An Edo State governorship aspirant, Asue Ighodalo, hired an interpreter to announce his intention to his kinsmen at a ward in Ewohimi, Esan South East Local Government Area of the state.
A video clip of the aspirant meeting with his kinsmen surfaced on the internet and other social media platforms on Sunday.
In the few seconds video, Ighodalo who is seeking the nomination of the Peoples Democratic Party, spoke in English Language, soliciting the support of the people while an interpreter translated to Esan Language.
Ighodalo said in the video, “I want us to stand as one. If we stand as one, the whole of Esan will take us seriously and we will be the pride of Edo State.
“I want everybody to go and register so that we can all vote as one body for the goodness and greatness of our land.
“You must have water, road, jobs and light. By the grace of Almighty, if we get this governorship, we will get everything, and Edo State will be the greatest state in Africa.”
He added: “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 home boy, 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 in the economic team of the state, starting from the administration of Comrade Governor (Adams) Oshiomhole. Since Godwin Obaseki came in as Chairman, 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 am not a true Edo boy.
“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. 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 cannot 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 and develop Edo State, plus the people in ‘mama put,’ plus the people in Canada, we must come together and develop Edo State.”
The governorship aspirant is the Chairman of Sterling Bank, Director, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and Chairman, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
Ighodalo, a Lagos-based lawyer, hails from Ewohimi, Esan Southeast local government area in Edo Central Senatorial District of Edo state.
The development, has, however, drawn divided opinions among netizens, with many criticising the engagement of an interpreter to talk to one’s kinsmen, even as they added that it’s a sign of age-long disconnect from the people.
“I bet, this is the first time he is coming home. He was brought by persons in the Government House. He does not even know the road to Ewohimi,” Divine Greatiess wrote on his Facebook page.
Others, however, came to Ighodalo’s defence saying local language would not bring investments, adding that the focus should be on the progress he can bring to the state.
“The official acceptable and most proficient language of communication in Edo is English. Stop the unnecessary brouhaha,” Osagie Steven also wrote on his Facebook.
