Category: Politics

One does not need to be clairvoyant or partisan to project that the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State is the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s to lose. The available accretion of variables makes such projection almost indubitable.

This does not in any way negate the fact that it will go down in the state’s history as one of the most keenly contested governorship elections, because of the antecedents of the two leading candidates, the peculiarities of their emergence and what they are promising the people.
Unlike Ize-Iyamu, Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate is on this expedition with disillusioned and disgruntled co-passengers, no thanks to his 11th-hour entry and eventual corralling of the party’s governorship ticket.
He was a member of the APC, who defected just last June and was given the PDP’s governorship ticket thereby extinguishing the aspirations of longstanding members of the party. Those ones have not forgiven the party leadership and Obaseki for muscling them out of the race.
This, perhaps, is why Obaseki is still considered a stranger in the party and not trusted enough not to jump ship against the groundswell of rumours that the governor just wants victory by all means to spite his estranged godfather and former governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and that the moment he gets it, he would return to the APC, leaving the PDP high and dry.
Impeccable sources within the EDO PDP contended that this knowledge explains the party’s ambivalence about putting out its entire arsenal to ensure his victory.
But the scenario is markedly different for Ize-Iyamu. A founding member of the PDP in Edo State, he served in the administration of former Governor Lucky Igbinedion from 1999 to 2007 as Chief of Staff in the first term; and Secretary to the State Government in the second term.
Beyond his official positions, Ize-Iyamu is acclaimed as a great mobiliser of men and women and a redoubtable grassroots politician, who was pivotal to the two electoral victories of Igbinedion.
Stronger forces within the PDP then engineered the defection of Ize-Iyamu, who left with his supporters to join the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). In the new party, the Ize-Iyamu supporters operated under the Grace Group, which worked relentlessly for the victory of Oshiomhole in 2007 though he would later reclaim his mandate via the court in 2008.
Ize-Iyamu rose in the ACN, one of the legacy parties that formed the APC, to the position of the national vice-chairman, South-South Zone. Noteworthy is that after Oshiomhole had been rejected by his own Labour Party, the PDP and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), it was the Grace Group that made his acceptance by the ACN seamless and successful.
Under the auspices of the ACN, Ize-Iyamu also served as the Director-General of Oshiomhole’s second term Campaign Organisation and he delivered. He would only return to the PDP, when the same Oshiomhole gratuitously refused to support his ambition to succeed him in 2016. But now, Ize-Iyamu is back in the APC, where he is at home with the leaders and loyalists.
Accordingly, one of the best things that Ize-Iyamu has done is to make a sharp contrast between himself and Obaseki. The first argument is that, Ize-Iyamu is currently not riding on the back of any godfather, a claim Obaseki could not make in 2016, when Oshiomhole almost single-handedly handled his campaign. Even now, he is being propped by the PDP machinery and his power of incumbency.
The second is that having spent so many years as an astute grassroots mobiliser, Ize-Iyamu has mastered the language and nuances of electioneering and has got the people energetic and enthusiastic again with his SIMPLE Agenda, whereas Obaseki’s Make Edo Great Again agenda has been mirthless and mechanical.
After enduring three years of grim governance, it is unlikely that any more rhetoric from Obaseki can invigorate the enervated people of Edo State. Obaseki is a deeply flawed man. If he remained at just an ingrate, who betrayed Oshiomhole, the man that brought him into politics and power, it would have been overlooked as one of those peculiar intrigues and mysteries of Nigerian politics especially.
But his metamorphosis into an unresponsive and unbridled governor, who detached himself from the socio-economic needs of the people and deviated from a tested and trusted path to a better life for the people, have done him in.
Further damage has been done to his candidature by his irreverent attempt to bring into disrepute the legacies of his predecessor notably the politicisation of the Benin Central hospital project, which was completed and equipped by Oshiomhole. Obaseki was a part of Oshiomhole’s administration as chairman of the Economic Strategy Team for almost eight years that Oshiomhole was in office.
He was integral to the completion of the project but on the assumption of office, refused to open it to the public thereby denying the generality of the people of Edo State a world-class healthcare services, citing incongruous and infantile excuses. Three years into his administration, Obaseki launched a probe into the funds that went into building the hospital, forgetting his involvement too.
He also cited Oshiomhole’s upgrading of the Ekiadolor College of Education to Tayo Akpata University (TAU) as the reason he shutdown the institution permanently since he came to power.
For closing the Colleges of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi; Abudu, Afuze; the Institute of Continued Education (ICE) and the three Schools of Nursing in Edo State, Obaseki hid under the pretence of renovating the institutions. So many youths were prevented from continuing with their education for a long time and these are the youth he wants to come out to vote for him on September 19th; a tall order, no doubt.
For the more discerning electorate, it is Obaseki’s ungrateful attitude towards benefactors, which has led to over 70 per cent of his appointees resigning. That rankles! Obaseki and his cheerleaders were in denial all along as they continued to run on their contrived popularity and propaganda but the reality is dawning on them by the day with his administration likened to a revolving door that allows for impulsive exits.
The resignation, last May, of Taiwo Akerele, the former Chief of Staff, opened the floodgate of resignations of several cabinet members and senior aides in the administration. Another debilitating resignation was that of Patrick Iyoha, the Director, Obaseki/Shaibu Movement, which threw the campaign organisation into disarray, as he was the nerve-centre of Obaseki’s re-election bid.
But it was not only Iyoha that resigned within the same week; the Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Dame Omoua Oni-Okpaku; and two members of the State Post Primary Education Board – Mr Gabriel Oiboh, Chairman and Mr Osanyemwere Osawe, a member of the board – also did. Oiboh and Osawe said their resignations followed pressure by Obaseki to defect with him to the PDP.
On July 27th, three commissioners of the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Area Development Commission – Osamwonyi Atu, Emmanuel Odigie and Rilwanu Oshiomhole – who represented Edo South, Edo Central and Edo North senatorial districts respectively – resigned their appointments. The latest is Joseph Ikpea, who resigned his appointment as the Commissioner for Minerals, Oil and Gas, and moved to his Ubiaja hometown in Esan Southeast Local Government, where he returned to the APC 10 days to the election.  If these are no strong indications of a sinking ship, then, nothing is.
Something more fundamental haunts Obaseki and he has turned a blind eye to it. It is his disregard for the Moslem population in the state and insistence on retaining his deputy, Phillip Shaibu, a Christian. For the first time in the history of democratic governance in the state, Ize-Iyamu did the unthinkable by choosing Malam Gani Audu, a Muslim, as his deputy.
This is a masterstroke decision, which already guarantees the APC massive votes that would be hard to assail by the opposition. Even more importantly, Ize-Iyamu has out-campaigned other candidates and is doing so on the strength of his manifesto of hope, which he said is the panacea and pivot to launch Edo State on the path to sustainable prosperity and holistic development.
What trumped the APC candidate, as a frontrunner in the race was his very high name recognition – résumé that matches the moment, public office experience and renown as a steady and seasoned administrator, and his well-articulated manifesto of hope entitled ‘The SIMPLE Agenda’.
The acronym, ‘SIMPLE’, stands for Security and Social Welfare, Infrastructure Development, Manpower Development, Public/Private Partnership, Leadership by Example and Employment Creation. Now in a book form, Pastor Ize-Iyamu said recently that the agenda is also a ‘SMART’ document.
“By this, I mean it is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and, of course, Time-bound,” he said, adding that he decided to document his agenda for the people so that he could be held accountable should he derail from his promises after winning the election. According to him, a government must be accountable and transparent, so, those who want to govern must put what they want to do for the people in black and white.

