrepreneurs (as MSME owners and operators) shall be created or produced within the first one year of the official kick-off of this entrepreneurship programme. Nigerian youths and women lack access to the business capital required as entrepreneurs to either start up a new business or operate an existing business. This programme will squarely address that essential need.”

KanyiDaily recalls that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had refused to sign the peace accord for the Edo State Governorship election on Saturday, September 21.