Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) probably judged that the only way to retain the governorship of Edo State for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was to adopt hysteria as a political tool. The All Progressives Congress (APC) planned to rig the poll, he hollered. The police might rig the election in favour of the opposition, he exclaimed, unfazed his supporters could view every police officer with suspicion. Then he likened the election to a do-or-die affair, completely oblivious he was inciting the electorate to violence. His protégé and PDP candidate in the election, Asue Ighodalo, weighed in by suggesting that he and his party would denounce the poll should he lose, but later modified his threat to say that he would accept the poll result if the election was fair.
In Edo’s three-horse governorship race, the other two candidates, Monday Okpebholo of the APC, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP), were less frenzied. They noted the reluctance of Mr Obaseki to campaign against the godfather phenomenon in Edo politics, for he had himself ironically become a godfather. Then they deplored the governor’s resort to general blackmail in which the PDP campaigners hinted that President Bola Tinubu would bear ultimate responsibility should anything go wrong with the poll, with the wrong of course defined as anything that disadvantaged the PDP or caused the state’s ruling party to lose. In his campaign, Senator Okpebholo had been unsurprisingly tame, mostly limiting himself to the issues he would urgently address should he win, and refusing to rebut PDP’s sarcasms on his elocutionary difficulties. Mr Akpata, on the other hand, had generally minded his business and continued to promote his ineffective feel-good brand of politics, complete with ecstatic dancing and joie de vivre.
It is uncertain whether both Sen. Okpebholo and Mr Akpata had convinced the Edo electorate about the dangers inherent in Messrs Obaseki and Ighodalo’s politics and campaign styles. If the voters repudiate the PDP, it would be because they saw through the political smokescreen spread by the PDP to mask the dictatorial tendency of Mr Obaseki and the inflexibility, not to say the messianism, of the 65-year-old Mr Ighodalo. It was not until Mr Obaseki took the reins of office for the first time in 2016 that it became clear to former governor Adams Oshiomhole he had helped install an autocrat. Eight years later, the autocrat has spawned a nest of other autocrats, chief among whom is Candidate Ighodalo. Secondly, should the PDP candidate lose, it would probably be because voters had sensed his authoritarian streak and were tired of being led by the nose by men who could do no wrong. Edo had not always voted right, having developed the tendency to embrace charlatans disguised as liberators as well as host a crossbreed of cultures that diffuse and enervate their worldview.
But Edo is not alone in this hysteria, despite being the archetype, and regardless of the outcome of yesterday’s governorship election in the South-South state. Last year, Kano State exemplified this new kind of politics, with the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) leaders threatening fire and brimstone upon the state and the country should the courts declare APC candidate Nasiru Gawuna as victor. Between the threats and the integrity of the courts’ jurisprudence, Abba Kabir Yusuf’s election was eventually upheld. It has thus become clever to threaten the Republic in order to secure concessions, deserved or undeserved. Worse, in many states, the APC is increasingly painted as the party holding and monopolising the rigging franchise. In addition, a new kind of excess has also started to take root and even bear fruit. If it is not second-rate leadership, as Osun State dramatically shows through its inattentive governor Ademola Adeleke, it is utter contempt for the rule of law as Governor Siminalayi Fubara showed in less than a year. Former governor Rotimi Amaechi also did it in Rivers with the courts, and for eight years, Mr Obaseki replicated the malaise, starting with some Edo legislators whom he disliked.
If the federal government does not begin to move firmly to counter the weaponisation of threats and violence as a means of securing political advantage, if the administration does not condemn and explode the threats as tools of blackmail, and if the president does not begin to speak to the disgraceful style of governors maintaining control by desecrating the rule of law, the country will be susceptible to instability, if not anarchy. Nigerian democracy should have grown beyond today’s level; instead governance has declined in many states and sprouted diverse threats to the Republic, as the completely deluded Datti Baba-Ahmed illustrated on the campaign rostrum in Edo last week. This column has maintained that except the Tinubu administration does something major and radical in the next one year or so about streamlining, institutionalising, and codifying Nigeria’s leadership recruitment process, worse leaders could emerge from the local government, state, and federal levels. The administration has a few models in the world to choose from. It should choose well, for the current leadership recruitment process, as most states indicate, is middling.
Edo Governor Godwin Obaseki has won his Polling Unit 19, Ward 4, Oredo Local Government Area with a landslide for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate Asue Ighodalo.
According to results announced at the unit, Ighodalo garnered 127 votes against the 35 votes scored by his All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Monday Okpehbolo.
The candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Olumide Akpata secured 11 votes while the candidates of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), the Allied People’s Movement (APM) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) got one vote each.
Obaseki, after casting his vote, commended the electoral process at his polling unit.
He commended voters for coming out despite the heavy rain in the State.
His words: “You can see despite the inclement weather people have turned out in their large numbers. You can see the enthusiasm.
“It is not mid-day yet and the ballot box in my polling unit is already full. And so clearly that tells you that people are very interested because they have been mobilized. And have been very interested in this election. This is why I am not surprised.
“For now I am glad with what I see, the process in my units has been smooth. I hope the collation process will be the same. It will be peaceful and the results will be counted and there will be no destruction.
“I am glad with the extent of military presence in the state. As you know the federal security agencies have taken over the state. I am not the Chief Security Officer of the state, the Inspector General of Police, IGP is the Chief Security Officer”.
Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has commended the zeal of voters in the state who trooped out en masse to cast their votes in the governorship election in spite of the heavy rain.
Speaking to journalists after casting his votes at about 11:57 a.m. at Oredo Ward 4, unit 19, Emokpae Primary School, Obaseki also commended the presence of security agencies.
He said “You can see that in spite of the weather, the turnout and enthusiasm of the electorate is high.
“The ballot box in my polling unit is full and it clearly shows that people have been interested in this election as they have been adequately mobilised.
“People are very interested in this election because it’s a watershed for us in Edo.
“I am not surprised because a lot of young people are here to express themselves and fulfill their civic obligation.
“For now, I am glad with what I see and the election process in my unit has been smooth and efficient.
“I hope that the collation process will be the same and also peaceful; I hope that the results counting will not be disrupted.
“I am glad with the presence of the military in the state, and the federal security have taken over the state.
Speaking about some arrests made by the military, the governor commended the military, saying that the Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa was living up to his words.
“The military has done a good job and has done well. The Chief of Defence Staff came to see me and assured me that his men were fully on ground.
“And I am glad with what they are doing but not too sure of what the police are doing at this time.
“As I speak, I hear that there are some people who claimed that they are policemen at Ogbe polling field trying to arrest people on election day at their polling units.
“We are glad at the deployment of our agents and our situation room is open and we are receiving reports all over and hope for the best,” Obaseki added.
Many factors will shape Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State. These include the strength of the political parties and their candidates, performance of Governor Godwin Obaseki and people’s perception, zoning or rotation of the slot and other local issues. Deputy Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the battle for the Osadebey House.
It is decision time in Edo State. On Saturday, voters are expected to troop out to choose among three candidates: Asue Ighodalo (Peoples Democratic Party), Monday Okpebholo (All Progressives Congress (APC) and Olumide Akpata (Labour Party).
Eighteen parties are participating at the exercise. But the candidates of the remaining 15 platforms are spectators. Also, local issues will determine how far the candidates can garner votes from the constituencies and local governments. This is ctitical because the expectations of the various ethnic groups, councils, constituences and senatorial districts differ.
Ahead of the poll, there have been defections. These may alter, to an extent, the voting pattern of the environment. The perception of many stakeholders about the current administration in the state will be a major factor. Infrastructual deficits have raised complaints about insensitivity to public welfare. Unfulfilled yearnings may spur some protest votes. There would also be pressure on stalwarts to package last minute interventions, reassure on broken promises and make new pledges to swing the votes.
The pressure would be more felt by the governor whose succession plan may hit the rocks, if he sleeps on guard. Yet, other parties are threatening a showdown.
Prediction should be with caution because of intervening variables not planned for. The two bigger parties, APC and PDP, are on a familiar terrain, having won and lost power in the state. The chieftains on both sides are not new to one another, having collaborated at one point or the other before the parting of ways. They are also conversant with their strengths and weaknesses.
Four years ago, there was division in the APC. Today, the party is more united. Unlike APC, PDP has not remained the same. It is polarised, with the section of the chapter, led by Dan Orbih, spoiling for a pound of fresh. There are many actors in Edo who believe that the election provides a veritable opportunity for political vengeance.
The three flagbearers are household names in the state. Ighodalo, a financial expert and lawyer, is a topflight technocrat. He is not a core politician, but he has been identified with the Godwin Obaseki administration in the last seven years the same way Obaseki was closely linked with Adams Oshiomhole, when he was governor.