Williamns-Balogun wrote from Lagos

George Uboh, is the Chairman of George Uboh Whistleblowers Network (GUWN) and George Uboh TV, he recently issue a press statement on alleged financial infractions by Edo State Governor Obaseki in a document titled REPORT ON EDO STATE GOVERNMENT BANK STATEMENTS FROM 2015 TO 2019 ISSUED BY GEORGE UBOH WHISTLEBLOWERS NETWORK (GUWN) on Monday, September 14, 2020

In the letter he accused the executive governor of Edo State of financial improprieties that runs into several billions of Naira in many ghost accounts.

The whistleblower who has in the past blown lid on major financial crimes, some of which includes; the EFCC and the Office of the Vice-President.

The group did not only expose the anomaly but also issued Gov. Obaseki a 48 hours ultimatum to respond to the grave allegations brought against him.

Below is a list of the damaging findings as reported by the Whistleblower.

1) Transfers made into 8-digit account numbers running into Billions of Naira;

2) Transfers in Billions of Naira from Edo State Government to generals purpose accounts in different banks, including but not limited to Equatorial Trust Bank (which is not in operation), Access Bank, Sterling Bank etc. Posers: what does generals purpose stand for? Are these funds dissipating from these generals purpose accounts in these banks? The red flag is clear and convincing.

3) We found Billions of Naira in transfers to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) without being specific on the particular MDAs. Transfers should not be in bulk figures in Billions of Naira without specifying the MDAs and their respective account numbers.

4) We found that Billions of Naira passed through Edo State Government to companies like A&K Construction without specifying the accounts of the companies. in other words, Edo State Government released money to itself, mentioned companies like A&K Construction without mentioning the recipients’ accounts. Without those details, we can conclude that the monies have no destinations.

5) Billions of Naira were transferred in numerous tranches without account numbers and account names of the purported recipients.

