Only Edo People Can Decide Obaseki’s Successor, Not Wike — Ighodalo

Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State, says the people of the South-South state will decide their next governor.

Ighodalo said the choice of who succeeds Godwin Obaseki is not for PDP heavyweight Nyesom Wike or any other person to make but the people of the state.

The PDP candidate was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.

Last Friday, Wike, a former Rivers State governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said he won’t support Ighodalo who is the anointed candidate of the outgoing governor.

“I told them (Obaseki and Ighodalo) when they came to me that I am not going to support you, neither am I going to support anybody. The one I supported, it never helped anything. Rather I was insulted.

“I supported him (Obaseki) the last time, what happened? I became a stupid man,” Wike said on the Friday edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

Responding on Monday, Ighodalo said, “It’s not correct that Governor Wike said he wasn’t going to support us, that’s not correct but events may have overtaken his decision at that point and he’s free to change his mind.

“I believe as a gentleman that he would adhere to the word he gave me but if he has change his mind, so be it.

“When he and I spoke, we spoke on issues around governance, around Nigeria issues, around how we can create a better country, we spoke about Edo State and at the end of the day we ended the conversations at a point where he said he will mind his business and Edo State is not part of his business.

“But again, if he’s decided to change his mind, that’s fine but the decision as to who becomes the next governor of Edo State is the decision of the Edo State people; it’s not the decision of anybody else, whether you’ve been governor or you’re minister.

“It’s only Edo State citizens and people that reside in Edo State who carry PVCs in Edo State that take that decision with the with the support of God Almighty and that’s the way I see it. I fear no man I only fear God.”

The political temperature in the state has been turbocharged in the last year. Of note, 95 cases of violence including 35 incidents of electoral violence have been recorded since January this year in the state. Last week, the PDP declined to sign a peace pact signed by 16 other parties fielding candidates in the poll.

Analysts have described the forthcoming poll as a three-horse race involving PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).

Akpata is a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); while Ighodalo, former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG); secured the endorsement of the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, who shunned his deputy and party man, Philip Shaibu. Shaibu and former governor Adams Oshiomhole have pledged their support for Okpebholo.

Over 2.6 million registered voters from 18 local government areas are to decide the next governor of the South-South state.

Edo is one of the eight states where governorship elections are held off-season due to litigations and court judgements. Others are Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun and Ondo.