A Benin-based legal practitioner and public intellectual, Daniel Osa-Ogbegie, has said the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State under Governor Monday Okpebholo and State Chairman Jarrett Tenebe is spearheading a generational shift designed to create opportunities for younger political leaders.
Osa-Ogbegie stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Benin City on Saturday, where he defended the current leadership of the party against criticisms from some quarters.
According to him, Edo politics had for years been dominated by a small circle of politicians who rotated public offices among themselves, limiting opportunities for younger and capable individuals to participate actively in governance and party administration.
He argued that the current APC leadership had shown courage in breaking away from that tradition by deliberately opening up political space for a new generation of leaders.
“Much of the criticism directed at Jarrett Tenebe today is rooted in the discomfort of those who feel threatened by the ongoing generational transition within the APC. What is happening is a deliberate effort to open up political space for younger and competent Edo people,” Osa-Ogbegie said.
The legal practitioner noted that the emergence of younger leaders across party structures and government institutions reflects a conscious effort by the administration to promote political renewal and leadership development.
He pointed to the appointment and emergence of youthful political figures within the party and government, including APC Deputy State Chairman Sylvester Aigboboh, as well as several commissioners, special advisers, board chairmen and local government administrators.
According to him, these appointments demonstrate a clear departure from what he described as the era of recycled political leadership.
At the grassroots level, Osa-Ogbegie cited the emergence of young leaders such as Austin Imafidon in Uhunmwode, Sunny Ekpeson in Etsako, Eric Osawaru in Ikpoba-Okha and Gabriel Iduseri in Oredo as evidence of the party’s commitment to empowering younger generations.
He added that the rise of Aitalegbe Ernest, popularly known as “China Boy,” in Owan further underscored the growing acceptance of youthful leadership within the APC.
