Despite their political differences, Senator Adams Oshiomhole of Edo North has characterized Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki as a friend.
Oshiomhole stated that he and Obaseki are friends, not adversaries, during his goodwill speech at the current 2023 Alaghodaro Summit in Benin City.
“Regardless of what people say, we should not give the impression that different opinions translate to war,” he said, noting that “having [had] the privilege of being governor, I have high regard for the Office of the Governor and for the governor himself.”
The former Edo governor further said:
“To have all the civilian governors elected in the state present here today speaks volumes. We definitely belong to different political parties but the sum total of those parties is not equal to Edo State.
“What this means to me is that we can politic differently but never have doubt about the shared commitment to the citizens of the state that should be the greatest in Nigeria.
“The language of leaders matters to followers. What defines democracy is ideology; even if we share the same destination, the route to get there may differ; it should not be a matter of war.”
Oshiomhole then stated:
“I thought the world should know that Godwin is my friend. It doesn’t matter; being friends does not mean we cannot debate or disagree but being friends means we treat ourselves with love and care and bring our followers together.”