Thief Calling The Winner A Thief? Asue Ighodalo's Empty Rhetoric And A Harsh Date With Reality
Upcoming Edo State skit maker and PDP gubernatorial candidate in the recently concluded Edo Governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, appeared on the popular talk show Man Around Town. During the interview, his most notable remark was, "Dem no dey congratulate thief," a clear reference to the winner of the Edo 2024 Governorship election, Most Distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo.
In his first major appearance since his crushing defeat in the last election, it's evident that Asue Ighodalo has motivated his supporters to re-engage with society and the media, sparking a resurgence from those who had since gone into hibernation.
However, Asue is the last person who should be speaking about stealing. Who even knew Asue in Edo two years ago, aside from the rumors that he might be Obaseki's puppet? A man who has no home or real standing even in his own community in Esanland is calling a "homegrown" figure like Senator Monday Okpebholo a thief, is ironic at best.
Have we forgotten how Obaseki altered the delegates' list that led to his nomination as the PDP candidate? He forged over 300 delegate names and manipulated the process to the point where the court deemed it fraudulent, declaring that the issues were a family affair.
It's ironic that the real thief is the one pointing fingers. I understand this frustration, especially considering the long silence from AI supporters. Their candidate, alongside the outgoing governor, tried to employ deceptive tactics to drain the state.
Asue should be asking Obaseki who the real thief is, with over ₦17 billion in monthly FAAC allocations and IGR for the state. Where has that money gone? Asue should also question Obaseki about the ₦1.1 billion budgeted for the Gelegele Seaport in this year’s budget that has vanished, and the ₦4.4 billion allocated for the park at Aviele, which is nowhere to be found. The list of missing billions goes on.
As the chief economic adviser to the governor for these eight disastrous years, Asue should be telling us who the real thief is at Dennis Osadebe Avenue, where even the road leading to Government House is in deplorable condition.
Who be the thief? Babialla wey dey carry another Babialla waka, na gutter dem go end up. Asue never tell us wetin happen to the resources meant for the development of the 14 constituencies wey Obaseki no gree inaugurate their members for state house of assembly for four years. But now, Asue dey show for pidgin English program, doing skits, and dey ask if dem dey congratulate THIEF.
Who needs validation from thieves? Obaseki, who carried Asue on his back for eight years, has now reached out to Okpebholo to form a transition government. Or does a legally elected government now collaborate with official thieves? Asue is living in denial and may continue for a long time. I don't blame him though, because "PIKIN WEY DEM MAMA CARRY FOR BACK, IF YOU ASK AM HOW FAR, HE GO SAY JOURNEY NO FAR."
If Obaseki hadn’t used Edo State’s resources—both financial and human—to campaign for Asue, we're a hundred percent certain he wouldn’t have had the boldness to make such unguarded statements.
Only a hypocrite calls others thieves while hiding their own crimes. Asue, keep your congratulations to yourself. Edo people don’t need congratulations from those who couldn’t fix the roads in eight years, from those who shut down all their colleges of education for years, or from those who failed to provide scholarships or bursaries for citizens.
We don’t need it from those who break promises, ignore the struggles of the people, and can’t account for over 17 billion in monthly revenue or the 500 billion debt the state owes. Nor from those who can’t explain where millions of dollars in grants and foreign loans have disappeared.
Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah is the Chairman and CEO of Bush Radio Academy.
