It was a keenly contested race,
considering the two major contenders who had been on opposing sides in 2016.
This time, however, the stakes were seemingly higher. Godwin Obaseki, governor
of Edo, who had enjoyed the support of Adams Oshiomhole, his predecessor, had
been disqualified from contesting on the platform of the All Progressives
Congress (APC). He defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while his
major opponent, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who had flown the flag of PDP in 2016, became
the APC governorship candidate. With the actors in play, anything was possible
in the build-up to the September 19 election.
Although 14 political parties
participated in the election, it was clear that it was a contest between the
PDP and APC. Four years ago, APC had coasted to victory by a margin of more
than 60,000 votes, and in 2020, it was clear to those who understood the stakes
that Obaseki had a battle of sorts to win if he was to retain his seat as the
number one man in the state. Interestingly, from Oshiomhole’s dramatic
campaign, to the Edo versus Lagos godfather theatrics, and the “operation show
your result”, going by the music in the air in the days before the election,
among other factors, six individuals whose influence may have had significant
impact in deciding the winner of the poll, served Obaseki well to grant
Ize-Iyamu a loss that may have probably been avoidable.
OSHIOMHOLE — HE CALLED IZE-IYAMU
‘THIEF’ IN 2016
In another life, Oshiomhole may have been a successful marketer. His unique way with words is one for the history books. However, his “gift” contributed in no small feat to Ize-Iyamu’s loss considering what had played out in 2016. If anyone could be said to have made the most significant level of difference in how the election would eventually go, that person would be Oshiomhole, suspended chairman of the APC. He, however, turned out to be Ize-Iyamu’s albatross.
In the buildup to the 2016
governorship election in Edo, Oshiomhole didn’t mince words in expressing his
disgust with Ize-Iyamu, at the expense of promoting Obaseki at the time.
“Do you know why he wants to be a
governor – Ize-Iyamu wants to be a governor to get immunity to protect him from
prosecution. Do you want to hand over Edo treasury to a thief? I’m a proud
Kukuruku man, not the son of a cook, but we don’t take money for police, money
meant for soldiers, money meant for defence to secure Christians in churches.
Pastors are collecting it and sharing it to their party members,” Oshiomhole
had said about Ize-Iyamu in July 2016.
As it is always said, in
politics, there is no permanent friend or enemy. But the weight of the campaign
of calumny traded by Oshiomhole against his now favourite (Ize-Iyamu) may not
have been easily forgotten by most Edo voters as his sudden U-turn could not
erase the scar he painted on the minds of the people. Therefore, Ize-Iyamu may
have been fighting a lost battle.
BOLA TINUBU, THE DEMOCRAT
Bola Tinubu, national leader of
the APC and former governor of Lagos state, may have thought he was sending a
strong message to Edo people to shun the reelection of Obaseki, when he made a
short video a few days to the election, saying Obaseki “does not deserve any
democratic ballot paper”.
However, contrary to the expected
outcome by APC, the video was trailed by large-scale criticism on and off
social media, with many wondering why the APC leader seemed vested in the
election outcome in Edo. And so did the #EdoNoBeLagos mantra gain more ground.
The video may have been targeted at discrediting Obaseki, but it appeared to
have only strengthened the resolve of Edo people on voting their choice
candidate.
DESMOND ELLIOT, THE GODFATHER BENEFICIARY
Politics of godfatherism has
featured prominently in the Nigerian political space. However, it appears
Desmond Elliot, Nollywood actor and lawmaker representing Surulere at the Lagos
state house of assembly, went too far in his attempt to sell an idea that there
was nothing wrong in godfatherism.
In his excitement to campaign for
Ize-Iyamu, while trying to discredit the #EdoNoBeLagos slogan, he had said
there was nothing wrong in godfatherism. And he didn’t stop there. He drank
water from a bottle, got more comfortable in the red jacket he was wearing
while being interviewed and pointed his hand to his chest, saying “I’m a
product of godfatherism.” The statement served to only make the APC campaign
even more questionable, as it seemed the party was indeed promoting the concept
of godfatherism.
GANI AUDU, THE ‘UNKNOWN’ DEPUTY
Nigerian politics is one that
favours popularity. The popularity of Gani Audu, the APC deputy governorship
candidate, may have added little impact to his principal’s election compared to
Philip Shaibu, Obaseki’s second-in-command. Although Audu and Shaibu are both
from Etsako west local government area, and had both served in various
capacities as government officials, serving as a deputy governor for four years
was significant enough for Shaibu to sell key achievements of the administration
to the people of Edo.
Besides, Shaibu learnt well from
Oshiomhole, with whom he was once very close. After all, there are only a few
people in Nigeria who can pull off the NLC “khaki” aside from Oshiomhole and
Shaibu. On the flip side, for Gani Audu, he seemed to just be a convenient way
to balance the Christian-Muslim ticket for APC, as Desmond Elliot repeatedly
pointed out when he kept saying “you have a pastor and an imam” as his way to
campaign to the Edo people.
HOSA OKUNBOR
Hosa Okunbor, business mogul and philanthropist, is one of the many influential figures in Edo politics, and when he openly threw his weight behind Ize-Iyamu, it looked like Obaseki had another major threat to contend with.
Okunbor, in an interview, had
boasted: “I would support Ize-Iyamu with my hard-earned money and people that
know me know that when I believe in something, I can spend my last kobo to
achieve it.”
“He (Ize-Iyamu) is lucky to have
someone like me. When God wants to work, he will bring all together to work for
your good.”
Okunbor, a former supporter of
Obaseki, later fell out with the governor, accusing him of mismanaging the
economy. But, as the results eventually proved, Okunbor’s money did little to
secure victory for Ize-Iyamu.
TONY KABAKA — AND THE ‘LIONS AND
TIGERS’
Tony Adun, better known as Tony
Kabaka, former revenue collector for the state and strong supporter of
Oshiomhole, didn’t give up on his derogatory campaign against Obaseki.
The feud was intensified after his multi-million naira hotel, T. Latifah Hotel and Suites, was demolished by the state government and an N18 million suit was slammed against him for logistics cost in bringing down the property.
Kabaka, who accused Obaseki of
“forgetting himself”, may have believed that without his support and that of
his principal (Oshiomhole), Obaseki would not have much in terms of influence
that could swing the votes in his favour.
He pitched tent with Ize-Iyamu,
his “awaiting excellency”, and was seen in a video introducing himself and the
“lions and tigers from different local governments” who would work for the APC
candidate in the election. In the same “lions and tigers video”, Ize-Iyamu had
addressed the gathering, saying “your influence goes beyond one polling unit.
You will do your units; you will move to other units….this election will be
‘operation show your result’, and that operation, I tell you, na many of una e
go favour’.”
Ize-Iyamu’s posture in that video
seemed to encourage flouting the code of conduct for peaceful elections, as he
was encouraging his supporters to ignore the rules on restriction of movement.
However, it appears the Edo people proved Kabaka and his cohorts otherwise, to
show that even in the jungle, there is need for some sense of order in the
interest of preserving the peace.
Culled: TheCable
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com