6) Billions of Naira debited as Value Added Tax (VAT). This contravenes common sense. VAT should be a credit not debit. Why would you move Billions out and give the narration as VAT? VAT collections are credits, not debits.

7) Billions of Naira released as salary from EDSG without specificity. August 2019 alone, N746,622,765:33 and N693,388,159:31 were moved under the narration salary from EDSG. This is very suspicious, particularly the proximity of the transactions and others above to the election.

These are some of the grievous financial impropriety allegations leveled against the Governor and it is a thing the anti-graft agencies must be working on to make sure the Governor face the wrath of law should he be found culpable

Below is the attached letter;

The September 19th governorship election in Edo State comes with a lot of promises and perils for the political legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari. Lest he is unaware, his claims to a lasting, positive legacy for the All Progressives Congress, APC, are dependent largely on the outcome of the Edo, nay Ondo elections. Alas, it is almost common knowledge that, where he is not directly affected, President Buhari can be patently detached while maintaining a Grand Canyon of distance.

But there is fire on the mountain in Edo State and with the election a few days away, the president needs to shed that passé toga of detachment and adorn the garb of pragmatic proactiveness. This is because the battle for the heart and soul of the state is not just between Governor Godwin Obaseki, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate and APC’s Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; several powerful forces are tugging at the soul of the state for different pecuniary or political reasons.

As a candidate, Ize-Iyamu has run a good campaign so far. He has creditably sold his SIMPLE (Security and Social Welfare, Infrastructure Development, Manpower Development, Public/Private Partnership, Leadership by Example and Employment Creation) Agenda to the electorate, who now perceives him as a cut above the rest – the one who can liberate them from the shackles of under-development and misgovernance exemplified by the incumbent.

As someone, who is also firmly rooted in the politics of the state, he has also clearly debunked insinuations in several quarters that if he emerged governor, he would be under the shadows and viselike grip of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

What many don’t know or are deliberately glossing over is that Ize-Iyamu has been in politics at the local and national level longer than Oshiomhole. In 1999, upon the return of democratic government to Nigeria, Ize-Iyamu was appointed as the Chief of Staff to the then Governor of Edo State, Dr. Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion.

During Igbinedion’s second term, he was elevated to the post of Secretary to the State Government (SSG). All this while, Oshiomhole was a mere activist and labour leader – serving as President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. Ize-Iyamu later served as national vice-chairman, South-south zone of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), one of the legacy parties that formed the APC.

Because of his understanding of the Edo political terrain and familiarity with the people, Ize-Iyamu was appointed the Director-General of Oshiomhole’s second term Campaign Organisation and he delivered. So, Ize-Iyamu is no neophyte in politics or a yo-yo that can be tossed about by any person masquerading as a godfather.

This is a fact that has yet to be clearly understood by some frontline members of the APC especially many of the sitting governors and senators, who see Obaseki’s denial of a second term ticket as the handiwork of Oshiomhole. This is the crux of the matter.

Until recently, Oshiomhole was the chairman of the APC. He piggybacked and bankrolled Obaseki’s emergence as governor in 2016. Before that time, Obaseki served in Oshiomhole’s administration as chairman of the Economic and Strategy Team.

The former governor introduced Obaseki into politics, because all his life, he had been in the private sector as a financial expert and chairman/founder of Afrinvest West Africa Limited (formerly Securities Transactions & Trust Company Limited (SecTrust), which has grown to become a reputable investment banking and management firm in Nigeria. So, Obaseki can legitimately be called Oshiomhole’s political godson. There’s no debating that.

Their common song, however, became a byword, when they fell apart over allegations that Obaseki had become imperious and power-drunk. A case in point was his unconstitutional refusal to inaugurate the House of Assembly in 2019, because he perceived that his predecessor had more loyalists there than he does, which he felt would affect him or so. That issue stagnated legislative activities in the state since last year necessitating the intervention of President Buhari and the National Assembly. The Assembly is still a divided house thereby denying the people quality legislative representation.

Last June, Obaseki defected to the PDP, where he was offered the governorship ticket at the detriment of other aspirants. Many incumbent governors fingered Oshiomhole as being responsible for this defection and went all out to have him removed.

As the reports go, a delegation of angry APC governors met with the president and presented to him three requests one of which was Oshiomhole’s removal, dissolution of the National Working Committee and the constitution of a caretaker committee headed by Mai Mala Buni, the governor of Yobe State.

All of these were granted. The president never made any request of the governors. In fact, reports say that they were shocked that he acceded to all their requests.

Like the President noted in June during the inauguration of the caretaker committee, “It is obvious that the fortunes of the party are currently, in jeopardy, administration of our party is becoming impossible and there is consequently an urgent need for intervention to immediately arrest further drifts and internal wrangling, which may lead to total disintegration.” Those issues are still omnipresent in the party.

