Edo people don't need Wike to tell them whom to vote for - Obaseki

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has played down the influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on who the people of the state will vote for in the governorship election slated for Saturday.

Wike was not only influential in Obaseki's defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2020, but he also led a victorious campaign to hand the Governor a second term.

However, the two have since fallen out and the Minister has vowed that he won't support the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo in the September 21 poll.

Wike reiterated his stance last week, revealing that Obaseki brought Ighodalo to his residence on two different occasions to seek his support, which he declined and pledged neutrality in the election.

Obaseki downplays Wike's influence in Edo election

Commenting on his feud with Wike, Obaseki said he's unperturbed by the FCT Minister's stance.

The Governor stressed that the Edo people are wise enough to decide whom to vote for by themselves and require no outsider to help them make such a decision.

“He (Wike) came to get Edo people to vote for me, right? Wow! Edo people are not that dumb, they know who to vote for,” Obaseki said on Channels Television's Politics Today on Thursday, September 19, 2024.

"They don’t require the services of an outsider to make their decisions. Edo people will make their decisions this time because they know what they want,” he added.

The Governor said he doesn't regret cutting ties with some of his political associates, including his predecessor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Philip Shaibu among others, maintaining that some politicians are displeased because he's using money from government's revenue to attend to people's needs.