TheCable

Asue Ighodalo, winner of the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo, says Godwin Obaseki, governor of the state, is not his political godfather.

On Thursday, Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara and returning officer of the election, declared Ighodalo winner of the primary poll.

Lawal said Ighodalo secured 577 votes to defeat other aspirants in the race.

Ighodalo was the preferred candidate of Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo.

On the same day, Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo, won the parallel governorship primary organised at his residence.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, Ighodalo, a lawyer, said nobody can impose a governorship candidate on the people of Edo state.

The lawyer said Obaseki is a friend, who he has known since 1977, and not a political godfather.

“Nobody can impose anybody on the people of Edo state. It is impossible. Governor Obaseki is not my political godfather. He is my friend.

“I have known him since 1977. We have been friends and we respect each other tremendously,” he said.

ON THE PARALLEL PRIMARY

Ighodalo said he is not worried about the parallel primary election in which Shaibu was declared winner.

The lawyer said the PDP followed due process and the constitution of the party in the conduct of the primary election.

He added that the primary election that led to his emergence was the authentic one backed by the national working committee (NWC) of the PDP.

“I think we (PDP) went through the proper process of the party,” he said.

“I was not aware that anything else was happening anywhere in the state. This is the authentic process of the party in accordance with the constitution. I’m not worried.

“I’m a lawyer. We do things by the book, in accordance with the rule of law. There is nothing to worry about. I don’t think the rules were broken. I observed that the guidelines and the constitution were followed.”