Beneath the patina of cohesion put up by the APC leadership, however, there is a simmering animosity and disconnect that can only be remedied by the president. Some APC governors are still sympathetic to Obaseki and are supporting his re-election bid on the PDP platform with an unwritten agreement that if he won, he would return to the APC.

The APC governors’ support for him is deemed a reprisal at Oshiomhole, who they fear might want to stage a return to the leadership of the party. They don’t want him back; neither do they want Ize-Iyamu to win, because of the Oshiomhole factor. It is a dicey situation that does not bode well for the party in the long run. So, how does quid pro quo work for the President?

It is now time for the president to ask a favour of the governors, which is for them to close ranks and ensure that they not only win Edo State; they do so convincingly and move on to Ondo State, which governorship election is in October. He must call the aggrieved governors to order by discouraging and denouncing their apparent anti-party activities, speak to their collective conscience, probably make them swear to an oath of allegiance if that would help whip them into line, and commit them to work for the party and Ize-Iyamu. Failure to do this now could leave a blotch on whatever legacy the president might want to lay claim to after his stewardship in office.

Alfred, a communication analyst, lives and works in Abuja

Allegations of rigging are the standard shibboleth and apocalyptic rhetoric of an opposition party and a weak candidate especially, in this part of the world. Although it is fast becoming a norm too in some of the most civilised parts of the world, it is, however, a stale and unmelodic tune that many Nigerians no longer bob or weave to.

The reality is that it is almost always the unpopular candidate or the self-styled underdog that typically raises such fatuous and unfounded allegations while attempting to whip up sympathy forgetting that Nigerians have become wiser to this spoof over the years.

Expectedly, in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate in the September 19th governorship election, Governor Godwin Obaseki, are beating the torn drums of electoral manipulation again. It is a way of life for them.

Immediately he jumped ship and got the ticket of the PDP to fly its flag in the election, Obaseki and his cheerleaders went to town raising fears of a potentially flawed election while taking no prisoners; everyone is in on the plot. From the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, everyone is culpable except them. How convenient!

We have not forgotten that weeks before the March 9, 2019 governorship and state assembly elections in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike claimed that the APC-led federal government had planned to use the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army to disrupt the election and had “mapped out local government areas, where they will initiate violence to ensure that elections are not conducted as they did during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.”

Wike also accused INEC of plotting to print illegal gubernatorial ballot papers that would exclude the newly registered political parties to implement the rigging plans. Despite these allegations, Wike eventually won the election and no one heard anything about rigging again.

Now, as the chairman of the PDP National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election, Wike is back with the oldest trick in the book. Early August, he whimsically claimed that the PDP had gathered enough intelligence report about the plan to rig the election and would scuttle it at the appropriate time.

But nobody is swayed. Even a pre-schooler now knows that his political brand depends on such inflammatory chestnuts. Therefore, no one is taking him seriously, not least, the concerned people of Edo State.

The immortal saying of late American President Abraham Lincoln that; “You can fool all the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time,” pretty much sums up how imbecilic the people of Edo consider Wike and PDP’s wild allegations about the integrity of the elections.

No one is blind or deaf to the fact that Wike was merely echoing Governor Obaseki’s escapist rhetoric so that when he is eventually voted out, he can conveniently claim, like other sore losers before him, that the election was manipulated in his opponent’s favour.

Well, what the PDP has failed to accept is the unpopularity of its candidate. More than any period in the history of elections in the state, there is palpable confidence that votes will be accurately counted and they would count in the final analysis. Consequently, the electorate seems extra motivated for this election. And you can’t blame them.

As far as they are concerned, Obaseki is a complete, bungling failure, who is now swinging and getting high on his puerile imaginations, because defeat stares him starkly in the face. Why would he even think that Edo people would re-elect him after presiding over the most chaotic and retrogressive four years in the history of the state?

Why would he be allowed anywhere near Government House beyond the expiration of his four year-term after mismanaging the commonwealth of the state; plunging the economy into quicksand and generally weakening the socio-ethnic and political fabric of the state? Unfortunately, neither the PDP nor its candidate is promising anything serious or substantive.

Rather, Obaseki has been ululating about Making Edo Great Again, MEGA, hare-brained rehash of President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan.

Instead of campaigning on the strength of his achievements, if there were, Obaseki and his party have been distracting and deflecting from proper electioneering, resorting instead to name-calling and pointless propaganda. Whether mega or minuscule, Obaseki has proven incapable of whatever is contained in his resonantly empty agenda that was dead on arrival.

Conversely, during his eight-year reign as governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole redefined the art of governance, rejuvenated the flagging faith of the people in the system, rebuilt the infrastructure and renewed the economy. He created an Edo State that was the pride of indigenes at home and in the Diaspora. He made being called an Edolite worth its weight in gold anywhere in the world.

