Edo 2024: Ighodalo Campaign Vehicles; Matters Arising

By Mike O. Enahoro

When we talk about "capacity", truly, though very humble and gentle but battle-ready, this "Man Wey Sabi" is intimidating even other aspirants in other political parties...

In the late hours of Thursday, January 18, 2024, I reported that the former Sterling Bank PLC Board Chairman and leading aspirant of the People's Democratic Party, Barr. Asue Ighodalo has rolled out Sienna SUVs for eighteen (18) PDP Local Government Area Chairmen. In that report, I noted that some of the Chairmen had already collected while the remaining were already on their way to Benin City, the State Capital to collect theirs. As promised, in this report, I will attempt to give more details about the situational report having confirmed what is on the ground in terms of vehicles that are even far beyond just party LGA Chairmen.

I placed a call to the man who is said to be in charge of the distribution of the vehicles to find out the situation report. Find below is the summary of our discussion. "My principal is fully prepared for the primary and election for Edo 2024. Barr. Ighodalo understood that critical stakeholders need to be mobile to ensure party members and others are reached. We have over 600 vehicles already on the ground undergoing branding and to be distributed in batches..." When I asked, sir, these vehicles seem very many. Does that mean you guys are also going to automatically draft delegates into the campaign team by giving them vehicles each after the primary? The man who wanted his name to remain anonymous almost took me far beyond the matter of vehicles and said "...well, I cannot tell you our strategies now. What is important is to tell you that our principal, Barr. Asue Ighodalo is fully prepared for the Edo 2024 election. He's the party aspirant to beat. He is a blessing to our party. I can tell you that when he picks the PDP ticket, he will overrun other candidates from other political parties. Yes, no party can match Barr. Asue Ighodalo as PDP candidate. So, I am by this also telling you to help tell other party members including other aspirants to let us rally around the Man Wey Sabi not just to only make the election easy for us as a party but also to have someone in charge of Osadebey Avenue come 2024 that will take Edo State to the next level, economically and politically..."

Seriously, on the receipt of the Sienna SUVs, I have confirmed from over ten (10) PDP LGA Chairmen who have collected already. Some others told me that they were already on their way to Benin to collect theirs too. Some presently not around said to me point black, "it's party affairs hence this development will make the party stronger and better." Considering the enthusiasm and joy in their voices, it is very clear and obvious that these party GOCs in Edo State have made up their minds to do the needful. No one is ready to continue the suffering when a man with fresh ideas, the Fresh Air himself has come. In clear direct words, one of them even told me "Mike, we cannot afford not to support Asue Ighodalo to pick the party ticket. This man has capacity far more than any other aspirant. He is very humble and accessible. He is the best man for the job. With him, the party will be so united and PDP's past glories will be restored..."

My interactions with some other critical members of Ighodalo's Edo 2024 project, Asue Ighodalo's LGA, Senatorial, and State Coordinators are also in the plans for the distribution of the vehicles. The provisions of these vehicles are no doubt a show of readiness and capacity to confront the battle ahead. The truth is that provision for logistic arrangements to ensure effective mobility is not a luxury but a capacity. So, Barr. Asue Ighodalo is unstoppable and even beyond PDP.

When we wrote that none of the other aspirants could even send "Merry" to us as party members so we could add, "Xmas and New Year" to it, some people misunderstood our opinion on that. Aspirants who could not reach out to members of their party in their Ward or LGA are competing with Asue Ighodalo that is already having his presence in the 192 Wards in Edo State.

Painfully, some of the aspirants are going about telling people that Asue Ighodalo is a stranger in Edo PDP and that they have been in the political system. Some even called themselves Home Boys. Please, someone should help me tell them that "NOR BE HOME BOYS WE GO CHOP". Barr. Asue Ighodalo is not a hungry person...Without missing any word, Asue Ighodalo is today the most popular politician in Edo State than any other person. This is not a fallacy. He has even gone far beyond PDP. And I think we should take sentiment away from this fact. All the other aspirants should calm down and let us unite in Asue Ighodalo for the battle ahead.

While others are still thinking and struggling and getting donations to raise money to buy nomination forms (not interest forms), Asue Ighodalo is already importing, branding, and distributing campaign vehicles. I am not talking about renting vehicles from transport companies but purchasing SUVs. The arrival of these campaign vehicles depicts the level of readiness if not preparedness of Asue Ighodalo for the Edo 2024.

*I have no doubt that very soon the vehicles given to Edo State PDP during the 2023 election as donated by the former Governor of River State, Barr. Nyesom Wike will soon be brought out from where they were kept for private use. Of course, we still have the record where we were told that Wike has released those vehicles to Edo State. Up till now, the vehicles were not released to the party leaders or LGA Chairmen nor the aspirants who spent their money. So, we are watching to see where the vehicles will now come out from because the Toyota Hiace Buses grew wings and flew to the bush to hang in the branches of iroko or mahogany trees.*

We have said over and over again that in terms of individual capacity in the readiness for the Edo 2024, Asue Ighodalo is the man in our hearts. We talked about Christmas gifts the other time, they said, na food we wan take know! Now, we are talking about logistics, someone is saying Na Asue Ighodalo's vehicles his aspirant is relying on. When I read that from someone who is supposed to be promoting a candidate that they said God anointed, I was not only flabbergasted but dumbfounded that some aspirants are truly not ready. Truly, those aspirants who are not ready should stop wasting their followers' time.

Come to think of it, if an aspirant is not telling you the truth, is it also that some followers cannot know themselves? Anyone talking about strangers in PDP as of today is only deceiving and trying to lock ignorant people into the corner. The truth is, we do not have strangers in PDP. Apart from the fact that Asue Ighodalo will overrun all other aspirants combined if the primary goes beyond just three delegates from each of the 192 Wards, Ighodalo will get 95% in a free and fair primary.

I have said it time without number, for those waiting for the Edo State Governor, H.E. Mr. Godwin Obaseki to come and fund their elections, they should be told that they are truly not ready. Ematon nor get una time oooh. He has even technically banned his aides from participating in the process.

So, let us swallow our pride and be smart to stand behind the capacity aspirant, the Man Wey Sabi, whose name is Asuerinme Ighodalo. To those of us still in the race, let us use the available transfer window, protect our egos, and pretend to step down for Asue Ighodalo. This is my humble submission.

As a billionaire, if won, would he still loot from the state treasury?