The governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, says he does not regret saying that Saturday’s governorship election in the state is a do-or-die affair.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Governor Obaseki however, clarified his statement that the election is a do-or-die affair because Edo people will be doomed if the All Progressives Congress (APC) takes over the state.
Obaseki said the opposition has resorted to intimidation because they know the PDP will beat them mercilessly at the poll, as the APC has nothing to sell to Edo people to get their votes.
According to Obaseki, “It is a do-or-die affair, because if they do, we die! The level of impunity, the level of recklessness we see in the opposition party, if they take over Edo state, we are finished—that is the end”.
“If you see the evidence of what they have done and the blatant way they have gone about it. It is like they forget that the police are being funded by taxpayers’ money—Nigerian taxpayers’ money. They should just be a bit more professional and unbiased,” he added.
Obaseki, who expressed his lack of confidence in the police ahead of the election, accusing them of bias, alleged that the opposition party has perfected plans to rig the election in their favour on Saturday, but insisted that the people of the state would resist them.
On the involvement of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, in the Edo poll, Obaseki insists that his fallout with the Wike will not hurt the chances of the PDP to emerge victorious in Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
Wike was one of the figureheads that worked for Obaseki’s victory against Adams Oshiomhole-backed candidate Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) in 2020.
Having fallen out politically with Obaseki after the 2020 election, Wike has vowed not to support his candidate, Asue Ighodalo, come Saturday.
But Obaseki, who was asked how worried he is about Wike’s position this time around, said that Edo people are wise enough to decide whom to for themselves.
“He (Wike) came to get Edo people to vote for me, right? Wow! Edo people are not that dumb; they know who to vote for,” Obaseki said.
“They don’t require the services of an outsider to make their decisions. Edo people will make their decisions this time because they know what they want.”
The governor also said he does not regret falling out with some of his political associates, including his predecessor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, and his former deputy, Philip Shaibu, among others.
He said that some politicians are not happy with him because he has used money from the government’s revenues to solve people’s needs.
