By From Michael Egbejule, Benin City
The battle over who controls Edo State House of Assembly has generated serious uproar among political parties and actors in the state.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Governor Godwin Obaseki, had during the Presidential and National Assembly elections lost the three senatorial seats to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP).
Edo Central and Edo North were won by APC, while LP won Edo South senatorial seat, making the governor uncomfortable, but yet undaunted in his renewed vigour and quest to clinch majority of the Assembly seats in Saturday’s election.
Obaseki’s eagerness to win majority members raised a lot of concerns, as residents now see the contest as turning to a do-or-die affair. The governor had constantly engaged in political campaigns for PDP candidates, expressing anxiety that if the ruling party fails to win majority seats, he risks being impeached.
Going by the outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, there are fears that should the feat be repeated this Saturday, PDP in the state could be extinct, as members would be in a dilemma, either to defect to APC or LP, which apparently is the new bride in town.
Obaseki, whose strategy to dominate the assembly with PDP lawmakers is unknown, is fighting tooth and nail to ensure victory for his party at the election. This has further created animosity and dissatisfaction between his PDP camp and loyalists of the former governor and senator-elect, Adams Oshiomhole, who are spoiling for a showdown with Obaseki on Saturday.
Since losing to APC, Obaseki has begun a campaign to stop APC from taking control of the Assembly, which he insisted is another plot by Oshiomhole to stage a comeback. While calling on the electorate, particularly women to vote for only the PDP candidates, Obaseki remained optimistic of victory for the 24 PDP candidates.
On how he intends to achieve this, Obaseki said: “House of Assembly is 24/24. We did it before and can do it again. This set of representatives that we are presenting to you will not sell your mandate; they will not run away, but work for you.”
In the heat of the electioneering campaign, the second-term governor, during a meeting in Benin City with women from the 12 wards and 619 units in Oredo Local Council, had appealed to the electorate to vote for PDP candidates to save him from being impeached by the APC lawmakers.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Osaigbovo Iyoha, he urged people to reject APC, which he alleged was planning to rig their way through the election, so as to impeach him and stop his developmental programmes that have benefited people of the state.
A resident, who spoke to The Guardian on condition of anonymity, said the Assembly election is even looking more interesting compared to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, saying: “With the ill-craft narratives against Oshiomhole, who doubles as Obaseki’s ex-godfather, so much tribal commentaries have been thrown up just to decimate the person of Oshiomhole.
“Ask yourself why the Oshiomhole political dynasty in Edo North has continued to gain grounds, displacing even his Bolanle deputy governor, who lost his unit during the last poll. Why did Oshiomhole clinch the senatorial seat without sweating? I believe your guess is as good as mine. Oshiomhole might not be perfect, but he distinguished himself while in office.
“One would have thought that by now, Obaseki’s performance in his almost six and half years in office will imprint his name in the hearts of Edo people without begging and kneeling. But guess what, his frequent and unyielding political fights with those who helped him to power, brazen demolition and takeover of his people’s property, his anti-people policies, penchant for disrespecting the sacred traditional institution, his cosmetics and substandard projects spread across the state, running the state without a functional House of Assembly for three years now and refusing to conduct local government election remain his greatest albatross, which has pitched him against his people.”
The LP, which the odds seem to favour, had on February 25 swept the state with unprecedented votes, wining Obaseki’s senatorial district and several House of Representatives seats. Still basking in that euphoria, residents of the state who supported the party to victory have been urged to sustain the momentum ahead of Saturday’s poll.
Its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, who gave the charge to boost the morale of its supporters during ‘a thank you’ visit to the state, called on his supporters not to be discouraged by the outcome of the election, but sustain the tempo by voting all LP candidates on Saturday. He commended residents on the outcome of February 25 poll; saying LP remains committed in the struggle for a new Nigeria.
Obi, who was greeted by a mammoth crowd as he moved from New Benin Market through Mission Road, Sapele Road before climaxing it at Adesuwa Road, said they have started very well, urging them to complete what they have started by coming out en mass to vote for LP candidates in Saturday’s election.
Obi stated that Nigeria must not be allowed to remain the way it is, rather there must be a paradigm shift for a better and a prosperous country, noting: “We have begun the journey of a new Nigeria and nobody will stop it. We will not allow Nigeria to remain the way it is. We will continue to vote for Labour Party.”
On his part, national chairman of the party, Mr. Julius Abure, stressed that LP’s candidates for the state assembly election have not stepped down for anybody and were not sponsored by any other party or candidates and remain LP candidates, insisting that those spreading rumours were doing so, because they have lost touch with the people who rejected them in the last election; hence they are looking for how to attach themselves to LP to win the election.
He appealed to residents of the state to come out in large numbers to vote for LP candidates.
Also speaking on LP’s successful outing, the state chairman, Kelly Agbaloi, thanked Obi and Abure for visiting the state, saying their presence had further boosted the confidence of all Obidients’ supporters in the state.
On rumoured agreement with PDP ahead of Saturday’s election, Agbaloi said: “Information reaching the hierarchy of LP is that PDP has been engaged in last minute manoeuvering, holding nocturnal meetings and seeking ways to meet LP candidates.
“This can be understood from the damning failure they experienced in the polls on February 25, but we unequivocally declare that we are going into the election with all our hearts and therefore not holding consultation or judicial disposition with any political party, be it PDP or APC. We want to further make it clear that those PDP allegedly invited to a meeting are not LP members.
“To this end, we encourage the people of Edo State, our teeming supporters and respected support groups to come out in full strength and replicate the gallantry we showed in the presidential and National Assembly elections. Don’t be deterred and do not be intimidated; we have done it and we can do it again. Let’s take Edo State back.”
Meanwhile, Oshiomhole has criticised the Obaseki-led PDP government, saying the state has suffered decay in the past seven years since he left office.
In a thank you message to the people of his constituency, in which he also canvassed support for all APC candidates, the former governor said: “I want to use this opportunity to remind you all that the job is not complete yet.
“Please, do not be dissuaded by rumours being peddled by enemies of democracy that there will be violence in Edo State during the election. The intention is to scare our people away from the polling booths, so that the choice of the majority will be truncated.
“I want to assure you that security agencies are up to the task of ensuring the safety of all those who come out to vote. Your votes will not be tampered with; they will be counted and they will count in the final analysis of who will represent you in the House of Assembly.”
Source: The Guardian
