A good governance advocacy group, Obidients For All, has held a symposium to drum support for the governorship candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo.
The symposium, which held in Benin City, the Edo State capital, had a theme ‘Obidients For An Edo That Works For All: The Asue Ighodalo Phenomenon’.
The well-attended event was graced by the PDP candidate in the September 21 governorship election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, who was declared fit for the governorship election to manage Edo State.
In his welcome address, the Convener of the group, Mr Austin Isikhuemen, said that the Obidients For All’s vision and mission was the overriding reason that made Ighodalo of the PDP their choice in the forthcoming gubernatorial election billed for September, 2024.
He said justice, fairness and equity as well as the candidate’s pedigree and track record of performance and integrity form a basic requirements for such exalted office.
He asserted that Asue Ighodalo stands head and shoulders above the pack of other qualified runners in the governorship race.
Also speaking, Prof. Chris Nwaokobia Mustapha gave reasons why Edo people cannot afford to toy with their future by electing the wrong candidate.
Prof Chris called on Dr Ighodalo to take Edo State to the exemplary height that will create peer pressure among other state governments, which can raise the standard of governance nationally.
Prof Chris also said that the Obidient Symposium was necessary as he explained that Obidients preached justice, equity and fairness and supported Peter Obi from the South-East for President in 2023.
He said they cannot now turn around to support the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) who is from the same local government area and senatorial district to take over from Governor Godwin Obaseki in Edo State.
“Edo North was in the saddle for eight years before Edo South whose tenure of eight years is coming to a close,” he stated, jocularly asking whether “Edo Central come wash plate?”
Responding, the PDP candidate, Dr Ighodalo, spoke about great leaders like Lin Quan Yu, his Cambridge University days and the late Remi Fani-Kayode, who became his ‘tutor’ because of the latter’s exceptional brilliance.
He said that the Singaporean leader was shocked when he later visited Nigeria and found it in a state of arrested development.
Dr Asue Ighodalo said that Singapore has moved to the first world while Nigeria was apparently on a backslide.
“We have had oil revenues enough to build seven Dubais but where did all the money go? Choice of wrong leaders has been the cause of Nigeria’s development crisis,” the PDP governorship candidate said.
Goodwill messages were received from Edo State deputy governor, director-general of the PDP Campaign Council and the State’s Commissioner for Arts and Culture.
Professor Izibili’s guest lecture on ‘Leadership and its role in attaining the Edo of our dream’, was well received. He defined leadership and showed the relationship between purposive leadership and governance outcomes. He successfully linked leadership perception and the quest for ‘Edo State of our dream’. He highlighted the critical impact of character on the performance of a leader and concluded that leadership must not be left to chance but deliberately chosen with expected outcomes in mind.
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