Ighodalo, who was a guest on Channels Television’sPolitics Today programme on Monday, said he won’t repeat some of the mistakes of people in government, especially around managing relationships with predecessors.
He assured voters in the state that he was not coming into government to serve the interest of any godfather.
The forthcoming governorship election in the state has top contenders including Ighodalo, Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP), and Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ighodalo, former Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), secured the endorsement of the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, who shunned his deputy and party man, Philip Shaibu.
Obaseki and Shaibu have been embroiled in a protracted conflict over political succession in the state. Before now, Obaseki parted ways with his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, in the buildup to his re-election in 2020.
Recent happenings, however, showed that the two men have sorted out their issues as they have been pictured together at political events organised by the state, a development which never happened while the spat lasted. But while Obaseki endorsed Ighodalo, Oshiomhole and Shaibu have been united and featured prominently in the campaign train of APC’s Okpebholo.
Like Obaseki and Oshiomhole, in neighbouring Rivers State, also governed by the PDP in the Niger Delta area, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his immediate predecessor Nyesom Wike are far from being best of friends.
Asked how he intends to navigate the political space and potential issues that might arise with a likely controlling predecessor or godfather, Ighodalo said, “Definitely, I will be a man of my own. Truly, I have been a man of my own since I was 18 years old. I was brought up by my parents to make my decisions by myself and I have gone through life having done several things.
“My answer is: I have always been a man of my own and I will be a man of my own. That does not mean I will not take advice from other people who have gone through similar experiences.
“It is important that I say that because it is only a person who is a bit foolish that will go through certain endeavours and certain work types without taking advice.
“Throughout my life, I have had mentors, I’ve had great mentors as I was growing up in my profession, as a lawyer, as a business person, in the boardroom, I’ve always sought the advice of the people I looked up to and I value. So, I will do so all the same.
“I will always seek advice so that I will avoid the mistakes that others make. I will be my own man. Nothing is going to change because I’m governor or anything else that I am.”
Jubilates Over A’Court Victory
Ighodalo further described the judgement of the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, which on Monday, set aside a judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court and affirmed him as the PDP governorship candidate for the September poll.
He said with the “distraction” now out of his way, he can focus on the election before him.
The PDP candidate said he would improve the lives of the people of the state if elected as governor as he feels their sufferings.
He said some policies of the Federal Government were not well-thought-through and have been affecting the state despite the efforts of the Obaseki administration.
“In Edo, we will cocoon ourselves and reverse the impact of these policies of the Federal Government,” he said.
He expressed confidence that he will win the election as President Bola Tinubu has assured the people of the state of a level playing ground during the poll.