Okpebholo, a grassroots politician, is very popular in his party and the Central District, which voted him as senator during last year’s election. He is not flamboyant. But, party insiders described him as an aggressive mobiliser with knack for results.
Akpata is from the illustrious Akpata family in Benin city, which is his main base. The family has produced eminent Nigerians in many field of endeavours, including Chief Tayo Akpata, an excellent administrator, and Justice Ephraim Akpata, jurist and former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
A lawyer, the younger Akpata rose to national prominence when he became the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (APC), defeating legal giants and Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) who bidded for the position.
He is generally perceived as an accidental politician on the borrowed platform of LP. For months, Akpata’s media campaigns have been on, but there is nothing to suggest that he is wooing more converts to complement the meagre voting strength of the scattered and noisy Obedients, who are perpetually full of bravado.
Akpata is copying Oshiomhole’s style in his bid to rise to political stardom. Oshiomhole was a man of national stature as president of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC). He was able to ride on that profile to the Osadebey Government House.
In the same vein, Akpata wants to take Edo by storm, leaning on his credentials as NBA president. Like Oshiomhole, he is articulate. He is also sensitive to the fact that youths are clamouring for paradigm shift and rejection of the old order represented by APC, an offshoot of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and the PDP, which was displaced in 2007, only to bounce back four years ago due to the split in the APC. Akpata exhibits the behavour of youths in his choice of dress code, dancing and invoking anger against the entrenched forces. He seems to be up and doing. But, his albatross is his weak platform.
However, the poll appears partly to be a hot contest between two rival godfathers, Oshiomhole and Obaseki. Both are the chief campaigners and their candidates are under their shadows.
Oshiomhole had fallen from the olympian height of national chairman, following a plot orchestrated by Obaseki. The governor defected to PDP and still retained power, assisted by some APC elements who were disposed to undermining their party.
Saturday is the return match. Will the forces that teamed up with the governor in solidarity resurface to repeat their support for his candidate, Ighodalo?
Security is a bone of contention. The PDP has declined to sign the peace accord, to the consternation of the National Peace Committee headed by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military Head of State. While Obaseki has doubted police neutrality, APC has also rejected the Edo State Security Network, alleging that it is a tool for witch-hunting political opponents.
There have been arguments about the lamguage of communication by the candidates. According to analysts, Ighodalo is speaking a corporate English meant for the corporate world while Okpebolo is speaking the language undrestood by the grassroots.
It is gratifying that the three political parties are not basing their calculations on the prospects of vote buying, which is not likely to be a serious factor that would shape the poll.
How the parties stand
PDP
In the beginning, Edo was a PDP state. Its rivals were the defunct All Nigera Progressive Party (ANPP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD). But, they could not match the PDP, which prided the state as its stronghold, particularly between 1999 and 2007 when Lucky Igbinedion was governor. He was succeeded by Prof. Sunday Osunbor, who was booted out by the court, following a protracted post-election litigation.
Power slipped from PDP in 2007. But the stolen mandate was finally restored to Oshiomhole in 2008.
In 2018, PDP bounced back when Obaseki defected to the fold. The governor was relected on the platform. As the ruling party, PDP enjoys power of incumbency. Key functionaries of government-commissioners, lawmakers, heads of boards and parastatals and council chairmen and councillors-belong to the party. The party has tentacles across the three senatorial districts.
It is well known at the grassroots.
However, the PDP is battling with a diminishing strength. Indeed, PDP of past years is not the PDP of today. Obaseki’s defection to the party sparked crisis. Those he met in the party raised eyebrow over harmonisation of the party structures. The question arose over whether the defectors from rhe APC should claim the governorship and deputy governorship tickets. Obaseki insisted that his now estranged deputy from APC, Phillip Shaibu, should be his running mate. The house was divided. Reconciliation, since then, failed. Former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who is the pillar of support for the Orbih group, cried foul, saying that the tax collectors could not redeem their promise on equitable power sharing.
Desirous of taking back the state from the APC, the party gave its ticket to Obaseki after a protracted negotiation brokered by Wike, who prevailed on the PDP leaders to accept the governor. The collaboration made the PDP chapter stronger. Backed by the Federal Govement of President Muhammadu Buhari and most APC governors who were not happy with Oshiomhole for denying Obaseki the givernorship ticket, PDP won the 2020 election.
But the picture of PDP now contrasts sharply with its 2020 stamina. The party is a shadow of itself. The opposition in the state now sarcastically refer to the PDP as Obaseki Democratic Party ( ODP). They point to the aloofness of its erstwhile dynamic chairman, Orbih and other chieftains as proof of the dwindling fortunes for the once virile party.
