Victor EzejaAs the people of Edo State warm up for the Saturday, 21st September gubernatorial election, one prominent thing is power struggle between the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole.
There have been intense political activities in the last three months since the campaigns started in the state.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelWhile 17 political parties fielded candidates for the election, three appear prominent, given the vibrancy of their campaigns and other pre-election activities. Going by the current political wave, the election will be keenly contested between the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asuerimen Ighodalo; the All Progressives Congress’s (APC), Monday Okpebholo, and Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata.
Analysts have expressed concerns that the election may turn out to be a tough battlefield given the overtures so far between the major political gladiators. While Governor Obaseki is pushing to see that his godson, Ighodalo, wins the election, Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state, has been vigorously campaigning for the APC candidate, Okpebholo. Similarly, Peter Obi has been campaining for Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party candidate.
While Obaseki is pulling all strings to ensure that his party retains the seat for the next four years, Oshiomhole and his party are not leaving anything to chance as they push to reclaim the seat lost in 2020. Obaseki, who won his first term as governor under APC in 2016, switched to PDP after being controversially disqualified during APC primaries and got reelected for the second term in 2020. His tenure is coming to an end in November.
Oshiomhole, who is currently a senator representing Edo North senatorial district and apparently the APC leader in the state, has been making moves to reassert himself as the political godfather of the state, which he lost after his fallout with Obaseki in the buildup to the 2020 governorship election. The thought of this, according to observers, has rattled the ruling PDP in the state, hence the frenetic moves to ensure that it does not happen.
READ ALSO: Edo Election: Tension As PDP Refuses To Sign Peace Accord
While PDP and APC engage each other in political brickbat, Labour Party, which gained national popularity during 2023 general election when the former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, floated the Obidient Movement, has continued to make waves with its campaigns across the state. Obi has on two occasions participated in LP’s campaigns to win votes for the party. Edo is considered one of the strongholds of the Obidients, though there are concerns that the LP candidate, Olumide Akpata, coming from the same senatorial district with Obaseki, might be a challenge. While some express optimism that under a free and fair atmosphere, the party will emerge victorious, others say the party will only succeed in depleting the votes for APC and PDP.
Ehi Braimah, Chairman, Naija Times Journalism Foundation, in an interview on Arise News Morning Show said that from his reading of the realities on ground, the election may be a two-horse race between the two political gladiators – Oshiomhole on the one hand in APC and Obaseki in PDP, despite not featuring on the ballot.
The nature of the two political parties’ campaigns have created tension across the state as the election approaches, leading to concerns that it could get to a point where voters might be scared of coming out to vote.
The PDP had last week refused to sign a Peace Accord, which is done during elections to make the candidates and their political parties express commitment to having a free, fair and peaceful election.
The PDP accused the police of colluding with APC, which controls power at the centre, to deny the party chances of working for victory by arresting the party’s chieftains in the state that have crucial roles to play in the upcoming election. The party demanded release of its chieftains being detained by the police or charge them to court before it can sign the peace accord.
Commenting on the peace accord, PDP chairman in Edo State, Dr Anthony Aziegbemi said the police have shown bias. He added that in the course of preparation for the election, APC “appears to have concluded it cannot prevail in a free, fair, and peaceful election.”
Aziegbemi further stated that cosigning a peace accord with a biased umpire, who is acting in the interest of the APC and waging war against the PDP would be unfruitful.
On its part, the police maintained that those arrested in the state are linked to some criminal acts under investigation.
READ ALSO: Edo Election: Atiku Joins Obaseki In Calling For Release Of PDP Chieftains Detained In Abuja
Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, assured that the police would remain impartial and vigilant to ensure a safe environment for voting to take place.
Chairman of the Peace Accord Committee, General Abdusalami Abubakar, emphasised that the accord signifies a commitment to remain peaceful and place the interest of the people above individual or party ambitions.
Also, APC had initially declined to sign to the peace accord because a police orderly attached to its candidate was killed during the campaigns and perpetrators had yet to be arrested. The party, however, later signed the agreement.
While the PDP is reeling out reasons to justify refusal to sign the peace accord, some observers have said the act sent out a wrong message about the party’s disposition towards the election.
An electoral observer and member of the West African Democracy Solidarity Network, Austin Aigbe, said PDP should have signed the Peace Accord to avoid being seen as one that is afraid of defeat or planning to engage in violence during the election.
“Not signing the accord sends a different narrative, sends a different notion entirely,” Aigbe stated in an interview on Arise News on Tuesday.
Aside from their demand for release of party leaders in police custody, the PDP also called for the redeployment of the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Professor Anugbum Onuoha. In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, PDP chairman in Edo State, Aziegbemi, expressed doubt about Onuoha’s impartiality due to his relationship with former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who is currently a member of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet as minister of the FCT.
Onuoha worked under Wike’s administration as Special Adviser to the governor on Lands and Survey. Reacting to concerns raised by the PDP, Dr Onuoha said his relationship with Wike has no influence on the impartiality with which he will discharge his duties as REC.“It is important to note that INEC operates independently and ensures all actions comply with the laws guiding elections in Nigeria,” he stated.
INEC rejected the call for redeployment of the REC, urging PDP to focus on the process of the election. In a statement on Monday, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the election will hold at polling units across the state, not in the REC’s office. “The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo State will not be redeployed. The governorship election will be conducted on 21st September 2024 in 4,519 polling units, not in the REC’s office,” Oyekanmi stated.
He assured all the political parties, registered voters and other stakeholders that the Commission will provide a level playing field and not give any advantage to one political party or candidate over the other.
Commenting on that, Aigbe said calling for removal of the REC is unnecessary because the officer, given the process of election, has minimal role to play.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
Great article! Your in-depth analysis and engaging writing style make it a pleasure to read. I learned a lot from this post and will definitely be referring back to it in the future. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us.