The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, on Wednesday, dared Governor Godwin Obaseki to take the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, around the streets of Benin, the state capital, and other parts of the state and see if he would not end up with a bloody nose.
Speaking during the inauguration of the local government and ward campaign councils of Oredo Local Government Area, the deputy governorship candidate of the APC, Dennis Idahosa, said a new APC government would continue from where Adams Oshiomhole stopped in terms of flood control, rebuilding of public schools, checking insecurity, cultism and respect for the traditional institution.
He also called on party members still angry with the outcome of the primary election that produced its candidate, Monday Okpebholo, to be true party members and work for the victory of the party which it said would only be achieved as a united family.
He said, “ Adams Oshiomhole has been out of government now for eight years, the current governor is Obaseki and he has been there for almost eight years, we want Obaseki to take the hands of his candidate, Asue Ighodalo and walk around the streets of Benin City and other places in the state and Oshiomhole will take the hand of Monday Okpebholo and do the same thing and see what will happen.
“If Obaseki does not wear a helmet, he will come back bleeding because he is completely disconnected from the people.”
On his part, Okpebholo said if elected, his administration “Would not listen to gossip, we will be there to work for Edo people so that there will be progress in the state. We are ready to send them packing because they have failed us. I was in the local government of the PDP candidate and by the time I counted thirty things I have done in his place, they could not point to one thing that he has done for them.”
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Director General of the Campaign Council in Oredo, Osaro Obazee, called for unity among party members.
Reacting, the Deputy Director of Media and Publicity of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Council, Rev. Olu Martins, said Obaseki does not need any popularity test, adding that Ighodalo does not need to be with Obaseki to know that the people liked him.
He said, “We have consistently said that Governor Obaseki is not on the ballot. Also, they accused Governor Obaseki of being a godfather to Asue Ighodalo and we are trying to show them that Asue is his own man, he has his ideas, he has his own philosophy, he has his own directions as far as governance and leadership and management of state resources are concerned.
“Ighodalo has been all over the place on his own selling himself to the people.”