Defections have taken their tolls on the chapter. Observers cite the exit of Senator Matthew Urhoghide, Ogbeide Ihama, Phillip Shaibu, among many other prominent politicians from the party, as proof of the downward slide. Although the governor’s media handlers say the claim that the PDP is not as formidable as it was in 2020 as exaggerated, the reality is that many of its key members of that era are either working openly or discreetly for the APC.
Obaseki is being deserted by experienced hands whose strategies contributed to victory in the past. No appropriate replacement is filling the void.
LP:
Until 2023, the LP was a fringe party in Edo. A feature of the party is its availability for emergency suitors. Oshiomhole wanted to fly its ticket in 2007, but jettisoned the idea when it dawned on him that the party did not resonate with the grassroots. Although it is projected as the party for workers, civil servants and private workers have never gravitated towards its direction. It is ironic that members of NLC do not relate with LP beyond the claim by the political institue of the union that it founded the party.
But during last year’s elections, things changed remarkably for the party. The Peter Obi factor changed the dynamics. When the former Anambra State governor called it quits with the PDP, LP offered him a refuge. Youths embraced the party in the state and campaigned for the rejection of what they called the old order ; the old order being the PDP and the PDP.
In a dramatic manner, LP sprang surprise, winning not only won the presidential election in the state, but was also victorious in the senatorial election in Edo South.
In the presidential election, Obi polled a total of 331,163; APC’s Bola Tinubu scored 144,471, Peoples Atiku Abubakar of PDP had 89,585, Rabiu Kwakwanso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) scored 2,743 while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) scored 4082.
But the bane of LP is its lack of capacity to manage the achievement, build on it and expand its coast. Its main problem is lack of formidable leadership, and the absence of unity, party discipline and supremacy.
Between last year and now, a lot has happened. LP’s primary was hotly contested and its outcome rejected by some key figures. The party’s popularity started to wane. LP has demonstrated a colossal lack of experience. It is indifferent to zoning or principle of rotation that guarantees equity and a sense of belonging. The party is being derided for being insensitive to certain factors that normally shape governorship election in Edo. Acording to observers, the choice of its flag bearer who is from Edo South like Obaseki is faulty. Edo is a heterogeneous state and the popular sentiment in the state is that the next governor should come from the Central Zone. As things stand today in the state, the party may be regarded as a third force, but it is doubtful if it can replicate the feat it recorded in 2023.
APC:
APC is waxing stronger. But, it lacks the power of incumbency in the state. However, the factors that aided PDP to retain power four years ago are now to APC’s advantage. Party leaders are exuding confidence, but there is much work to be done.
APC is popular across the three districts. It is a minus that it is the opposition party in Edo. But, it is a plus that it is the ruling party at the national level where the real power resides.
Oshiomhole has boasted that the power of incumbency at the state level will crumble because APC forces in the state are determibed to achieve power shift. So far, APC has been the major beneficiary of defections in this season. Many see the defection of Omosede Igbinedion as a plus for the APC. She is eyeing the seat of Denis Idahosa in the House of Representatives, if he is elected as deputy governor on Saturday.
Other parties:
Other smaller parties that will not make impressive showing are Accord Party, Action Alliance, African Democratic Congress, All Progressives Grand Alliance, and the Allied Peoples Movement.
Others are Action Peoples Party, Boot Party, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, National Rescue Movement, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressives Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
Where lies the strength of the Big Three?
Edo South:
The senatorial district has 58 per cent of the total voting strength of the state and seven out of the 18 local government areas.
Benin City, the state capital, is a cosmopolitan city and has three local government areas: Oredo, Ikpoba Okha and Egor. They are heavily populated. In 2020, Obaseki won the three local governments massively and that made the difference. As the son of the soil, his candidature was appealing.
Now, the governor is not on the ballot and some of those who backed him then are no longer with him. The APC is stronger today. If ethnicity is a consideration, the LP candidate is another “ a son of the soil,” who will get more attention in the district more than the PDP candidate.
The three LGAs will be decisive.
Orhionwon:
It is a big council and highly populated. The main issue here is alleged appropriation of community lands by some private investors brought by the state government. Land is a big issue in Edo State. If the locals take their anger to the polls, PDP is doomed.
Uhunmwonde:
This LGA is on the outskirt of Benin on the way to Auchi. It is a rural setting where local sentiments and the influence of local leaders count.
