The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party or PDP, in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, Dr Asue Ighodalo, has raised an alarm that his supporters are being intimidated, arrested and taken to Abuja.
He however expressed confidence of winning the governorship in September if given a level playing field.
Ighodalo stated this on Monday while speaking on Arise News.
He said voters in Edo state “understand the terrain and do not discriminate,” adding that “they’re very enlightened.
“I think the key for us is that we’re selling a message to the voters in the state – grassroots from the grassroots right up.”
He said “we’re telling them that we are the party, and we will be the government that will resolve the problems, the suffering of the people. The people are truly suffering. People can’t eat.
“People don’t have any money in their pockets, you know. So there’s a lot that is not going right at the moment.
“That’s the message we are selling to people – that we will be the party; we will be the government to resolve the issues, to create even more jobs, to create an enabling environment for businesses, to help build infrastructure, all those things that affect people’s daily lives, put food on their table, ensure that they get livable wages when they work, ensure that they have water and they have light where they don’t have light and water, ensure that they have access to good health care, and their kids can go to great schools, you know.
“So we are concerned about the people. Our concern is for the betterment and the well-being of the people of Edo state. And that’s the message we are selling,” he said.
He said he will continue to sell the message by explaining his manifesto believing that “the people of Edo state,” having heard the message “know that we will deliver for them.”
He said unlike his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress, “We’ve been to every part of the state, every nook and cranny of the state, campaigning, talking to people, entering markets, entering homes, going into pubs, going, you know, in different places and just connecting with the people.
“I think that the people see the sincerity in the message we’re bringing. The people see that we are trustworthy.
“We’ll continue working as hard as we’ve been working till the day we can’t continue campaigning. And then we’ll take it on from there. But I think that the people of Edo state are discerning.
“The people of Edo state know right from wrong. They know light from darkness. They know up from down.
“They know those who love them genuinely and are coming to work for them. So, we’re optimistic, very optimistic, that we’ll continue working as hard as we’ve been working. We’ll continue selling our message.
“We’re very optimistic that with a level playing field, without any tilting of the field in any way, we will win this election,” he stated.
Asked about his manifesto, he said “making Edo State the number one tourist destination in West Africa,” is crucial. “That’s an interesting one. Then you talk about the fact that you have eco-tourist resorts.
“You will increase your IGR currently, not doing badly, 64 billion Naira in 2023, up by about 17 billion in the last count. And then securing Edo State. We know how security matters can get, because it’s the federal government at the centre.”
On working with the centre (Abuja) to ensure that Edo State is one of the most secure places in Nigeria, Ighodalo said “our restructured manifesto shows that security is number one priority. And again, from our constitutional provisions, the governor is the chief security officer, but he actually doesn’t directly control any troops.
“The police report to the inspector general, the military report to the chief of army staff, and so on and so forth. But I think over the years, the system has managed to work itself out, where in every state, there’s a security council or security committee that comprises the commission of police, the most senior army officer in the state. And there is a process by which there’s a security apparatus and architecture created in the state.
“I think the governor chairs that committee. And it’s worked well in most states, in many states. So that’s what we’re pointing at.
“We’ll work through that organ. But the most important thing is to be able to find resources to create a technologically empowered security architecture in the state. And we will help with the equipment for those officers that have been assigned to work in those states.
“We’ll help with technology. We’ll help with training so that we create those who are working within our state will be a first class security force working in those states to ensure that we create a state that is secure from all the entry points into the state and every part of the state.
“So we’re confident it’s happened before.
“One or two states through their security trust fund that they created to bring in resources to be able to properly equip have done quite well and brought down crime and insecurity within their states considerably.
“If we don’t get security right in those states, many of the things, or in any state in Nigeria, or in Nigeria as a country, many of the problems we have will not go away.
“So that’s our number one focus. And we’ll work through our security trust fund, we’ll work through training, we’ll work through the resources that are available,” the PDP candidate assured.
He also reminded that “the National Assembly is currently considering issues that have to do with state police. We’ll see how far that goes. If that comes on stream, that also strengthens the security architecture.
“If it doesn’t come on stream, we’ll work within what we have now and we’ll strengthen it and improve it. But the important thing is to enhance technology, enhance training, enhance equipment. And it will be a priority, a number one priority.”
Speaking of key infrastructure in the state as it concerns water and roads, Ighodalo agreed that the state has a problem with water. He explained that “some of the projects, the Ujirame project, the Auchi project, the project around Jatu, the project in Edo Central, Uboa appears to be the only one that’s working well, but the Ewohimi Dam and around Ekpoma, the water scheme, they’re not working really. They’re not working as well as they should.
“In some places, they’re not even working at all. Our recent assessment suggests that we probably will be needing between 60 to 75 billion naira in total to fix the water problem in Edo State. And even in Edo South, there are parts that also require fixing.
“The same thing with roads. Federal roads, there can be a combination of concessions and arrangements that can be reached on federal roads, but we still have our state roads that need to be fixed. So the issue is where we’re going to get the money from.
“I’ve spent a long part of my life raising a lot of money for corporate organisations and for institutions. So I know where the money is. You know, the issue with money coming into an environment such as ours is for those who have the money to trust that you’ll use the money for the things you say you’ll use the money for, and you’ll use the money effectively.
“So we need to build a bigger pie. We need to build an economy that’s able to be at such a productive level that our IGR increases substantially. In the last seven years, the state’s IGR has more than doubled.
He said his supporters are being suppressed and called for a level playing field for the election.
He said, We are clear in our minds that if we have a level playing field with the message we’re telling our people, with the grassroots work we’re doing, we will win this election.
“The president has also assured everybody that he’s going to ensure and enable a level playing field. But what we’re seeing doesn’t suggest that.
“In the last few weeks, we’ve had a number of our supporters being arrested and taking off to Abuja. And the commissioner of police in the states doesn’t know very much about it. So guys coming from Abuja pick up our guys and carry them off to Abuja.”
He said “one of the most recent is a guy called Kingsley Osaho, who’s a councillor in Urumi. I went to see his mother last Friday and his young kids. And truly the house is in disarray.
“Now, there was a raid at dawn about 5.30 a.m. They barged into the house. They picked him up. They didn’t say anything.
“The mother kept telling me that she was asking what has my son done. They didn’t say anything to her. They just pushed her aside and they took him away.
“Nobody knows where he is. And there are about four or five of our other guys that have been taken away in a similar vein. And what we’re saying is that if you arrest somebody that has committed an offence, can you let… The law says that when you arrest somebody within a period of time, you charge the person to court.”
He lamented that “we don’t even know where they are. We know that they’re in Abuja now from the investigations we’re conducting, but we don’t know where they are in Abuja. We don’t know what they did. So, and then, you know, a few weeks ago, there was all this brouhaha that was on the 18th of July in Benin.
“There were people on TV. We all saw them on TV carrying guns and going all over the place, you know. And intimidating… Intimidating the citizens of the state.
“We saw people go into the NBA building to beat up lawyers. We saw people all over the streets of Benin just behaving as if they were in a lawless environment. Nothing happened to them. Nothing.
“The PDP wrote a petition about the intimidation and some of the problems that we’re having. But till date, nothing has happened.
“But on the other hand, our own supporters have been intimidated, have been harassed.
“A few days ago, at one of the collation centres, where people went to collect their PVCs, thugs came in and were screaming and shouting that, you know, if you don’t vote for APC, if you come out on that day, you will see what will happen to you. But we’re not in a lawless environment,” Ighodalo stated.