From TheNewspad team
Now that the transition is a certainty, whether to be truncated or for the long stay, it is pertinent to ask if by known IREV showing and the popular word for those who believed in Godwin Obaseki, did Godwin Obaseki lost it, by his stubborn stance of, my way or nothing?
It is concerning that the PDP through a poor communication strategy allowed the APC to frame the campaign messaging around Obaseki in such a vigorous way, that hating Obaseki and heaping all that some considered were wrongs done in eight years of his administration were the core reasons for rejecting Asue Ighodalo.
It seemed not to matter in the end if people cut their noses to spite their faces. Well, such is the nature of African Politics. All love is lost and hatred without looking at the implications and repercussions. Such is Nigerian politics, to play the zero-sum game.
Before we excuse away misgivings or wrong perceptions, Obaseki must bear the brunt. He abandoned the APC in circumstances, hindsight was not so clear and in sympathy, PDP accepted him, on certain conditions but as time went, on arrogance, narcissism stepped in and intolerance made party management difficult.
Obaseki’s poor interpersonal skills, ever so poor and unable to converse as a team player, PDP went into a spin. Old friends became new foes. In that mood, by election time of 21st September 2024 with the tension in the party which was tearing the cohesion of once a great party the PDP was in no shape or readiness to retain the State. This opened up the room for doublespeak and what evolved as Legacy PDP.
The Legacy group was going to extract their pound of flesh. It is the group that had some genuine grouse. The South-South PDP Leader, Dan Orbih who does not have the magic wand to win the election, was expelled at some point in a ridiculous move, as it was odd for a state PDP to be expelling a leading founding member of the PDP in Edo state.
It was Orbih who was everywhere four years ago leading the campaign for Obaseki’s re-election. It was thus expected that fighting Orbih was not such a great tactical move and it made no sense as politics is about interest, friendship, and inclusivity and not dissensions and fractionalizations.
But Obaseki was so hell bent on his highway or no way attitude. It proceeded further into the election season with a spurious indictment of the Deputy Governor. It was a chase which had neither rhyme nor reason.
Shaibu’s ambition or headiness was poorly handled. Then add all that into the mix of the uncertainty of what could happen to Engineer Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama in the Edo 2024. Everyone waited and with bated breath if Obaseki may for once, be an accommodating and reasonable party leader.
He went into his element and snubbed everyone and not only came out with a good and excellent product, Asue Ighodalo but rejected the accommodation of Hon. Ogbeide-Ihama in his plan but rooted for Osarodion Ogie as Ighodalo’s running mate in the election.
At this point, the battle line was drawn, everyone was now frenemies. The backstabbing, and betrayals all began. New re-alignment began. The more visible was the former or declared or restored the erstwhile State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu who was donating vehicles and branding his campaign office for Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa.
The more incongruous part of this double dealings was that he was now openly declaring himself an APC member, while still claiming, ostensibly himself a PDP Deputy Governor.
Although that scenario played out in the 1999 era, between former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a PDP Head of State, while Atiku Abubakar, the then Vice President, was a member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
It must be said that in 2024, such awkwardness was going to be difficult to accept either by the party, PDP or the majority of the populace.
Some analysts have argued that the undisciplined part of the Nigerian and the desperation of Shaibu to be called an Excellency while injecting maximum damage to the electoral chances of both the PDP in Edo State and the possibilities of Asue Ighodalo emerging victorious in the elections.
Since it could not be him, Shaibu, then no one else. To add to it all, the promise made to Omoregie four years ago, while true four years down the line, the scenario of the best to lead fitted Ighodalo more.
Potentially valuable as Ogbeide-Ihama may be, his capacity to lead as a governor was not so apparent. In the meantime, the man, nicknamed kulukulu, Orbih was strategizing with the enfant terrible of Nigeria politics, Nyesom Wike, to make sure that Federal institutions, the INEC and the police could be drawn in to collapse what was being dubbed, Obaseki Third Term Agenda.