Ovia Northeast and Ovia Southwest:
The APC running mate hails from here. He is their representative in the House of Representatives, which means that he is popular. He won the seat in 2019 and 2023 against a formidable opponent, Omorede, daughter of respected traditional chief, Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion. Omorede is now teaming up with APC.
Forecast: The three parties will do well in Edo South Senatorial District.
Edo Central:
The district has five local governments. It used to be the bastion of PDP. However, things have changed, with many leaders of the party now rooting for the APC candidate whom they regard as one of them.
Forecast: The APC and PDP will do very well in the zone. Labour will be a distant third.
Edo North:
The zone has seven local governments. Oshiomhole is the incumbent Senator. Phillip Shaibu, Dan Orbih, Senator Alimikhena, Niger Delta Minister Momoh, and House of Representatives Leader Professor Julius Ihonvbere are from this district. The APC is well entrenched in the district.
The PDP has the deputy governor Godwin Omobayo, and Speaker of the House of Assembly Blessing Agbebaku as its points men. But they cannot match the APC henchmen. LP is non-existent here.
Forecst: APC highly favoured to win the senatorial zone.
Governor Godwin Obaseki has warned civil servants in Edo State to troop out on Saturday to ensure continuity, adding that they would face negative consequences if the opposition wins the governorship election.
Obaseki said this during a thank-you meeting with public servants yesterday in Benin. He highlighted the progress made in technology-driven operations within the state’s civil service and urged voters to make the right decision in the election to maintain this momentum.
He warned that electing leaders who lacked experience and ideas could be disastrous for the state. He praised Ighodalo as a capable leader, who would continue his work and urged voters to defend their votes to ensure Edo’s continued development.
The governor said: “I came to appreciate and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wouldn’t have achieved what we achieved without you. I am finishing the first part but the journey must not stop. It must continue, the engine of development must continue to run
“The rate at which we need to run will be very high when we make the right decision. We can’t afford any mistakes come Saturday. Those who want to take over power by all means are uneducated and have never worked in any better place.
“My message to you is that allowing the opposition to win is a risk we can’t afford. It is not about Obaseki but democracy and development. The risk is about allowing people without ideas of what to do to lead. People, who can’t even articulate their ideas, people who can’t read a balance sheet. Edo will face a major risk if you miss it on Saturday.”
The candidate of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Asue Ighodalo said Governor Obaseki has done tremendously well and that the transformation in the civil service was second to none. He added: “Edo State public and civil service is number one in Nigeria. “Obaseki has done well and I will continue from where Obaseki would stop. You all here will be my priority function together and continue to make Edo State a progressive state and this shall be our focus.”
Ighodalo charged the people to come out en masse to vote and defend their votes.
Anthony Okungbowa, the State Head of Service (HoS), thanked the governor for the tremendous reform he had made in the civil service and prayed to God to bless him.
He also thanked the governorship candidate for finding time to come to address them.
Governor Obaseki, thereafter, inaugurated the newly installed Third East/Sakponba Road Junction traffic light.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth League has slammed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for declining to sign a peace accord ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State.
In a statement, its National President, Comrade Olamide Lawal, expressed disappointment and concern about PDP’s refusal to be part of a peace pact, aimed at re-assuring the electorate of a non-violent exercise.
He said: “We are shocked that the PDP has refused to sign the peace accord, usually signed by political parties participating in elections. This indicates a lack of commitment to peaceful elections and a potential resort to violence.
“We urge the PDP to reconsider their decision, retrace their steps in the interest of Nigeria’s democracy and sign the peace accord forthwith. We also call on security agencies to ensure a peaceful and credible election.
“The youth in Edo State will not hesitate to hold Governor Godwin Obaseki accountable for any breach of peace during the election. We will not allow him to use his exalted office to cause chaos and destruction before he leaves office.
“Regrettably, Governor Obaseki is also a beneficiary of this peace accord. Why he asked his party not to be part of a peace-assuring process is an attempt to jeopardise the efforts of members of this peace accord in the heartbeat of the nation.”
Lawal appealed to other stakeholders in the country to step up their game by ensuring that the forthcoming election is peaceful. He said: “We call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and civil society organisations to intervene and prevail on the PDP to re-assure the electorate of a peaceful election in words and actions.
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki yesterday called Saturday’s governorship poll to elect his successor as a do or die affair for his party, the PDP.
Speaking at the party’s rally held at Garrick Playground, opposite Ekenwan Campus of the University of Benin, Governor Obaseki said: “This election is do or die. If they do, we will die.
