- APC clears all 12 to run, primaries tear PDP apart, LP reschedules primaries, increases number of aspirants
As the race to succeed the outgoing governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki of the People’s Democratic Party intensifies, the All Progressives Congress screening committee led by a former Minister of Sports, Professor Taoheed Adedoja has cleared all the 12 aspirants to contest in the party’s primaries billed for Friday, February 17.
The National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, who spoke through the National Organizing Secretary, Suleiman Argungu during the inauguration of the committee, said, “We are going to provide a level playing ground for all our 12 aspirants. I implore you to be thorough in carrying out your assignment and follow the checklists to be sure that all the aspirants comply with the guidelines.”
He said, “As you proceed to engage with the task for which you have been nominated, please, be rest assured that we have made sure that the exercise will be hitch-free and seamless.”
The speech gave the aspirants the assurances that the party has no anointed son as was widely claimed prior to the purchase of both Expressions of interest and nomination forms. Both forms cost N50 million.
The APC has repeatedly said it would not embark on the journey of 2019 when the party was influenced by one of its top-notch politicians to dump its sitting governor, a decision that cost the party the Dennis Osadebe government house.
The Point gathered reliably from an inside source that the National Executive Committee of the party had instructed that the 12 aspirants who purchased forms for the governorship seat should be allowed to slug it out at the primaries.
“The NEC through the National Working Committee told the Adedoja-led Screening Committee that the 12 aspirants who purchased forms should be given a level playing ground and there should be no disqualification.
“We don’t want any form of implosion in our party after the primaries. We don’t want a situation where the party will field a candidate whose popularity is insignificant in the state. That’s why they should go to the polls and whoever emerges should be supported by the party hierarchy so that we retrieve the state. It’s our state. We lost it to internal wrangling and I believe we have learnt our lessons,” our sources said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the screening committee, Prof. Adedoja, gave the aspirants the assurances that the committee will be guided majorly by three documents in its assignment – the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the constitution of the party and the guidelines that have been handed over to aspirants in respect to their participation.
He said, “I want to assure you that we will be fair, first and foremost in going through the guidelines in the process of our screening of these aspirants.”
Living up to his words, the screening committee Chairman and his members cleared all the aspirants thereby saving the appeal committee from the hassles of listening to appeals of disgruntled aspirants and equally saving the party from litigations arising from the screening.
The committee concluded the screening on Friday and gave clearance to contest in this week’s primaries to the dozen aspirants.
The 12 are full of confidence that whosoever emerges as the party’s standard bearer will clinch the state’s governorship position come September 21.
Former South South Zonal Organizing Secretary, Blessing Agbomhere insisted that the time for the APC to reclaim its place in Edo State politics is now and any mistake in nominating the people’s choice candidate will be disastrous.
Prior to the screening, he said concerning the issue of rotation and zoning in the state and the projection that Edo South holds the ace to decide who becomes governor of the state, “The truth of the matter is that Edo is one big family. We know that the Binis have the highest concentration of voting population in Edo State. But let us not also forget that Benin City is the capital of Edo State. So you have people from Edo North who live in Benin. You have people from Edo Central who live in Benin and vote there.
“You have the Yoruba community, Igbo, Hausa, Ijaw. So Edo South is centered around Benin, a cosmopolitan area which has settlements of people.
That doesn’t mean if they want to vote for a Benin man or Afemai or Esan they won’t.
“The Edo people believe in a patriot who will solve the problems of Edo State because the problems of Edo are not particular to a specific tribe. Just the way a Bini man is suffering, so also an Afemai or Esan man is suffering. What they want is a solution. They want someone who can provide solutions.
“We don’t want any form of implosion in our party after the primaries. We don’t want a situation where the party will field a candidate whose popularity is insignificant in the state”
“If it is an Edo North man that has the solution, Edo people are ready to vote for him most especially knowing that Godwin Obaseki, the current Governor is from Benin in Edo South. So, it is always necessary for the ticket to go to other areas. I believe in merit not areas. I believe in capacity. If it is an Edo North man like Blessing Agbomere that has the capacity to provide leadership that will empower and create wealth for Edo people he will get the people’s mandate.“
The aspirants who received their certificate of return on Saturday after being cleared by the screening committee to slug it out in the APC primaries are Prince Clem Agba, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Lucky Imasuen, Anamero Sunday Dekeri, Pastor Osagie Andrew Ize-Iyamu and Gideon Ikhine.
Others are, Col. David Imuse (Rtd.) Gen. Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (Rtd.), Sen. Oserheimen Osunbor, Blessing Agbomhere, Dennis Idahosa and Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe.
While the APC is working tirelessly to go to forthcoming polls a united family having overcome the dangerous hurdle of disqualifying some aspirants to favour others, the ruling People’s Democratic Party is enmeshed in a seemingly unending crisis arising from the face-off between Governor Obaseki of PDP and his estranged deputy, Philip Shaibu.
Ordinarily, the September 21 election would have been a narrowed battle with the outgoing governor Obaseki as the battle axe of the PDP while APC gubernatorial candidate in the 2020 polls, Pastor Ize-Iyamu who is still in the race being a major contender to dislodge the PDP. However, political analysts and party loyalists in the divisions have warned that undermining zoning and rotational formulas by any party will spell doom.
In most states, zoning or rotation of political offices, especially the position of governor, has shaped the fortunes for good or ill of political parties in Nigeria since the return of democracy in the country in 1999.
It has underlined the ethnic, tribal and religious fault lines even in seemingly homogeneous states within the heterogeneous federation of Nigeria.
On paper, Edo State is homogeneous in language, culture and tradition.
However, the constitutional division of the state into three senatorial districts, majorly along geographic and tribal inclinations, has thrown a wrench in the oneness of the people, who now see themselves as distinct entities, willing to do anything to protect their political rights within the system.