On the strength of the foundations he had laid, the progressive comrade lent all his weight behind Obaseki, believing that having served in his government as Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team; he would build on his legacies. Alas, Obaseki derailed and went on wanton misrule.

Several well-intentioned attempts by well-meaning Edo indigenes to make him stay the course were sneered and scowled at. Many came to a sorry pass for even daring to offer concrete and critical interventions.

Ask the billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Captain Idahosa Wells-Okunbo. He is still smarting from the many plots hatched by the governor and his agents to bring him into disrepute for selflessly wanting to help the state and later, to mediate in the faceoff between the governor and his predecessor.
Obaseki’s warped form of gratitude to Oshiomhole and others, who gave him wings on which he flew unfettered was to betray and batter them in the media and wherever else he could and destroy and defame the same state he now seeks to make great again.

Obaseki and his cohorts should be reminded that the APC has no reason under the sun to rig the election. Apart from fielding Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a widely acclaimed popular candidate, a true son of the soil and accomplished administrator, who has diligently served the state since 1999, the APC’s achievements in the state have opened the people’s eyes to the fact that government can work for the people.

Also, for the first time in the history of democratic governance in the state, there is religious inclusivity; Ize-Iyamu’s deputy is Malam Gani Audu, a Muslim. That is a massive bloc of votes, which the PDP can never come close to.

And with his SIMPLE (Security, Infrastructural development, Manpower development, Public-Private Partnership, Leadership and Employment creation) Agenda, which has lucidly enunciated policies and programmes that are projected to create thousands of jobs in education, agriculture and rural development, housing, electrification, fire service, industrialisation, waste management system, social empowerment, and the water supply sector within four years, Ize-Iyamu has won the hearts of the people.

What more? Rather than play dirty like the PDP, he is resolutely and remarkably going about his campaigns, selling his manifesto of hope to an otherwise harried people. Having done his homework well, Ize-Iyamu is banking solidly on the people, not any phantom rigging machinery to take over the mantle of leadership in the state. Can somebody please, wake Mr. Obaseki and the PDP up from their imminent defeat-induced slumber to smell the coffee?

Uzodinma is from Ebonyi State

The Chairman, Ocean Marine Solution, Capt. Hosa Okunbo, has said he decided to support the All Progressives Congress candidate in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, because the party will work to develop the state.

Okunbo, who said this in an interview in Abuja, described himself as a very close person to Governor Gowdin Obaseki, but said the governor should not be allowed to get a second term.

“I still consider Godwin my brother, but I don’t consider him a leader because he doesn’t have the attributes of a good leader,” he said.

Okunbor in the interview berated Obaseki, saying, “A governor that could not manage 24 House of Assembly members from his own party – they were not in opposition, all APC. Some of us worked to make that possible for him so he could have a smooth ride but he squandered the chance.

“It’s only unfortunate that Osagie Ize-Iyanmu, who also contested against him in 2016, is out there and I am supporting him by default and of course, I want a better Edo State and that’s all I can say.”

Okunbo accused Obaseki of non-performance, saying most of the lofty ideas he floated before his election in 2016 had remained on paper without being fulfilled, while he had sustained himself in office through propaganda.

He stated, “If Godwin presents to you his plans for Edo State on PowerPoint, you will kiss his feet. It is like in the Bible when the devil said take all these and bow before me and Jesus said, ‘Get thee behind me Satan’. And as we progressed, all those packages that he presented, none was done“

I learnt most of them are all on paper and they continue to be on paper and consultancy services attached to most of them. Of course, as we speak, most of those projects are not on the ground and as for me, I can’t be deceived. Some can be deceived, but I cannot.

“A situation, where you have 600 children packed in a room and selling propaganda on social media of projects that are not there? It is appalling.

“It is the future of our children that is at stake; the liberation of our state from someone who thinks he is an emperor in this modern day is at stake.”

Okunbo alleged that Obaseki started a fierce battle against his business interests because of a rumour that was going round in the state that he (Okunbo) was planning to contest against him in the coming election.

He said, “A lot of people approached me to run as the governor of Edo State and most of the people who did will tell you that I said I wasn’t interested because I have set a trajectory for my life and over the past 32 years, I have been involved in business and before that, I was a very good professional pilot.

“At 63, my mates that ran for governorship did that in 1999 and I was not ready to start learning new things. That is one of the reasons I tried to help Godwin, because in his old age, he could not learn new things; that is why he fell a victim.”

Okunbo explained that he warned Obaseki to settle the rift between him and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, who was then the Chairman of the APC.

He said Obaseki refused to listen to him and follow the line of peace, adding that the governor rather warned him to steer clear of the raging battle or suffer “a collateral damage.”

