Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has said he will win a second term based on the strength of his achievements.
The governor said voters will vote for him because of the impact of his programmes across the sectors.
Obaseki, who spoke on Sunday at a Town Hall meeting of Edo indigenes in Lagos State, said he had no regrets running a prudent administration that has managed state resources and channelled them to productive ventures.
He reiterated that he was not elected to share the state’s money.
The meeting, themed ‘Edo Òkpa ‘Nó’, was organised by Unuedo Renaissance, a body of professionals from Edo State.
The governor added that he was not focusing on the governorship poll because victory is assured. He hinted that the state’s problem is not resources, but leadership, and so reiterated his commitment towards ending godfatherism in the state, saying ‘Godfather will not be allowed in Edo State’.
Obaseki assured the people that the his administration will work toward building an international airport, saying ‘this is my dream, and I hope I will be here in 2050, Edo will host the Olympic’.
He said: “The problem of Edo is not resources; it is not opportunity. We had all of these. We had everything. Our problem is that people have being thinking so shortsighted. The military governors did not know when the next coup would be so they didn’t make attempts and the politicians are only concerned about the next election.
“For us, we are not thinking about the next election because by the grace of God, that is spoken to already. We are thinking about the next generation; where will Edo be in 2050? How would it be positioned by 2050? How would we overtake Lagos by 2050? It is possible.
“For us, it is clear; what we need to do is to plan. They said those who fail to plan, plan to fail. So, it is about having rigorous regional and urban planning. We didn’t meet anything but we will leave behind a lot.”
Obaseki, who addressed reporters after the meeting, described it as a form of accountability and not political move. “My meeting with the Edo people in Lagos State is about accountability. They have the right to know what is happening in their state. As we approach election, there is a lot of misinformation as a result of the contestation.
“So, it is important to let them know, put out the facts, engage them, get their concerns and indeed their feedbacks were profitable,” he said.
A member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Daisy Danjuma, endorsed Obaseki for second term and urged the people to allow the governor continue.
She said: Obaseki has done well and we want him to continue. I am a member of the BoT of PDP but I am supporting him for a second term.”
A former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Mathew Egbadon, lamented the level of brigandage in the state politics, asking the governor to find a way to solve political problems without resorting to violence.
Egbadon, who spoke on behalf of the people of Edo Central, also kicked against marginalisation of the zone in terms of political appointments at state and federal levels.