Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming September 21, 2024 gubernatorial election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, says he will settle for independent and informed decisions if elected Lead Representative of the state.
Ighodalo, who was a guest on a televised show, said he won’t repeat some of the errors of people in government, particularly around managing relationships with predecessors.
He promised voters in the state that he was not getting into government to serve the interest of any godfather.
The forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state has strong contenders including Ighodalo, Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP), and Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ighodalo, former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), got the endorsement of the incumbent Lead Representative, Godwin Obaseki, who disregarded his deputy and party man, Philip Shaibu.
Obaseki and Shaibu have been entangled in a protracted clash over political succession in the state. Before now, Obaseki parted ways with his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, in the buildup to his re-election in 2020.
Recent happenings, in any case, showed that the two men have figured out their issues as they have been envisioned together at political events arranged by the state, a development which never took place while the spat lasted. Yet, while Obaseki approved Ighodalo, Oshiomhole and Shaibu have been united and featured prominently in the campaign train of APC’s Okpebholo.
Like Obaseki and Oshiomhole, in neighbouring Rivers State, likewise governed by the PDP in the Niger Delta area, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his immediate predecessor Nyesom Wike are a long way from being bed fellows.
Asked how he plans to explore the political space and potential issues that could arise with a probable controlling predecessor or godfather, Ighodalo said, “Definitely, I will be a man of my own. Truly, I have been a man of my own since I was 18 years old. I was brought up by my parents to make my decisions by myself and I have gone through life having done several things.
“My answer is: I have always been a man of my own and I will be a man of my own. That does not mean I will not take advice from other people who have gone through similar experiences.
“It is important that I say that because it is only a person who is a bit foolish that will go through certain endeavours and certain work types without taking advice.
“Throughout my life, I have had mentors, I’ve had great mentors as I was growing up in my profession, as a lawyer, as a business person, in the boardroom, I’ve always sought the advice of the people I looked up to and I value. So, I will do so all the same.
“I will always seek advice so that I will avoid the mistakes that others make. I will be my own man. Nothing is going to change because I’m governor or anything else that I am.”
Ighodalo further depicted the judgement of the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, which on Monday, put aside a judgment conveyed by Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court and affirmed him as the PDP gubernatorial candidate for the September poll.
He said with the “distraction” now out of his way, he can focus on the election before him.
The PDP candidate said he would enhance the lives of the people of the state if elected as Lead Representative as he feels their pain.
He said a few policies of the Federal Government were not carefully conceived and have been affecting the state regardless the efforts of the Obaseki administration.
“In Edo, we will cocoon ourselves and reverse the impact of these policies of the Federal Government,” he said.
He communicated certainty that he will win the election as President Bola Tinubu has guaranteed the people of the state of a level playing ground during the poll.
