Edo State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Victor Ekhator, has expressed optimism over the fortunes of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

An excited Commissioner Ekhator beamed with smiles yesterday as thousands of party supporters gathered at the Ologbosere Primary School in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area to see their party leaders and listen to Governor Adams Oshiomhole speak after receiving decampees from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ekhator spoke with News Express exclusively after the rally. He said: “As you can see (from the turnout for the rally) it is a sea of fellowship. You can see the happiness, victory and jubilation. This is to tell the evil people that we must overcome them and we’ll surely conquer them. We have always conquered them, because night and day never meets. APC is the light.”

The commissioner sees the mass defection of PDP members in Ikpoba-Okha (one of the three metropolitan local government areas of Edo State) into the fold of the APC as a further blow to the hopes of the PDP to win elections in the local government area.

“They (PDP) have never been on ground here. Since 2007 they have never won any election here, and they will never win. The wise ones are coming back home (to APC) because of the developments, because of what they are seeing us do. Those social media preachers (the opposition) let them show what is on ground (that they have done),” Ekhator noted.

On the recent violent attack on the legislative quarters of the Edo State House of Assembly (which Governor Oshiomhole blamed on the PDP in the state in his address earlier), Ekhator gave a simple and pointed remark: “Only a weak man resorts to violence.”

•Photo shows Edo Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Victor Ekhator (middle) during Monday’s rally to receive PDP decampees into the APC, south of Benin City.