EDO 2020: Wike, Ganduje Fights Dirty Over Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu

By Sir Ralph Okhiria

Political commentators have described them as persons of nearly equal status and match. They are both political heavy weights in their own rights.

They are both second term serving governors. They have many things in common. They are outspoken, fearless and very bold. They are Governors Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano and Nyesome Wike of River States respectively.

But whereas Governor Ganduje is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Wike belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Both men have been carefully selected and appointed by their respective parties to be at the forefront (as chairmen of campaign committees) of the campaign activities for the September 19, 2020, governorship election of Edo State.

Although fourteen political parties have fulfilled the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) preliminary requirements to contest the election, attention is mainly focused on the two major parties, APC and PDP.

Not a few Edo people had expected fireworks from these two opposing Nigerian governors. But surprisingly, the fire works started earlier than expected. And interestingly, both governors could not wait to get to the election campaign venues in Edo State, before attacking each other.

They obviously were in a hurry to kickstart the campaign activities from their abodes in far away Kano and Portharcourt, respectively.

It was Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state, that fired the first salvo when he accused Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State of treachery, saying the APC made him a governor and yet he decided to turn his back on the party and move to the PDP.

Only few days ago, Governor Ganduje, widened his verbal attack by extending it to the Chairman of the PDP National Campaign Council; Governor Nyesome Wike, when he stated that Governor Wike will be taken to an isolation center and that before he recovers the election would have been over and won by the APC.

“We know PDP made Wike their chairman but I assure you, we will isolate Wike at an isolation centre and before he recovers, the election would have been  over”, he boasted.

But Governor Nyesome Wike, wasted no time in replying his Kano state counterpart. He said it was a sad commentary on the “state of our democracy and political leadership” that Governor Ganduje could make such a statement.

He said the Kano state governor was made to head the national campaign council of the APC because he has a large amount of dollars to spend.”

“Nobody can intimidate us in this election.  Yesterday I was told and today I read it on the pages of newspapers that one governor, they say he is the governor of Kano state, I hear so, they say he is Ganduje.”

“He said they will isolate me until after the election.  If Nigeria is a country that it is supposed to be, who ought to be isolated?”

 “A man who pockets dollars in babaringa was not isolated and he said they will put me in isolation.”

“Where are we heading to? Look at somebody who puts dollars left and right in babaringa  from contractors saying I will be isolated. Let me tell you why they made Ganduje the Chairman of the APC Campaign Council. It was because of the dollars they saw, it was because of the dollars.”

 “He would not have been made the Chairman but for the dollars. But what they don’t understand is that we from the Niger Delta will ‘chop’  the dollars. Ganduje your dollars will not work in Edo state.” Governor Wike reacted. Who can stop these two political giants, their followers and political parties from setting Edo State on fire during the state governorship election? Only Edo people can.

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