In Edo State, the PDP literally collected power from the APC which was in power from 2008 to 2016 on a platter of gold in 2020 through infighting. As such, the predictions for a return to power in 2024 may be bleak if the APC gambles with the zoning of the governorship seat based on whatever reasons that will not deliver for the party the required number of votes to re-occupy the Dennis Osadebey Avenue Government House in Benin City.
Speaking on the issue of rotation and zoning and the claim of marginalization of Edo Central, a lawyer and political analyst, Silva Emeka said the matter should not be swept under carpet but added that the important thing is to address the issue of marginalization.
“I can say that since some states introduced rotation and zoning in deciding who becomes their governor and other elective and major appointments, they have enjoyed relative peace but be that as it may, this principle has yet to be sorted out because you continue to hear people or tribes claim to be marginalized. The question is who is really being marginalized and who is marginalizing who? In the case of Edo State, from the second Republic the Esan people of Edo Central have produced two governors in late Ambrose Alli and Processor Oserheiman Osunbor, though the tenure of the latter was cut short by a court judgment.
“However, evaluating the past tenures of the highest political office in the state amongst the three senatorial districts, the Bini-speaking people of Edo South would have occupied the governorship for 16 years, from 1999 to November 2024, while the Afemai-speaking people of Edo North have enjoyed that privilege for eight years, from 2008 to 2016, and the Esan people of Edo Central for one year and seven months, from 2007 to 2008.
“This could be the empirical impression that Edo Central has been seriously marginalised in the political equation, but this is not true. If we retrospect, we will discover that the Edo South people, despite their huge population, appear to have consciously or unconsciously conceded political leadership to the other senatorial districts, which are smaller than them in population and voting strength. It would also expose the fact that the Senatorial district that has truly suffered marginalisation is the Edo South. A cursory look at the top political positions both elective and appointment occupied by the zones indicates that until the emergence of Adams Oshiomhole the zone had not held such executive positions even from the first Republic.”
Emeka recalled that Edo State was previously part of the old Midwestern Region and Bendel State but despite the relatively small number of the Esan people of Edo Central, they have played leading roles in the politics of the state. “Chief Anthony Enarhoro, for example, played a very prominent role in the Midwest and national politics, and was reputed to have moved the first motion for Nigeria’s independence in 1953.
“Chief Anthony Anenih, until his demise recently, was an enigma and the de facto political leader in the state and at national level, who ensured that most of the federal ministers, including himself, Dr Joseph Itotoh, Senator Magnus Odion Ugbesia, and Arc. Mike Onolememen, came from Edo Central.
“Prof. Alli was elected as the first civilian Executive Governor of Bendel State in 1979 (and ruled till 1983), and got substantial votes from the people of Edo South and Edo North.
“Ironically, even in Edo Central where the Esan holds sway, the people of the defunct Agbazilo in Esan North East and Esan South East are complaining of marginalisation in the senatorial district,” he said.
Oserheiman Osunbor whose tenure as governor was cut short by what he described as conspirators that may not be available to conspire against him again believes the best way for the APC to reclaim its place in Edo State government house is by throwing the race open for the best and sellable candidate to emerge.
He was in agreement with other aspirants from the party.
For the ruling PDP, governor Obaseki is not playing a hide and seek game with his overwhelming support for Asue Ighodalo to clinch the PDP ticket.
Ighodalo is from Ewohimi, Esan South East Local Government Area in the Edo Central. This implies that the governor and those in his camp desire to return power to the zone through the PDP.
“Governor Obaseki is not playing a hide and seek game with his overwhelming support for Asue Ighodalo to clinch the PDP ticket”
Should he have his way and should the aspirant emerge and go ahead to win the election, the principle of rotation and zoning would have become fully enshrined and Edo State and the good people of the state would be the winners. But how visible this can be when most PDP Chieftains are kicking against it, is another issue.
Nevertheless, Edo South with the record of producing more governors is not excluded in these lamentations, as the people have complained that with over 50 per cent of the landmass and population of Edo State, allocating only seven of the 18 local government areas to the South is the height of marginalisation.
These complaints and cries, though sound petty, are genuine and borne out of the glaring neglect of some areas in the scheme of things in Edo State.
While the complaints cannot be ignored, deliberate and concrete efforts should be made by the political class to address them.
Inasmuch as the bigwigs of the PDP in the state have joined forces with some in Abuja the party described as “black sheep” the tendency for the party to lose the election is very high, more so when the Labour Party is lurking as a devouring lion to whisk away its prey.
To prove this, the leadership of the Labour Party only last week approved a slight adjustment in its guidelines ahead of its primary election.
The party after its National Working Committee meeting held on Friday adjusted by a day the entire timetable including the dates for the purchase and submission of forms for the delegate elections, deadline for the purchase and submission of the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the governorship primary election as well as dates for the appeals.
According to the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, “The sale of forms which was earlier slated to end on Saturday February 10th is now shifted to Monday February 12th. The date for the governorship Primaries earlier fixed for February 22nd will now hold on the 23rd of February.
“Similarly, the leadership of the party has adjusted the guideline for the emergence of the party candidate for the election. While two delegates will emerge from each of the 192 political wards in the state, the leadership of the party however increased the Local Government delegates from five to seven persons in all the 18 LGAs each.”
Ifoh claimed that in taking this decision, the party having listened to submissions from the various stakeholders of the party including the members of the National Assembly, elders and leaders of the party in the state agreed to increase the number of the delegates to ensure more participation and democratization of the exercise.
He said the party pledges that it would ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants even as it insists that it would not in any way interfere in the process leading to the emergence of its flag bearer.
