A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial aspirant in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, has reassured his kinsmen that he is a true Esan boy.
Ighodalo stated this over the weekend while addressing his kinsmen in front of his family home in Ewohimi, Esan South East Local Government of the state.
A renowned lawyer, serial entrepreneur and capital market expert, Ighodalo insisted he is an Esan indigene and has been on the state’s economic team.
While promising to bring his wealth of knowledge to the state’s business landscape Ighodalo told his people that “I do things in Esanland because we are not noisy, my brother is here, I am here, my parents were here. I am a true Esan boy; I am not going to use Homeboy because they have used it badly. I am an Esan Boy.
“I am a true Esan boy. I am a true Edo boy. I am a true Nigerian. That is what I am. Since 2008, I have been on the state economic team, starting from the administration of Comrade Governor Oshiomhole. Since Godwin Obaseki came in as Chairman of the Economic Team, I have been coming to Edo state to support and advise the government.
“I have been advising since 2008, which is 15 years ago, which means that I came into Edo state five, six, so many times a year for government business, not to talk about my own business. So, people can say what they like.
“Because we are not noisy, and because we are not jumping from one ‘mama put’ to another, does not mean I am not a true Edo boy.
“And this issue of an Edo boy, this issue of a true son of the soil, is in the heart. There are many of our brothers and sisters in the diaspora who are more Edo than many of them who live here.
“So it is in the heart, it is what you do in your heart, it is not how many pepper soup joints you go to. So all those of us in the diaspora, those of us in the diaspora in Nigeria, diaspora abroad, all the best hands must come to develop Edo State.
“Someone can’t sit in the village or in ‘mama put” and say the rest of us cannot come and develop our state; it is not done.
“We must all come together to come and develop Edo State, plus the people in ‘mama put’, plus the people in Canada, we come together and develop Edo State.”
The younger indigenes of the state are said to be mobilizing in support of their very own considering his versatility across all sectors and most importantly, his diaspora experience.
Many hope to be lifted out of poverty and be mentored into the corporate business sector of the economy.
The older generation is upbeat about him returning the state especially the Binis (descendants of the ancient Benin Kingdom) to its status as the bastion of black civilization.