Desmond Elliot, Lagos lawmaker has tackled Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State over his stand on godfatherism, saying Obaseki wouldn’t have become a governor without it.
The actor-turn politician said this while speaking about his political career during an interview ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo.
Elliot, who contested and won the Surulere constituency in 2015 said he is a product of godfatherism.
He also slammed Obaseki for adopting Edo no be Lagos as his re-election mantra saying Edo state has a lot to learn from Lagos.
He said, “A godfather always tries to look after the interest of his people. I’m a product of godfatherism but Tinubu has never for one day asked me to do something you know would be detrimental.”
“It’s progressive. So, let him (Obaseki) not castigate the whole thing. If not for godfatherism, would he be where he is today? My point isn’t even about him; it’s that I want to talk about my candidate.”
You’ll recall that before Obaseki defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, he met with Bola Tinubu in Lagos to for endorsement as a candidate ahead of Edo’s gubernatorial election, but the APC leader asked him to comply with the party’s directive on direct primaries.
After going through the direct primaries as recommended, the APC screening committee disqualified him due to discrepancies in his credentials.
Subsequently, Obaseki joined the PDP and since his defection to the party, he has been promoting the ‘Edo no be Lagos’ slogan.
However, while speaking on the slogan during the interview, Elliot faulted Obaseki’s re-election mantra saying Edo can be Lagos because the state is the fifth-largest economy in Africa.
He said, “You can’t say it won’t be when Lagos makes an IGR of over 30 billion every month. You can’t hear about unpaid salaries or pension. You see projects coming up, investors, and investment coming.
“We are the fifth-largest economy in Africa. So why will you say Edo can’t be Lagos because you are trying to sell an idea? Let me tell you something, loyalty is important.
According to political analysts, the September 19 governorship election in Edo state is largely between Governor Obaseki of the PDP and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC.
