Ahead of next year’s governorship election in Edo State, aspirants have started to mobilise supporters and set up structures for the realisation of their dreams. Correspondent Osagie Otabor reports.
Who will succeed Governor Adams Oshiomhole in November, next year when his tenure expires? This is a one million dollar question Edo residents are battling to answer because of the unprecedented developmental strides of the governor. Many people have indicated interest in the race, but the big question is, who will the people trust with their votes?
Among those interested in the job are Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole’s deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu, former Minister of State for Works Chris Ogiemwonyi, Major-General Charles Airhiavbere, Mike Onolemenmen, Chief Solomon Edebiri, Kenneth Imasuangbon, Matthew Iduoriyikemwen and Christopher Iyare.
The aspirants are carrying out consultations and intense lobbying among leaders in the state and explaining why they are better replacement after Oshiomhole.
In June 2014, two-time governor of the defunct Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, began a lone search for a successor to Oshiomhole. Ogbemudia began his search during the party primaries for the recent general elections. He visited the Ijaw in Gelegele and some community leaders in the state to seek their support.
Ogbemudia told the Ijaw that he looked forward to the realisation of his dream that one of them (Ijaw) would become governor and urged them to work with other ethnic groups to achieve the goal.
He said: “We need to work together as a team. We need to keep our cooperation working. Expand and make friends and make sure you are part and parcel of the whole. There are many things we can do without fighting. We need God to give us somebody to take over from Oshiomhole in 2016.”
Ogbemudia told the elders of Evbuotubu and Ohovbe that Oshiomhole’s successor would emerge, following consultations with community leaders.
He said the time has come for the people to look for a good candidate, who would build on the legacies of Oshiomhole, instead of waiting till the eleventh hour.
Last month, the former governor announced that he would launch the Edo Mass Movement (EMM) on July 4, adding that the group will lead the search team.
Ogbemudia noted that the state has made tremendous strides in infrastructure, adding that Oshiomhole’s successor should not destroy his achievements.
He said: “We in Edo State, want to ensure that the state is developed and because of that I am going to proclaim Edo Mass Movement, irrespective of party affiliations, and we will support any political party that gives us indication that it wants Edo State to succeed.
“The launch of the movement entails the mobilisation of people across the three senatorial districts to sensitise them on the need to collaborate in the search for a credible candidate that believes in good governance so as not to destroy the progress made so far by the Oshiomhole administration.”
Ogbemudia, however, said the movement would not work for any political party, but for the people in their search for a credible successor.
Analysts, however, are of the view that the search for Oshiomhole’s successor by Ogbemudia would be a fruitless one. They argue that searching for a candidate without any political platform would be a hard sell to party leaders. Ogbemudia, observers said, lacks the goodwill to propel any candidate to electoral victory.
Ogbemudia, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was a member of the defunct National Republican Party (NRC). The NRC fielded Lucky Igbinedion, who lost the governorship election to Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
When PDP was in power in Edo, Ogbemudia’s residence was a rallying point. His son, Eghosa, won an election as Chairman of Uhunmwode Local Government during the Igbinedion administration. One of his daughters was councillor in Ikpoba-Okha.
In the 2012 governorship election, Ogbemudia ‘supported’ the PDP, which lost in the 18 local governments. In the last general elections, two of his children contested under the PDP. A third contested under the APC. Only one, Uyi, got the PDP ticket to contest for the Oredo East Constituency in the House of Assembly, but she lost to the APC candidate, Chris Okaeben.
Besides Ogbemudia, the Edo Peoples Assembly (EPA), led by Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, is also searching for a successor to Oshiomhole. The group said the next governor must also make life meaningful for Edo people.
The ideal candidate must have pedigree, proven record of service and sufficient understanding of the intricacies of governance.
Obaseki said the group would ensure that elected officials are alive to their responsibilities.
Obaseki said the EPA will educate the masses and the political class so that the killing of youths would stop because of the inordinate ambition of a few.
He said: “We will move to places and talk to people. We will take over our streets and ask our brothers to sink boreholes in their neighborhood”
“The card reader has made us to know that the political calculus has changed. People will not be able to go into a small building and thumbprint papers. It is either the card is reading or it is not.”
“The 2016 election is going to be a pivotal turning point for the Edo people. Nigeira has just witnessed a paradigm shift in electioneering in Nigeria. If it doesn’t affect the people of the state now, we might just miss the box.
“It is important that we must be able to take over the political space and agenda of the state. We must be able to make sure that we contribute directly to the emergence of someone who will protect the economic and socio-standing of the average Edo man.”
The APC has barred aspirants from setting up campaign structures and it has been silent on zoning to any senatorial district. The PDP has also not spoken on zoning, but indications are rife that both parties may field candidates from Edo South Senatorial District.
Indications that Ogbemudia’s choice may be rejected by some PDP leaders emerged last week when former Governor Lucky Igbinedion declared that the next governor would be a founding member of the PDP.
Former Senate Chief Whip Senator Roland Owie said he would join other well-meaning leaders of the PDP to scout for a credible candidate, who does not have any connection with the PDP failed government.
He said: “The 2016 governorship will not be based on political platform; it is going to be who that candidate is. For the PDP to be seen to have broken ranks with irresponsibility, we have to be sure that our candidate for 2016 will not have any relationship with previous failures of the PDP government in Edo”
“The truth is that the performance of the PDP government between 1999-2007 cannot be compared to the performance of the Oshiomhole government because we all have eyes and we can see. You can see achievements in roads, schools and many other spheres of life. The Ugoneki-Ehor Road, which passes through my community, was done in 1974 by the military administration; no body touched that road until Oshiomhole came. Today I can get to my village in 20 minutes from Benin.”
