FRANCIS OGBUAGU writes on the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, which has set the stage for a supremacy battle between the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP)
The battle line has been drawn for the September 22 governorship election in Edo State, following the conclusion of the gubernatorial primaries of the various political parties. While political friends and foes emerged across the parties and have returned to the trenches to plot the strategy for the main election, the losers seem to be still mourning their losses.
No doubt, governorship elections in Edo State have always been interesting as all manners of political weapons are usually deployed by the contending parties but there indications that the September poll would be a fierce contest given political machinations ahead the poll. Reasons for this are not far fetched. The Edo governorship is an off season election, where politicians and political parties are given the space of time to fully prepare ahead, including those who may have lost in previous elections. Also, Edo people are competitive, daring and outspoken and these attributes robs-off on all aspects of life, including politics.
Again, the geographically placing of the “Nigerian Heartbeat” makes it certain for all eyes to be on the ancient, cultural and archeological rich state. Edo is a transit state, which serves as a link between the North and South, and between the South-East and South-West geopolitical zones. It is against these backdrops that it was obvious that the state is in for war of words and wits when the time table for the 2024 governorship election was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu started the succession battle for the Osadebe Avenue government house immediately the latter showed intention to succeed his boss. Shaibu was however outwitted by his boss as he could not get the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) though he is laying claims to have won a parallel primary conducted in his house in Benin City on February 22.
How candidates of leading parties emerged
Before the 2023 general election, the country’s politics was dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC). However, with the impressive outing posted by the Labour Party (LP), the party now falls among the big three. It is therefore believed that the Edo State gubernatorial election will be a battle between the PDP in the state, the main oppositions APC and LP even as the others parties are expected to put up impressive performances. The fireworks that came with the governorship primaries of the three leading political parties is an attestation to this fact.
Peoples Democratic Party
The ruling party in the state seems to be among the major political parties that conducted a rancor-free primary election but for the deputy governor, Shaibu and Anslem Ojezua (a former state chairman of the APC), who are challenging the emergence of Asue Ighodalo as the governorship candidate of the party. Shaibu ambition was met with the stiff opposition mid last year, when Governor Obaseki was said to have been notified of his deputy’s ambition to succeed him.
The governor was said to have told his deputy that they came together and will leave together, and that he will not support a power shift to Edo North Senatorial District, which had the governorship for eight years through Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. The battle that ensued assumed several dimensions, including impeachment threat, court cases and alleged stoppage of Shaibu’s financial entitlements by the state government. The deputy governor was also relocated from his government house office to a private property in the neighbourhood.
The PDP primary that took place on February 22, produced a renowned corporate lawyer and banker, Asue Ighodalo, from Edo Central Senatorial District, the only zone that have not produced a governor since 1999, except Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor’s 18 months in office. Igbodalo, who is a long-time friend of Governor Obaseki, has Barr Osarodion Ogie, who served as Secretary to the Edo State Government (SSG) as his running mate. As it stands, the PDP has a lot to contend with for it to emerge victorious in governorship election.
Among the contending factors are the division in the party between the Legacy group loyal to Dan Orbi, who is the party’s Vice Chairman, South-South) and those that joined the party with Governor Obaseki from the APC. Members of Orbi group have continued complained that the governor did not keep to the promises he entered with them before the party’s ticket was given to him to run for a second term in 2020 after he was denied the APC ticket by the then Oshiomhole-led leadership of the party.
The PDP also has the embattled deputy governor, Shaibu, who is challenging the party’s governorship primary to contend with. However, PDP, being the ruling party in the state with the duo of Ighodalo and Ogie as its standard bearers stands a chance to win the poll if it puts its house in order.
All Progressives Congress
The ruling party at the centre had the most rancorous governorship primary for the forthcoming poll. Although the party has produced its governorship candidate and deputy governorship candidates in the persons of Senator Monday Okpebholo, representing Edo Central at the Senate and Hon. Dennis Idahosa, representing Ovia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, the dust raised by the nomination process is yet to settle.
The party scheduled a direct primary election on February 17 and set up a seven-man committee headed by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State. The committee selected Lushville Hotel, GRA Benin City as its collation centre. But the results of the primary election were coming in from different wards in the state, when the state Returning Officer, Dr. Stanley Ugbuaja, went on air to announce a winner. This prompted political thugs to invade the venue, smashing cameras, laptops and phones of journalists covering the event, while many sustained serious injuries.
The thugs complained that the results announced did not tally with what was coming in from the field. Uzodimma changed the collation centre to Protea Hotel, Benin City, where Hon. Idahosa was declared winner. But, not deterred by the disruption by political thugs at the Lushville Hotel, the group moved to the residence of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, where declaration of the results was completed and Senator Okpebholo declared winner by Ugbuaja.
But another aspirant, Hon. Sunday Dekeri, the member representing Etsako Federal Constituency was declared winner by the spokesperson of the local government returning officers, Mr. Ojo Babatunde, while the immediate past Minister of State for Budget and Planning, Prince Clem Agba threatened to sue the party over lack of transparency in the conduct of the primary election. It, however, took the intervention of the party’s leadership for a rescheduled primary on March 22 to resolve the impasse.
Senator Okpebholo, who garnered the highest number of votes was consequently declared winner but the exercise was not without protest as Hon. Idahosa, approached the court, asking that he be declared winner having been earlier declared winner by the Uzodimma committee. It took President Bola Tinubu’s intervention to get the aggrieved aspirants to sheet their swords, while Hon, Idahosa, who is from Edo South Senatorial District, was picked as the deputy governorship candidate.
Okpebholo and Idahosa, who are relatively younger than the candidates of the other major political parties have been applauded by many with the slogan: “It’s Youth O’clock.” Already, Okpebholo, who is a former aide to a former Minister of Works and PDP chieftain, late Chief Tony Anenih, haw advised the ruling party in the state prepare to leave the Osadebe Avenue government house, saying: “My victory serves as a quit notice to the PDP, the present tenant of Osadebe Avenue.”
Labour Party
The party which had unprecedented support from the masses during the 2023 general election had over 30 aspirants for its ticket. They include Barr. Olumide Akpata (a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association – NBA), who eventually won the ticket; Barr. Ken Imansuangbon and Hon Sargius Ogun, among other political big wigs Despite the N30 million nomination and expression of interest forms ( though the cheapest compared to that of the PDP and APC) and the crisis over the issue of zoning the ticket to Edo Central was able to conduct a rancor-free primaries on February 23.
Akpata is the only candidate among the three leading contenders from Edo South Senatorial District and the belief is that if there is a free and fair election on September 22, the former NBA president, who is joining the political train for the first time, is likely to cause upset given the fact that his senatorial district has the highest population of voters with about 60 per cent, while Edo North and Edo Central have 25 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.
However, the notion that it is the turn of Edo Central, which is widely accepted in the state may be Akpata’s undoing as he hails from the Edo South as Governor Obaseki. The zone have had Chief Lucky Igbinedion’s eight years and Obaseki’s eight years making it 16 years, while Edo North has Oshiomhole’s eight years. Edo Central is the only zone that has not had a shot at the governorship since the inception of the present dispensation except Prof, Oserheimen Osunbor’s 18 months in office before he was sacked by the court.
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