Prominent humanitarian activist and Coordinator-General of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Development Initiative (YEIDEP), Kennedy Iyere, has emerged as the Accord Party’s senatorial candidate for Edo Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Iyere secured the ticket on Friday, May 29, 2026, during the party’s senatorial primary held in Ubiaja, headquarters of Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State, where he contested as the sole aspirant and was subsequently declared the consensus candidate of the party.
The exercise was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including Electoral Officers representing the five local government areas that make up Edo Central Senatorial District — Esan South-East, Esan North-East, Esan Central, Esan West and Igueben.
Speaking shortly after his emergence, Iyere expressed confidence that he would defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and emerge victorious in the 2027 senatorial election.
“It is certain that I will defeat the incumbent and become the next senator of Edo Central District. I will defeat the APC hands down, and they know it,” he declared.
The former Accord Party governorship candidate in the 2024 Edo governorship election also reflected on the internal crisis that forced him to withdraw from the race, blaming what he described as infiltration within the party structure at the time.
“If Accord Party was not infiltrated in 2024, neither the APC nor PDP would have been able to match my political force or power, so they used my Deputy Candidate to fight me,” Iyere alleged.
“It is for this reason that I have decided now to run for the senatorial primary as a sole aspirant and eventually became the consensus candidate,” he added.
Iyere, widely known for his grassroots mobilization efforts through the “40 Million Ballots Movement,” also described himself as a major force behind the nationwide “Obidient Movement,” insisting that his political structure remained formidable.
He disclosed that several political parties had approached him ahead of the elections but maintained that he chose to remain with Accord Party.
“Some persons attempted talking to me to join the NDC, ADC and one other big party, but I declined. I am not a nomadic politician,” he said.
“I am a king, and real kings are not known to leave their kingdoms for other places. Rather, people leave their places and join kings in their kingdoms,” Iyere added.
The activist further stated that his political influence and mass mobilization capacity had continued to unsettle the ruling political establishment.
“God has given me the awesome power to do unusual things when it comes to political and social mobilization. Today, God has made me a movement dreaded by the APC and the ruling elites,” he stated.
“In 2027, I will defeat the APC and win the senatorial seat in Edo Central District,” Iyere declared.
