The campaign council of the APC for Edo governorship election has called on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to subject party candidates in the poll to compulsory drug tests.

The council made the call in a statement by its director of media, Kassim Afegbua, on Wednesday in Benin.

According to him, the candidates need to present themselves for a serious drug test to ascertain their level of sanity.

Mr Afegbua urged the NDLEA to zero in on all candidates of the frontline political parties with a view to ascertaining their sanity.

“We have been reliably informed that some of them are alleged to be heavy consumers of banned substances, including alcohol.

“A test for all of them will unveil their level of sanity,” he said.

He noted that Edo voters must be well-guided in making informed choices during the elections and avoid voting for a candidate who would spend the state’s resources in funding drug and alcoholic lifestyles.

Mr Afegbua said the test would save Edo people of any future embarrassment that may arise, adding that the voters could not be deceived again.

“Edo State is too decent to have a governor who will bring shame to the people.

“Anyone who wants to govern Edo State should not be a heavy consumer of marijuana.

“This is a banned substance, and we expect the NDLEA to verify and conduct tests on the major candidates.

“Our candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo is prepared to submit himself to any test any time he’s called upon.

“We expect similar assurances from the other candidates to ascertain their level of sanity

“It will be a big shame for residents of other states to drag our people in the mud for mistakenly voting for a candidate whose state of mind can not be guaranteed.

“That is a big risk Edo people can not gamble with. We are doing this to save our state, and we hope that the NDLEA will quickly swing into action and do the needful,” he said.

Mr Afegbua said the council would continue to mount pressure on the anti-drug agency until the call was yielded.

“We must unearth any padded candidate who pretends to be a saint during the day but a notorious gangster at night.

“With the insecurity, unemployment, decayed infrastructure, poor healthcare, lack of potable water, and failed education in Edo State, the people deserve a governor with a sane mind to lead us into prosperity,” he said.

(NAN)