
The governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, has declared that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, lacks the authority to influence the selection of the state’s next governor
On September 21, Edo citizens are expected to converge at their different polling units to decide their next governor.
However, Wike, a former Governor of Rivers State, recently claimed to have informed Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki that he would not support Ighodalo in the upcoming governorship election scheduled for September 21.
Wike made this revelation during the Friday edition of Channels Television Politics Today program, where he mentioned that Obaseki had brought his political protégé to solicit his backing for the upcoming election.
Wike expressed his astonishment at the Edo PDP chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, who recently requested the Independent National Electoral Commission to reassign the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Anugbum Onuoha, just days before the election, citing his connections to Wike.
The INEC REC, who is also Wike’s first cousin, previously served as his special adviser on lands during Wike’s tenure as governor of Rivers.
“When Obaseki brought Ighodalo to my house two times to support him, they did not know the REC was my cousin. It is just today that they know that he (Onuoha) is my cousin. That is the problem I have with this country.
I told them (Obaseki and Ighodalo) when they came to see me that I’m not going to support Ighodalo. Neither am I going to support anybody. The one I supported never helped anything, but rather I was insulted,” Wike had stated.
Reacting on the same media platform, Ighodalo expressed disappointment in the position of the FCT minister, saying that wasn’t exactly the outcome of the meeting he had earlier with him.