‘APC stirring controversy to shift gov poll’

When Okunbo’s allegations against the governor were listed and sent to the WhatsApp number of Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media, Crusoe Osagie, he sent a statement titled, ‘APC stirring controversy to shift guber poll’.

In the statement, Osagie said the APC was stirring controversy so that the authorities could shift the September 19 governorship election.

He said, “Edo State is peaceful, the Peoples Democratic Party is committed to enduring peace before, during and after the poll.

“The APC leaders and the governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, are agitated because they are not ready for the election. They are convinced that they do not stand any chance in the forthcoming election.

“They are behaving like some unserious and misguided university students, who do not read, and when faced with examinations, they engage in cult fights few weeks to the examination, so that the school authority will shift the examination.”

He emphasized that state was peaceful as people were going about their business peacefully, and urged the APC candidate and his handlers to concentrate on their campaign.

When Osagie was told later that his response did not address Okunbor’s allegations, he sent the same statement again.

From the creeks, cities and hinterlands of Edo State, there are muffled but menacing echoes of violence as the September 19th governorship election draws nearer. The on-going campaigns are pockmarked by tense and occasionally violent altercations between supporters and critics of the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki and his main challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, which have renewed concerns about the spectre of violence in Nigeria’s politics.

A foretaste of this was experienced in July, when supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, clashed at the hallowed grounds of the palace of the Oba of Benin. Ahead of the flag-off of the PDP governorship campaign in Benin City, the Edo State capital, its candidate, Governor Godwin Obaseki led some governors and leaders of the party from the South-south to the palace.

There were reports that solidarity and combative songs rend the air as tempers later went beyond control, resorting in the thugs employing an assortment of weapons, including firearms, cutlasses and others. In the process, several persons were reportedly injured while others scampered to safety as some of the cars parked at the palace gate were badly damaged.

The police later intervened and restored normalcy but the message of what laid ahead had been succinctly passed that not only ballots would be counted; bodies too!

Of course, there were accusations and counter-accusations about, who the aggressor was as the APC, through John Maiyaki, chairman of its media campaign council, stated: “Booed by the people at the entrance of the Palace of our great Oba for handing the state to the PDP tax collectors, who are unconscionably feasting on our collective patrimony, Mr Godwin Obaseki, as an act of revenge, instructed the thugs and cultists he has spent the past few weeks recruiting in the state and beyond to attack the people with dangerous arms.‎

“This criminal and heartless action not only affirms our repeated warnings that Mr Godwin Obaseki fully intends to prosecute the election with violence and thuggery, but it also shows his lack of empathy, conscience, and respect for the lives and dignity of the people he was elected to serve.‎”

On his part, Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, said the thugs were sponsored by the APC, its candidate, and the former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who, he alleged, had engaged thugs to cause mayhem in the state before then.

Osagie said further, “We are appalled by the deployment of thugs to the sacred grounds of the Oba’s Palace by the APC, Ize-Iyamu and Oshiomhole to harass guests, who are in the state for the flag-off of Governor Obaseki’s campaign and had visited the palace to pay obeisance to His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin.

“While we respect the boundaries of politics as it relates to the palace, it is reprehensible that the APC, its candidate and their enablers would sponsor thugs to desecrate the palace, which is a clear case of desperation to score cheap points.

“This conduct is not a trait of Edo people and is condemned in the strongest possible terms, as we are courteous and welcoming to guests. It is obvious that these persons were mobilised for this task by those, who have no regard for the palace nor want the progress and development of the state.”

Between then and now, the tones are yet not conciliatory; rather, they are getting more confrontational by the day. The foregoing underscores why the recent intervention of the Oba of Benin is commendable.

On Tuesday, September 2, Oba Ewuare 11 held a peace meeting with Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole and a former National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun among other party leaders at the palace, where he warned them to desist from inflaming the polity with their utterances and conducts.

Expressing his anger and sadness at the turn of events, the monarch said, “Please don’t turn the state into the city of blood. I appeal to the two gladiators and all politicians to ensure peace and stop the shooting and violence in the state. I want assurances from you people to me, and the people of the state of a peaceful atmosphere in Edo State. Your home and families are here, so give peace a chance. We are all afraid that the state will burn to ashes.”

The Oba further appealed for a peaceful election and warned them not to pay lip service to the traditional throne, which he reiterated is not partisan, and committed them in advance to bipartisan displays of conciliation at the first sight of electoral violence.

Violence is an alter ego of every election all over the world. An incumbent, who fears losing an election can use post-election violence as a means to cow election officials and judges in the adjudication of a disputed election, or even as a means of extorting a power-sharing deal when defeated.

It could also be a spin-off of spontaneous demonstrations fuelled by outrage and fear of electoral manipulation, which can drive supporters into the streets, where violence is a consequence of inappropriate or militarised police response. All of these indices are omnipresent in Edo State with the incumbent’s guns-blazing stance to remain in office despite blissfully under-performing and, consequently, eroding the goodwill that ushered him into office in 2016.

