By Engr. Eweka Egie PhD
Relating to Asue Ighodalo’s gubernatorial bid, notable Edo State politician Adams Oshiomhole recently spoke with an interviewer. Ighodalo is “unelectable” to be the governor of Edo State, according to Oshiomhole.
The primary reason for Oshiomhole’s criticism of Ighodalo is his alleged manipulation of the political process, which the court has affirmed. He claimed that Ighodalo was an imposition by the present governor, which would effectively amount to the governor running for a third term under false pretenses.
It is noteworthy that in his remarks, Oshiomhole refrained from referring to the Esan people as “witches”. Instead, he brought up a specific instance in which Ighodalo hired a translator to speak with his people in Esan land, implying that Ighodalo lacks the fundamental characteristics of a true Esan son and is unable to speak and understand the language of his tribe.
This led to Oshiomhole’s claim that Ighodalo was unable to spend even a night with his Esan “family” because he believes his people to be witches, a belief that has always kept him a great distance from them. Now that he needs their support for the election, he is making a vain attempt to buy familiarity that never existed.
While he was the governor of the state, Oshiomhole used his position to empower the good people of Esan land because he loved them and they were his good in-laws. It is therefore not surprising that the royal fathers of Esan land installed him as the Adolor of Esan land. His late wife, Esan, was also blessed with children and grandchildren from their union.
Despite Oshiomhole criticized Ighodalo’s candidacy and charged him with influencing the electoral process, he refrained from calling the Esan people “witches.” His remarks mostly addressed Ighodalo’s perceived flaws as a candidate, including his seeming imposition by the present governor and his limited proficiency in the Esan language.
Using this platform, I want to implore Hon. Ifaluyi Isibor to work with his candidate’s attorneys to salvage what remains of Asue Ighodaro’s candidacy, which I firmly believe is unsalvageable. Meanwhile, He should allow Oshiomhole and his Esan in-laws to continue to enjoy their long-standing relationship, which predates his political career.