Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, brought Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to him to seek support for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Ighodalo is the preferred candidate of Obaseki in the September 21 governorship election.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Friday, Wike expressed surprise that the leadership of the PDP was complaining about Anugbum Onuoha being the Edo resident electoral commissioner (REC) some days before the election.
On Thursday, Tony Aziegbemi, Edo PDP chairman, asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to redeploy Onuoha over ties with Wike.
Aziegbemi expressed a lack of confidence in the REC’s ability to conduct a free and fair election in the state.
The INEC REC had previously served as a special adviser on lands to Wike when he was the governor of Rivers.
He was briefly suspended from the state’s cabinet in 2016 before being reinstated.
The FCT minister said he told the Edo governor when he came with the PDP candidate that he would not support Ighodalo.
Wike said Onuoha is his first cousin and has been the REC in Edo state for over a year.
“When his governor, Obaseki, came to meet me when I was staying in West County to support Ighodalo, he (referring to Aziegbemi) was not there. They did not know that the REC is my cousin,” he added.
“When Obaseki brought Ighodalo to my house two times to support him, they did not know the REC is my cousin. It is just today that they know that he (Onuoha) is my cousin.
“He was posted to Edo more than one year ago. That is the problem I have with this country.
“I told them (Obaseki and Ighodalo) when they came to see me that I’m not going to support Ighodalo. Neither am I going to support anybody. The one I supported you never helped anything but rather I was insulted.”
“For accusing my first cousin, they have made a mistake. You know why? I was thinking I am strong; you are meeting a rock (Onuoha).
“Even the INEC chairman cannot tell him what to do. He is a stubborn man; he will tell him ‘go to hell with your job’.
“You see the problem with Nigeria. For more than one year, he has been there; they never knew he was Wike’s cousin.”