In the time past, and judging by every poling variable that points at a crushing defeat for Obaseki, the election would have been called for the opposition even before going to the polls. But things are different now.

Thanks to several electoral reforms embarked upon by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which have erased the patchwork quilt of partisan state officers, amateur volunteers, and passé equipment to help administer elections, and by so doing, raised the integrity of Nigerian elections, there is no disputing that votes would count in Edo State.

It is not state-sponsored violence and sabre-rattling or electoral manipulation that will win the election; it is speaking to the core of what the people desire; the time-tested solutions being proffered to the myriad of challenges besetting the state and acceptability of the candidate and the party.

So, unlike the biblical quote that ‘From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force’, Edo State might have suffered violence in recent times, it would not be taken by a man that is facing an impending exile from power.

However, only Ize-Iyamu, whose SIMPLE Agenda (which stands for Security and Social Welfare, Infrastructure Development, Manpower Development, Public/Private Partnership, Leadership by Example and Employment Creation) resonates well with the people, would get their votes.
Ajani wrote from Abuja

Amid the din and dingdong of electioneering, the promises and propaganda of a starry-eyed era and the generous exchange of money for prospective votes as September 19 draws closer, the people of Edo State need some reality check – a deliberate and sustained reminder of the head-spinning and harrowing catalogue of cruelties, crises and crimes foisted on them by a self-serving governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

The time cannot be more auspicious for this reminder so that the people are not swayed by money and superfluous promises. They must muster all their votes to reverse the ills of the Obaseki administration by voting him out.

Considering, therefore, that many public affairs analysts, commentators, columnists and bloggers alike have recurrently written and extensively documented Obaseki’s catalogue of sins against the people, this writer would attempt to periscope those malfeasances from the perspective of the Seven Deadly Sins propounded initially by the Roman ascetic and theologian, Evagrius Ponticus, but modified in the Sixth Century by Pope Gregory 1.

Though not biblical, the Seven Deadly Sins are theological and are believed to be the precursors for other sins and further immoral behaviours. The are Pride, Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, and Sloth.

Evagrius describes pride as the father of all sins and it has been deemed the devil’s most prominent trait. From all indications, Obaseki’s pride drives him. Having tasted power, Obaseki’s pride skyrocketed and began to manifest in wanton corruption and whimsical selfishness at the expense of the welfare of the people.

His concatenation of crises has been predicated largely on his self-interest, nothing more, which is why the second term bid for him is a do-or-die affair. He is ready to crush anything in his way. He has been fighting those, who propelled him into power, because he thought he had seen it all and every other person was inconsequential.

It was pride that prompted Obaseki to say on television that he would not only deal with a two-term former governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole but that he would ensure his arrest if he came anywhere near Edo State. Yet, this was the same man that sold Obaseki to the electorate and allowed him to run for office on the strength of his (Oshiomhole’s) achievements.

It was greed writ large, when Obaseki accused some phantom Edo APC leaders of fighting him for access to the state treasury to share Edo money and that he would never do so but defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he was given an automatic ticket to contest after billions of naira allegedly exchanged hands, all in a desperate bid to remain in office.

Like greed, lust is an intense longing for sex but in Obaseki’s case, his lust is for power and money and ego-tripping. And he goes about these like a bull in a China shop. His face-off with the House of Assembly exemplifies this.

In 2019, Obaseki refused to order a proclamation, in line with constitutional provisions and procedure, to clear the way for the inauguration and constitution of the seventh assembly.

His reluctance was predicated on his belief that he did not have enough foot soldiers in the House as against the number loyal to Oshiomhole. He vowed that the doors of the assembly would remain shut for as long as he desired and it has remained so thereby denying the people legislative representation.
Envy is characterised by an insatiable desire – sad or resentful covetousness towards the traits or possessions of someone else. So, fighting a non-partisan, apolitical man like Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo, a wealthy businessman and philanthropist, is a clear manifestation of envy.

One of Edo’s most prominent sons and pre-eminent Nigerian, Captain Hosa’s investments in the state are in the region of billions of dollars and he, arguably, employs as many Edo indigenes as does the government. His philanthropy is felt beyond even Edo State. He is what Obaseki and his collaborators aspire to be.

Whilst he never sought anything from the Obaseki administration apart from support it with his resources, a puerile and unfounded rumour that the widely loved Captain was eyeing the governorship seat has unleashed Obaseki’s base animalistic impulses. Obaseki may not have come to the realisation yet, but confronting and impugning on the integrity of a colossus like Captain Hosa is a recipe for political obliteration.

