Edo people, not Wike, will decide Obaseki’s successor — Ighodalo.
Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Edo State’s governorship election on September 21, 2024, believes the people of the South-South state will choose their next governor.
Ighodalo stated that the people of the state, not PDP heavyweight Nyesom Wike or anyone else, will decide who follows Godwin Obaseki.
Last Friday, Wike, a former Rivers State governor and current Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, stated that he will not back Ighodalo, the outgoing governor’s chosen nominee.
When Omaeki and Ighodalo approached me, I told them I wouldn’t support them or anyone else. The guy I supported did not provide any rewards. Rather, I felt insulted.
“I supported him (Obaseki) last time; what happened? “I became a stupid man,” Wike told Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.
On Monday, Ighodalo responded, “It’s not correct that Governor Wike said he wasn’t going to support us; that’s not correct; however, events may have overtaken his decision at that point, and he’s free to change his mind.”
“As a gentleman, I believe he will keep the word he gave me, but if he has changed his mind, so be it.
“When he and I chatted, we spoke about governance, Nigerian challenges, and how we could construct a better country. We also addressed Edo State. Finally, we ended our chat when he declared that he would mind his own business and that Edo State was not part of it.
“However, if he decides to change his mind, that’s great. However, the decision on who will be the next governor of Edo State is up to the people of Edo State; it is not up to anyone else, whether you have been governor or a minister.”
“Only Edo State residents and citizens who carry PVCs in Edo State make that decision with the support of God Almighty, and that’s how I see it.” I fear no man; I only fear God.”
The political temperature in the state has risen dramatically during the previous year. Since January of this year, the state has reported 95 acts of violence, including 35 instances of election violence. Last week, 16 other parties fielding candidates signed a peace deal, which the PDP refused to sign.
Analysts have classified the next election as a three-way contest between the PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, the All Progressives Congress’s Monday Okpebholo, and the Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata.
Akpata is a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), while Ighodalo, a former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), received the support of the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, who rejected his deputy and party member, Philip Shaibu. Shaibu and former governor Adams Oshiomhole have expressed support for Okpebholo.
Over 2.6 million registered voters from 18 local government districts will vote on the next governor of the South-South state.
Due to litigation and judicial rulings, eight states, including Edo, hold governorship elections during the off-season. Others include Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun, and Ondo.