Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed how he opposed the emergence of Dr. Asue Ighodalo as governor of Edo State during the 2024 governorship election, despite acknowledging that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate was well-qualified for the position.
Wike disclosed that he deliberately worked against Ighodalo because he viewed the election as a contest against former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, who backed the PDP candidate.
According to the FCT minister, Ighodalo, whom he described as a good candidate and a former bank chairman, visited him on more than three occasions in an attempt to secure his support.
Wike, however, said he made it clear to Ighodalo that his opposition was not necessarily about the candidate’s qualifications but his association with Obaseki.
“I said I will not allow Obaseki produce a successor even though the candidate was a very good candidate; very good candidate who was the chairman of a bank. He came to see me more than three times, but I told him, ‘Listen, I know you are a good candidate, but for this election, I am sorry; because this election is between us and the man who is bringing you, called Obaseki. Returning you would be like bringing him back, so I am sorry, you have to fail’,” Wike said.
He added: “And he failed.”
The revelation sheds light on Wike’s political role in the build-up to the September 2024 Edo governorship election, which was won by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, defeating Ighodalo of the PDP.