The evidence of Obaseki’s gluttony is an extension of his greed and lust for power: He not only wants power, but he also can’t get enough of it. Like all gluttons, he is leaving a mess in his wake. Instead of discarded bones, there are a ruined economy, unhappy indigenes, insecurity and underdevelopment.

Under Obaseki, the Edo government is drunk for more money, which the people never see its impact whether on infrastructure or the economy or the life of an average indigene. For him, it is just about how to make more revenues even at the detriment of taxpayers while maintaining the second position of the most indebted state in Nigeria.

Wrath is defined as uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage and even hatred often revealing itself in the wish to seek vengeance. Who better epitomises this than Obaseki? His wrath is one of the defining features of his administration. No one is immune to his anger and vengefulness. From Oshiomhole to Captain Hosa, legislators and even the revered Oba of Benin, they have all tasted of it.

How about Senate President Ahmad Lawan, who was mandated by President Muhammadu Buhari to mediate in the face-off between Obaseki and the House of Assembly, when he blatantly refused to inaugurate the House at the appropriate time.

Upon the constitution of a 10-man reconciliatory committee last December to resolve the crises and appease the aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, nationwide, Obaseki accused the senate president and the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase, of playing a prominent role in the crisis rocking the party in the state.
He did not rest until Lawan was replaced with Chief Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun State. The height of his wrath, perhaps, was the demolition of the hotel of Tony Kabaka Adun, whose only offence was that he is an ally of Oshiomhole. Despite a court order restraining the state government from demolishing the hotel building and appeals from well-meaning indigenes and prominent Nigerians, Obaseki still went ahead to do so citing nebulous excuses.
Sloth, according to its proponent, has different meanings but, in this context, is defined as the absence of interest or habitual disinclination to exertion – a failure to do things that one should do, therefore, allowing evil to reign, because good people failed to act. The dictionary meanings also include laziness and wilful inactivity.
Thus, it is ironic, tragic even that Obaseki has been blaming his failings on the APC on which platform he rode to power in 2016 but which he defected from in June 2020. He has brazenly refused to do the work he was elected for, thereby, taking the state on a retrogressive expedition!
Every human – whether the artist or artisan; cleric or clerisy; the prosperous or proletariat; politician or professional – have their failing. But Obaseki departs from his predecessors and the character components that Edo State requires in a leader and one who can take them out of the doldrums, because he is unable to control his impulses and manage his sins.
So, the likelihood of him repenting or changing is not even remote and, therefore, does not deserve a vote from the people of Edo State!

Ibiyinka, a political analyst, lives in Lagos

The Edo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress has called on the Nigeria Police Force to immediately arrest and prosecute Mr. Kabiru Adjoto and Osaigbovo Iyoha, both of whom are senior aides of Governor Godwin Obaseki, over their alleged involvement in the hiring of armed thugs in the invasion of the Edo Assembly complex earlier this month.

At least seven thugs were arrested within the Edo Assembly Complex on the 6th of August when the embattled Edo Governor, alongside his Deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu, led hoodlums and other party supporters to block and vandalize the Assembly complex in a bid to deny entry to majority seventeen elected members.

The arrested thugs, who were brought before a Judge at the Benin High Court on Monday, were caught with five double-barrel long guns, two single barrel long guns, and 10 live cartridges and have reportedly confessed during interrogation that they were hired and provided the illegal firearms by Mr. Kabiru Adjoto and Mr. Osaigbovo Iyoha.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Col. David Imuse, the Edo APC Chairman, charged the Police to commence an immediate investigation of the involvement of the identified aides of Governor Godwin Obaseki who, according to him, have no constitutional immunity and are thus liable to arrest and prosecution.

He also tasked the Police to resist an alleged attempt by the Edo State Government to unlawfully release the seven suspects standing trial for unlawful possession of firearm and disturbance of public peace.

He said: “The police must wake up to its responsibilities. These two people mentioned are not immune and should be arrested and investigated.”

“It is very disturbing that a government that ought to protect its citizens is encouraging criminals to unleash mayhem on Edo people.”

“We find this development very disturbing and we are charging the Police to carry out a comprehensive investigation on the established ties and nexus between the criminal group, members of the Edo State Government, and illegal purchase and distribution of firearms.”

“It goes without saying that the case, wherein the suspects have already allegedly confessed their ties to the Edo State Government, further affirms our outcry on the illegal arms buildup carried out by Governor Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu, through a retired Police officer from Kogi State, Mr. Aruna Yusuf, who continues to act with impunity.”

Mr. Osaigbovo Iyoha and Kabiru Adjoto have been trailed by several reports and accusations of involvement in violence and illegal ties to cult groups. Back in 2017, Kabiru Adjoto, as a member of the Edo Assembly, led a similar invasion of the Chamber when he attacked the then Speaker, Hon. Justin Okonoboh, and triggered a violent fisticuff which made the rounds on the internet and drew widespread condemnation.