Edo politics: Who is afraid of primaries?

By Festus Ebhota

SIR: Political contest are an essential component of democracy. And political conflicts no less important in the growth of democracy. However the level of toxicity in the political space of Edo State has never been this radioactive.

Decorum has gone to the dogs; insults have become the norm. Fake endorsement and outright fake news has become the norm rather than the exception.

Governor Godwin Obaseki desires a second term ticket on the platform of the APC. This is normal and well within his right. Just like the governor has a right to seek re-election, party members also reserve the right to support whoever they perceive would adequately synchronize politics and governance.

A party member who owns a legitimate construction company and has not been patronized will find it difficult to contribute to the campaigns. State governments cannot spend state funds on campaigns. Individuals can.

Patronage is not sharing the money. It is using party members with particular skill sets to deliver on specific campaign promises.

This explains the frustration among party members who have complained about being left out of governance. If aggrieved members decide to withhold their support for the governor’s second term bid for this reason, they are well within their rights.

In 2016, continuity was a major selling point of the APC government led then by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. If many of the projects promised to be continued have actually been abandoned or not built upon, it gives cause for concern for the party when it returns to give stewardship and request for a fresh mandate in 2020.

Support and endorsement should not be coaxed. Governor Obaseki is western trained.  If he has the numbers among members of the APC in Edo State and I believe he strongly feels so or would have Edo people believe, then he should be patient for the primaries to clinch the party ticket.

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If by chance or destiny he doesn’t get the APC ticket, he can ventilate his aspirations on another platform and if he is as popular as he says he is, then his re-election is a done deal irrespective of the platform.

But the incessant show of force or threats of oppression by government agencies against political opponents whether perceived or real has to stop. Smearing characters of political leaders built over many years and stoking the fire of discord cannot be a way to continue.

For the benefit of the people whom the governor has sworn to serve, intra party conflicts should be settled in a caucus and not on the pages of newspapers or in the confines of an ivory tower or at the gate of a national leader or at the airport or at the hotels of elected party members or at King’s square or by sending thugs to disrupt lawfully gatherings of opponents. When mediation and compromise seem to not yield the desired result, then those who are unafraid should meet at the primaries.

• Festus Ebhota, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.