Incumbent governor of Edo State and winner of the just concluded governorship election, Godwin Obaseki, said he felt elated by the spontaneous reaction of the people of Edo to his election.
Obaseki who disclosed this to newsmen while speaking on the way forward into his second term said, it was time to align with all groups including the APC as his doors were wide open for talks and participation.
According to him, now that the election is over, he would appeal to all dissenting groups to come over so they could work for the interest and progress of the state as there is nothing personal .
“Now that the elections are over, and a victor has emerged, it is time to align. We can’t go back We all need to go forward.
I hope this election demonstrates clearly that the policies, the decision on which this contest really rests has nothing personal about, it is the belief that it is the way we should go in Edo State and now that the people have come out decisively to say yes they agree with the direction the governor is going, I will appeal to them to join us so that we can just work in the interest and for the progress of our people.”
Obaseki said he has not heard from his main rival Osagie Ize-iyamu yet contrary to reports of the APC candidate conceding defeat but said that there was nothing personal between the two of them as both men are Binis.
He however hoped that Ize-iyamu would see the outcome of the election as ‘a referendum on the agenda we have sold as a party and that he would align and the moment he does that, our doors are wide open for talks and participation.’
He said” There is so much ahead of us and I believe there is enough room for everybody to contribute.”
On the electoral process, he said it was an improvement compared to others as he thanked the leadership of INEC for the scientific process deployed which ensured transparency of results being sent from the units to open platform adding that although there were teething problems, it was the direction to go.
