By Kingsley Ohens
The Asue Ighodalo Movement (AIM), a foremost support group campaigning for the election of Dr Asue Ighodalo/Barr Osarodion Ogie, candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State has unfolded an elaborate Independent Campaign Council (ICC) to realize its dream.
The ICC, according to a document made available to newsmen in Benin has a total of 300 carefully selected strong and dedicated members of the PDP across the state, representing the 192 wards, 18 local government area councils and the three senatorial zones.
The ICC is strategically structured in a way that it has a Management/Trustees board led by High Chief Frank Momoh; then there is the State Campaign Council with Hon Daniel Asekhame as Chairman and Chief Tony Alile as the deputy chairman while Emmanuel Osayi is the Secretary.
There are various sub-divisions such as security with 13 members, mobilization and sensitization with 31 members, senatorial coordinators with each district having one but Edo Central has two; local government area coordinators in all the 18 LGAs and a total of 192 ward coordinators across the state.
Speaking in a telephone chat, founder and coordinator, Hon Asekhame, who also doubles as the chairman, State Campaign Council of the ICC, said the motivation is nothing other than the fact that Dr Asue Ighodalo, the candidate is the best by far for the position and every hand must be on deck to ensure that Edolites are not short changed by puppeteers who are working day and night to saddle the state with a mere puppet in the name of a governor.
“Your question is very valid because a lot of people will really ask, why are these people doing all this? We at AIM are convinced that Dr Asue Ighodalo is the best candidate for the job. He is best by far. He is competent, he has the capacity and he has the character. At least, his antecedent over the years amply supports that claim. Two, he has a rich pedigree that he can’t afford to play with. His father is well known, his mother, well known. A princess and the first woman Perm Sec in Nigeria. So we are very convinced that with him in the saddle, Edo State is surely in safe hands. And so, we are determined to have him because he is the best out of the lot.
“On the flip side is a gang up against Edo State, a gang up against the people and a gang up against their children and their future by a band of puppeteers. They know very well that their candidate does not have what is needed to govern a highly enlightened and sophisticated state like Edo, no competence, no capacity, no simple knowledge, no self-confidence but they are throwing everything in to make sure they have their puppet as a governor. With that they will be able to control the state for their own selfish ends. We owe it a duty to ourselves and generation of Edolites unborn to stop them. That’s the motivation in a nutshell,” Asekhame stated.
He further clarified that with about two and a half months of campaign left, the AIM’s independent campaign council is determined to make the best use of the time via house to house, street to street and market to market and other strategic approaches in its sensitization and campaign drive.
[6/26, 5:48 AM] AUGUSTINE AVWODE: Dr Asue Ighodalo (left) with Hon Daniel Asekhame, Coordinator of AIM, during the opening of the AIM Campaign Office in GRA, Benin City in April.
