Special Correspondent, TITUS OISE, writes on the intrigues that played out in the victory of Godwin Obaseki in the September 28 Edo governorship election.
Before the September 28 governorship election in Edo State, there was palpable tension and apprehension in the state. These bordered more on insecurity which, many feared, would mar the conduct of the exercise.
Though 19 political parties had registered for the election, only two candidates were on the ground – Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress(APC) and OsagieIze-Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The two were considered contenders, while the others were seen as the ‘also ran’. The turn of events even supported the assumption. Both candidates campaigned extensively in the 18 local government areas of the state seeking votes.
Obaseki chairs the economic team of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole-led government, while Ize-Iyamu was former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) under Lucky Igbinedion. As chairman of the economic team of the state government, Obaseki worked very closely with the governor.
Apparently on account of his dedication to duty, Oshiomhole had on different times described him as the engine room of his administration.
Even during the primary election of the APC in the state, Oshiomhole had ensured his emergence against all odds, with the claim that Obaseki was the man that could turn things around in Edo after his exit.
Even with the governor’s support for Obaseki, analysts still insisted that the election could go to any of the candidates. In fact, few days to the election, it was believed that both Obaseki and Ize-Iyamu had equal chances of becoming governor, until the latter was quoted to have made a public statement that he would make the birthday celebration of Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin, a state affair, if elected governor.
Though Ize-Iyamu later came out to say he was misquoted, a message had already been passed. Besides, the statement credited to Lucky Igbinedion, former governor of the state, that the governor of the state would come from Igbinedion’s political family did not go down well with the people of the state, who still remember how the former governor ruined the state for eight years. Igbinedion never came out to withdraw the statement, and the Edo electorate, especially the Bini, were said to have vowed to reply him with their votes.
The impression was that if Ize-Iyamu was voted in as governor, then the Igbinedion family would be back to power.
Aside the Igbinedion factor, the voters, it was gathered, were said to have been reminded of the prominent role Ize-Iyamu played during the eight-year administration of former governor, which did not achieve much in the estimation of critics.
This particular point amounted to a huge baggage which Ize-Iyamu carried into the election. According to findings by TheNiche, this reminder, which Oshiomhole constantly harped on, worked against the PDP candidate during the election, hence he eventually lost to Obaseki.
Another factor that worked for Obaseki was the development agenda of Oshiomhole in Edo. The governor went a step further by accompanying the APC candidate round the 18 local government areas in the state, telling Edo people that he (Obaseki) would take Edo to the next level.
In addition to this, Obaseki is a known technocrat, credited with versed knowledge in wealth creation. He supporters also claim that he is not the usual politician who talks from both sides of the mouth.
As it turned out, the initial apprehension over the conduct of the election ended up a hoax. The exercise, in fact, was considered generally peaceful across the state.
Perhaps to show its credibility, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ensured that the collation and announcement were beamed live on television stations. At the end of the exercise, the Returning Officer (RO) for the election, Professor KayodeSoremekun, who is Vice-chancellor, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, declared Obaseki winner with 319,483 votes to the 253,173 votes garnered by Ize-Iyamu.
The APC candidate won in 13 LGA’s while his counterpart in PDP won in 5. None of the other 17 political parties that participated in the election won a majority in any of the councils.
The declaration of results at the INEC collation centre was characterised by drama, starting from the night of the election when declaration of results was suspended for some time. The PDP immediately raised the alarm, alleging that the suspension was part of the plot by the APC, the ruling party in the state, and its collaborators in INEC and security agencies to rig the election.The party, through its spokesman in the state, Chris Nehikhare, had declared that based on results from the polling units, the PDP candidate was having a comfortable lead across the state and warned that efforts to subvert results would be resisted.
Curiously, the announcement of results by INEC was ongoing when the PDP addressed a press conference at the residence of its candidate. The state chairman of the party, Dan Orbih, and the candidate, Ize-Iyamu, rejected the results, claiming that it was predetermined and manipulated at the INEC State Headquarters.
Responding to the allegation made by the PDP, Special Adviser to Governor Oshiomhole on Political Affairs, Charles Idahosa, said he was disappointed and shocked that they could say such a thing. According to Idahosa, “let them shed tears; you can’t stop them (PDP) from shedding tears”.
Speaking after a road show round Benin City, the state capital, Oshiomhole enthused that he had permanently retired some PDP chieftains from active politics.
His words: “They said they would disgrace Oshiomhole in this election because they were plotting evil during the election, but God thwarted all their plans. Just look at the result of the election. Igbinedion lost his ward, Ikimi was defeated in Igueben. That was because these people had lost touch with the people.
“There is something unique in the way things have turned out. In Esan land, the senatorial zone of the PDP godfather, we won two out of the five local governments. We gave him a fight that he managed to escape. He used the factor of his age to play on the emotion of the people. It’s a victory for the people of the state.”
Excited by the outcome of the election, Obaseki said: “We promised jobs. We promised empowerment of our citizens. We promised improved social welfare services and a more secured state. We strive to deliver on all of these promises. As we travelled all over our great state selling our programmes, we also took note of your concerns and problems. And I want to assure you that we will do everything in our power to address them.”