In the lead-up to the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, engaged with the Edo Diaspora community in London, urging them to partner with him to achieve his vision for the state.
Truthlive News correspondents present at the event to capture the details of this significant engagement, reported that over 400 people attended the event.
Addressing the audience on Thursday night, Ighodalo expressed his commitment to making Edo State a model sub-national in Nigeria if elected.
He emphasized that the team of Osarodion Ogie and himself is the best and unbeatable for the upcoming election
Ighodalo further reiterated his vision to transform Edo State, highlighting the solid foundation laid by previous administrations.
He pledged to build on this foundation using his manifesto, “The Pathway to Prosperity for All,” focusing on five key areas: security, wellbeing of the people, economy, energy, and governance.
“Security is crucial because, without it, nothing else will work in Edo State,” Ighodalo stated.
He also underscored the importance of economic development, emphasizing agriculture, the creative industry, mineral resources, and tourism. He proposed creating zonal economic development agencies to harness the comparative economic advantages of each zone.
Ighodalo called on the Edo Diaspora to contribute to the state’s development, drawing parallels with other countries where citizens abroad played pivotal roles in national progress.
“The Israelis abroad developed Israel. The Chinese abroad developed China. The Vietnamese abroad developed Vietnam. You, the Edo State Diaspora, owe it a duty to develop Edo State,” he declared, receiving rapturous applause from the audience.
The event transitioned into a question-and-answer session, where Ighodalo was joined by his running mate, Osarodion Ogie, the current Secretary to the State Government (SSG), and two commissioners endorsed by Governor Godwin Obaseki. They addressed queries on government performance, providing detailed responses that were met with intermittent applause.
Ighodalo’s entourage included his wife, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, the Director-General of the state PDP Campaign Council, Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, and other key campaign figures.
The engagement in London followed similar successful meetings in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and Manchester, England, reinforcing Ighodalo’s determination to mobilize support from the Edo Diaspora for a successful campaign.