But was that the perception of the public of the PDP, in Edo State and the chances of Asue Ighodalo? Far from it. Despite the heap of charcoal and the narration by Benin to worst Obaseki and thereby make Ighodalo suffer collateral damage, it was not seen as such by the majority.
The public discerned that between Ighodalo and Governor Monday Okpebholo, the better Candidate is Asue Ighodalo. To make the APC case worse, Mondon ay Okpebholo was goofing and gaffing at every campaign ground. His capacity to articulate intelligently and state his mission of wanting to be a governor, more so, of Edo State, when Edo State was not one of the Northern States, made the public believe that Ighodalo had the capacity and the wherewithal to be the Governor, yet, was seen as Obaseki’s protege.
The presence of former Governor, Adams Oshiomhole on the campaign hustings. Oshiomhole seemed on a vendetta and he proved it by making spurious allegations and rude remarks on personalities, a characteristic trademark of his.
The perceived disrespect by Obaseki for Benin Royal Palace, which was dragged into the politics, became an opposition tactic at every gubernatorial contest.
Then came the elections and the filed reports. Then came the uploaded IREV, which all could see to determine the final of the election. But that was not to be. Not with Adams Oshiomhole and his hatchet men, including Nyesom Wike the FCT Minister, who was said to be the man behind the mask.
Everything funny was said to have begun to play out. Results from inside Benin could not be declared early while results from far away locations in Edo North were turned in early.
Some PDP alleged some manipulations in the process that led to Okpebholo’s declaration as the winner of the election. The presence of APC Senate leaders and Governors, plus the prevention of the Governor and PDP supporters from accessing the collation center in Ikpoba Hill made it all certain that while a not so competent Candidate was presented in the election of September 21st, and the mood of the aggrieved PDP members who were in cahoots with the APC and the federal agencies, it was certain that an election loss was in the offing.
The verdict came and the mood of some people soured. It was speculated that APC members were in for a gathering around the political table for another round of feasting having been laid off for four years and the aggrieved members of PDP who by and large defected, were all prepared to cut their nose to spite their faces.
It did not matter that Ighodalo had all the business capacity connected, had the intelligence and the capacity to govern a modern State, the old power grab and resource self-allocation of the APC politicians both at the center and at other National points was going to win the day. Who could be the loser? Perhaps too early to tell.
However, the APC seems not to have presented anything to convince those who know what governance and development are all about. Just as Tinubu has bluffed his way to impose his “chop I chop” politics in Nigeria. Is Edo State in for a nightmare?
Some analysts have equally argued that the entire game plan of 2027 is afoot and it does not matter to the APC if they “captured” Edo State by hook or crook.
The huge figures in the election were not because of anything, but because of massive and humongous vote buying by the two major political parties in the election.
Yes, Obaseki used Consultants to work, a reason people felt he was “clever by a half”, but look at the quality of administration and of finished building and systems. The upskill of those who should know better was meant to be transferred to empower and give capacity to local skills, which was a good thing.
But perhaps Obaseki blew it all up and caused the feelings of many and the labor of Ighodalo who was said to be in a sinking boat with Obaseki who is perceived as too combative by some of his admirers, to go to waste.
Most Obaseki supporters have argued that he worked and transformed Edo State in a lot of ways was not in doubt, but his critics have also argued that his administration was not transparent.
The recent revelation that Obaseki ran a government for eight years without any financial record alleged by the Chairman of Edo APC Transition Committee, Dr Pius Odubu, a former Deputy Governor of the State, is indeed concerning.
But Obaseki’s undoing was poor people’s skills, poor public communication skills and very poor interpersonal skills, which made organizing a politics of inclusivity very hard for him.
Can Ighodalo prove and reclaim his mandate? The task may be arduous over the maturity of the Nigerian Judiciary.
Then Nigerians would all be looking back at what could have been – the possibility of Ighodalo being Obaseki’s successor. Will that be Edo’s loss? With the direction Nigeria is headed, is APC an alternative hope or a path to the future?
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