“Next week Saturday by this time, vote for the PDP to become the next governor.”
He said his immediate predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, performed poorly.
His words: “When I took over office, our pensioners wore black on Labour Day. But today, they wear white.
“When I took office, our youths had no jobs, but today don’t they have jobs? After eight years, is Edo not one of the safest in Nigeria?”
We’II protect votes with our blood – PDP Chairman
Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Illiya Damagum, vowed that members of the party were prepared to defend PDP’s votes in the election with their blood.
He said the election would be a test for democracy.
“To INEC, I say we don’t want that midnight results announcement. We will be vigilant and make sure that it doesn’t happen,” he said
“And, we know they will rig the election. This is not a threat, but we are very serious and we will defend our votes with our blood and everything.
“To the citizens of this country, please watch the election of Edo, it will be a test for our democracy. If they miss it here, it means they are looking for anarchy. We know they will attempt to do so, but we will resist them.”
We won’t allow rigging, Atiku warns
Atiku warned that rigging would not be allowed in the election.
“If you remember four years ago they threatened us, didn’t they do that? They said they won’t allow us to win in Edo State,” he said.
“But what did we show them, we showed them that Edo State no be Lagos,’ didn’t we do it?
“So this time again, we are going to show them that ‘Edo no be Lagos.’ They can’t steal votes here, therefore, protect, defend, escort your votes.
“Make sure your votes are entered, make sure your results are announced, of you do that no Jupiter will come and change your votes.”
Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi, Alhaji Bala Muhammed, said that contrary to speculations of division among PDP governors, they remained united.
The party’s candidate Asue Ighodalo said Obaseki has laid the foundation for the development of the state and he would continue from where he stopped.
PDP stalwarts at the rally included Governors Mohammed of Bauchi State,Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State,Senator Aba Moro, Chief Tom Ikimi, members of BOT, members of the State House of Assembly, House Representatives, among others.
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has declared ahead of the September 21 governorship election that only the best is good enough for Edo.
He stressed that on no account should the people allow fraudsters to become their leaders, with Edo residents not wanting to be taken back by some incompetent people, saying: “We have no reason to go back. So, vote for the PDP, vote for Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie.”
Governor Obaseki, spoke over the weekend at Edo PDP’s campaign rally in Iguobazuwa, in Ovia Southwest Local Government Area.
While addressing the mammoth crowd, who defied the rain at the Iguobazuwa Township Stadium, the Edo governor assured them that their votes would count.
He reiterated that his administration established the College of Agriculture to ensure that the children from the area were educated and not to be dropouts who engage in fraudulent activities.
Obaseki said his government established the Okomu Oil Palm Company and the rubber plantation, given the need to provide jobs and that many more would be established under the administration of Ighodalo, from November 12 this year.
Ighodalo, the governorship candidate of the PDP, thanked the people and reminded them that for three years, he was a director in Okomu Oil Palm Company, and facilitated the employment of many indigenes of the area to top positions, while stressing that he is a son of the land by extension, and promised to do more, as the governor.
Ighodalo condemned the claim by opposition politicians within and outside PDP that only a homeboy could govern Edo state. He said: “There are many people who were born in their father’s houses, but turned out to be bad children, growing up to be touts and fraudsters. Please, reject them.”
The Director of Media of the Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State for the September 21 governorship election, Prince Kassim Afegbua, has disclosed that Governor Godwin Obaseki fell out with his then benefactor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole because he wanted to be his own man, not over state burial for the late chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, aka Mr. Fix It.
Obaseki had indicated recently while speaking during the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign rally in Uromi, Esan Northeast Local Government Area that Oshiomhole was displeased that he gave Anenih state burial, thereby making them fall out.
Afegbua, a former Edo Commissioner for Information, however, declared yesterday in Benin City that Obaseki was being economical with the truth.
He said: “Why would an executive governor tell such bogus lies, just to score a cheap political point? It is terrible for Obaseki to raise such a devious reason as the rationale for his breaking apart from Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. Obaseki is not even smart at all. Chief Tony Anenih of blessed memory died on October 28, 2018, at the age of 85, but Obaseki’s political squabbles with Comrade Oshiomhole started in late 2017, by February 2018, it had become so visible and almost irreconcilable.
“I met with Obaseki at his residence on Commercial Avenue on May 18, 2018, in an attempt to bring the two of them together, after a series of failed reconciliations by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and a couple of other governors.
