Edo Indigenes in Europe, US Endorse Ighodalo for Governor

*Go collect your PVCs, vote against APC for inflicting pain, suffering on our people, Obaseki charges votersAdibe Emenyonu in Benin-City

With less than a month to go, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Asue Ighodalo and his running mate, Osarodion Ogie, in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, have firmly secured the endorsement of the highly influential segment of the Edo society – the Edo Diaspora both in Europe and the United States of America.

This followed their hugely successful tour of five cities in Europe and three in the United States, where they engaged hundreds in fully packed halls, sharing their visions and dreams for Edo State that are succinctly captured in ‘The Pathway to Prosperity for All’ manifesto.
In Edo State, the Diaspora community plays a very significant role in influencing the pattern of voting back home. The engagements which began on Monday, June 24, ran through June 29 for the Europe itinerary and saw them holding crucial meetings with sons and daughters of Edo State in five major cities across Europe.

The first port of call was Reggio Emilia, Italy, on June 24th. He then moved to Manchester, UK, on 26th; London, UK, on 27th; Hamburg, Germany, on 28th and Nuremberg, Germany, on 29th of June.
In all these engagements in Europe, the outcome was the same – an unequivocal endorsement of Asue/Ogie aspirations and visions for the state.
“The Edo Diaspora communities, having interacted with them, listened to their presentations and answers to their questions, and convinced of the clear and unambiguous difference between the PDP candidate and other candidates, are resolute that Dr. Asue Ighodalo should be the next governor of Edo  State.”

 In a statement in Benin City, and made available by the PDP Campaign Council led by Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, the duo of Ighodalo and Ogie, including Ighodalo’s wife, Ifeyinwa, then stormed the United States of America last week from August 12 to 16, where they met with the people in Houston, Texas; Atlanta and New York, recording huge successes in all the outings.

Somebody reportedly joked openly that: “This is our choice. He knows the difference between a Zoo and a Museum,” to a roaring, hearty laughter. Of course, that Ighodalo is the choice of the Edo Diaspora communities is hardly surprising.

According to the statement, “Ighodalo’s candidacy has enjoyed a tremendous approval rating both at home and abroad. And this is due largely to his unassailable credentials as the most competent of the lot, the man with the requisite capacity, and a man with a vast network of connections. People also point to his enviable pedigree and antecedents and the fact that he is generally known for his compassion and emotional sensitivity.  All these are said to be responsible for the huge acceptance and the ever growing support he enjoys to the chagrin of his opponents.

“Interestingly and in clear contrast, the candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo, who also went on a similar trip to the United States returned with a huge and irreparable blow to his image and campaign as the trip clearly exposed his deficiencies.

“His inability to articulate and coherently communicate his ideas and thoughts exposed him as a man not suited for the post of Edo State governor.”

Comparatively, Iduoriyekemwen added that “what is more baffling was the  inability of the APC candidate to differentiate between a Zoo and a Museum and many more gaffes which effectively set the tone for the unraveling of his ambition and campaign. He’s yet to recover from it.

“The question many people have asked is that how important and to what extent would engaging the Diaspora communities influence the election back at home?  The truth of the matter is that the Edo Diaspora has proven to be very significant in such matters because as a people they play very influential roles in the lives of those back at home. Their contributions are a major economic driver for those back home.”

Nevertheless, the statement noted that more importantly, members of the diaspora communities wield significant influence as they serve as leaders of thought in various social/political groups and as the breadwinners of many families in many communities at home, adding “to that extent, their opinions on the leadership of the state matters greatly, and they clearly have thrown their massive weight behind Ighodalo who was able to demonstrate the fact that it is possible to have the type leadership qualities associated with  first-world countries where the Edo Diaspora communities are based.

“Therefore, with the Edo Diaspora in Europe and the United States effectively in the bag, Ighodalo’s chances in the September 21 election are by far brighter than those of his opponents”, the statement concluded.

Meanwhile, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged eligible voters in the state to go to the various designated centres across the State to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) and come out enmasse on September 21 to vote against the All Progressives Congress (APC) in protest against the gross mismanagement of the nation’s economy by its government at the centre which has inflicted untold hardship and suffering on the people of the state and country.

Obaseki made the call when he attended his ward meeting at Ward 4, Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

The governor, who expressed confidence that the PDP will come out victorious in the forthcoming election, said his government’s outstanding performance across all sectors of the state’s economy in the last eight years will earn the party its victory in the forthcoming gubernatorial poll.

He said, “When I saw your performance on the voters’ registration exercise, I had to commend you for a job well done. I am here to remind you to go and collect your Permanent Voters Card (PVC); it’s ready.

“This election will not be difficult because you have campaigned enough. It’s not my election because when I did my own election, things were not as bad and difficult as they are today. When our people wanted to protest, we appealed to them not to do so because some bad people planned to use the opportunity of the protest to destroy government infrastructure. This election shall be our protest. We shall use the election to tell them that APC as a party is forbidden in Edo State.”

Obaseki continued: “APC policies caused inflation in Nigeria and the State; they made life difficult for us and as such they will never be near power again. We are almost 16,000 that have collected PVCs in this ward and now through the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise, we have added almost 1,500 more persons.

“We must move from door-to-door to campaign for the party. What the APC wants to do in Edo State will not come to fruition as they have already said they will destroy the ShopRite we have built in Edo. They campaigned, insulting everybody instead of telling Edo people what they want to do for them.

“There is no progress in their mouths. They have no campaign strategy but are full of lies. We need to come out as we should to frustrate all their plans. Their ways are not straight.

“We must not sit at home but go out to campaign for our candidate and party. For every one vote for APC in the ward, we should get 10 for PDP and show examples to other wards.”

He further noted, “After the election in September, I will bring the governor-elect to this ward to see my people. I am here at the ward meeting to let you know that the job you sent me as governor of Edo State, I have done. We have captured our party now in the state and now it is time to grow it.”