Ahead of the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary for the 2027 general elections scheduled for next month, angry constituents of Orhionmwon Constituency have protested against the re-election of Hon. Osamwonyi Atu, the Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, over alleged unfulfilled campaign promises.
The constituents protested on Friday, April 24, 2026, in Abudu, the administrative headquarters of the Local Government Area.
DAILY POST reports that the protest coincided with plans by the embattled lawmaker to flag off his re-election campaign in the area.
The constituents, mainly youths made up of young men and women, protested under the aegis of Concerned Orhionmwon East Youths.
They vowed to resist the exercise while insisting that the deputy speaker must first fulfil promises made during the 2023 electioneering campaign.
In a viral video, some protesters were heard questioning Abudu women on whether they were happy living in total blackout.
“You are campaigning when there is no light in your constituency. You have not even fulfilled your 2023 campaign promises,” they alleged.
The protesters, who were armed with placards bearing various inscriptions, accused the lawmaker of neglecting critical issues affecting the constituency.
They listed some of the critical issues the lawmaker failed to address to include the prolonged power outage, said to have lasted over 15 years, as well as the non-completion of a comprehensive school project, among others.
Reacting, the Deputy Speaker 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, Hon. Martins Ozakpolor, alleged that the protesters were sponsored by a rival aspirant seeking to discredit the deputy speaker.
Ozakpolor maintained that the lawmaker has delivered on key campaign promises, including the construction of a comprehensive school in the constituency.
He added that the deputy speaker was received by members of the Abudu Elders Council, who offered prayers for the success of his re-election bid.