…Buhari congratulates Obaseki
By Ayo Kehinde, John Okoh, in Benin-City
Governor Godwin Obaseki
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has declared incumbent governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki re-elected for another four years in office.
INEC’s Returning Officer, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, announced the result of the election on Sunday evening.
He said Obaseki of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, polled 307,955 votes to defeat his closest rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, of the All Progressives Congress, who got 223,619 votes, in the September 19, 2020 governorship election that was contested by 13 candidates.
Rim-Rukeh, while declaring Obaseki winner, said the incumbent governor was returned elected after satisfying all requirements in line with the law.
Reacting, Obaseki said “Words fail me in saluting our teeming supporters who displayed immense courage in the face of threats, intimidation, and brutalisation.
“The collective will of Edo people made it possible for us this triumph over godfatherism. Congratulations to Edo people.”
According to the breakdown of the voting pattern in the 18 local governments of the state, PDP won in 13, while the APC won in only 5.
- AKOKO EDO LGA: APC-22,936: PDP-20,101
- IGUEBEN LGA: APC- 5,199: PDP-7,870
- ESAN NORTH EAST LGA: APC- 6,556: PDP- 13,579
- ESAN CENTRAL LGA : APC-6,719: PDP- 10,694
- IKPOBA OKHA LGA : APC-18,218: PDP- 41,030
- UHUNWONDE LGA: APC.- 5,972 : PDP- 10,022
- EGOR LGA: APC – 10,2002: PDP – 27,621
- OWAN EAST LGA: APC – 19,295: PDP – 14,762
- OWAN WEST LGA: APC – 11,193: PDP – 11,485
- OVIA NORTH EAST LGA: APC – 9,907: PDP – 16,987
- ESAN SOUTH EAST LGA: APC – 9,237: PDP – 10,565
- ETSAKO WEST LGA : APC – 26,140: PDP -17,959
- ETSAKO CENTRAL LGA: APC 8,354: PDP- 7,478
- ESAN EAST LGA: APC- 9,237: PDP-10, 563
- ESAN WEST LGA: APC- 7,189: PDP-17,439
- OREDO LGA: APC-18,365: PDP-43,408
- ORHIONWHON LGA: APC-10,488: PDP- 13,445
- OVIA SOUTH WEST LGA: APC- 10,636: PDP=12,659
How Obaseki proved pundits wrong:
#EDONOBELAGOS Slogan:
Many Edo people wanted to see the back of former governor and former embattled National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole for over reaching himself by trying to foist on them a candidate he had demarketed in the 2016 governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The unprintable names and allegations of corruption he levelled against Iyamu, while praising Obaseki to high heavens was used massively during the campaigns. Video clips of the event, which called to question Iyamu’s character, were mounted on billboards at strategic locations throughout the state for the electorate to watch. An attempt by APC to stop the clips from being used was rejected by the court.
More damaging was the appearance of Lagos former governors, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the scene. Popularly seen as the godfather of Lagos politics whose word is law, making and unmaking candidates in the most populous state and commercial nerve of the country, at times to the chagrin of helpless residents, his attempts to campaign for Ize-Iyamu, particularly his last ditched effort in a TV appearance, two days to D-day, where he lampooned Obaseki, further riled much of the electorate who replied with the slogan, #EDONOBELAGOS.
In a show of loyalty to Oshiomhole, who was his man Friday while the formeEdo state governor and Obaseki’s predecessor, held sway as National Chairman of the APC, Tinubu’s attempt to solicit votes for Ize-Iyamu, added the proverbial insult to injury for the politically discerning electorate in Edo and even erstwhile political enemies of Obaseki, who had initially kicked against what they considered the governor’s tight fisted rule, but turned around to offer him support fearing that a three enemy combination posed by Oshiomhole, Tinubu and Iyamu would be too many to handle, rather that a single one, Obaseki.
As journalist and public relation practitioner Dele Momodu puts it: “Someone you called a Lucifer some years ago you now want us to believe is a Pope. It does not work that way in public relations.”
Political Configuration:
Many though with the APC controlling the local governments in the state together with 14 out of the elected but estranged lawmakers, the grassroots were in APC’s pocket. But PDP has two out of the three Senators in the state and three out of the nine House of Representatives. Moreover, APC went into the election factionalized. The faction led by Anslem Ojezua, did not defect with Obaseki to the PDP, yet it remained loyal to the governor all through his supremacy struggle with Oshiomhole. He led that faction, recognized by the court, to work within for the governor
It was his faction that engineered Oshiomhole’s suspension by his ward 10 chairman in Etsako and ensured that attempt to lift that sanction after Oshiomhole had been disgraced out of the party as National Chairman, was foiled and the media reports to that effect later turned out to be a handiwork of the faction loyal to Oshiomhole, led by Colonel David Imuse, who even lost his Esan West Ward 9, Unit 3 polling unit in Saturday’s governorship election, where the PDP scored 126 votes while APC scored 93 votes.
As it turned out many of those who were loyal to Obaseki were allowed to remain in the APC and work within for him.
For some constituents, particularly in the five Esan LGAs, all of which Obaseki won, it was pay back time for Oshiomhole and by extension the APC. During his governorship, Oshiohmole who said he was out to rid the state of godfatherism targeted one time Minister of Works, Mr Tony Anenih, popularly called “Mr Fix it” for some of the political machinations he carried out for his party, the PDP. Oshiomhole over did it by transferring his aggression against Anenih to his Esan people, many who are even against the monetized politics of the former PDP stalwart. The king of Esan Central Anenih’s LGA was even removed from the throne by Oshiomhole. He was restored by Obaseki.
As a retired police chief confided in THISAGE: “Oshiomhole is our in-law because his first wife was an Esan, To have behaved the way he did to our people, frustrating us through lack of appointments, infrastructural development just because he hated Anenih was rather unfortunate. The election results from Esan land speaks for themselves.”
Obaseki also wooed and got massive support of the downtrodden who complained of been “overtaxed,” during Oshiomhole’s era. Motorcyclist, traders, taxi drivers were all full of joy when Obaseki stopped and canceled many of the taxes.
INEC, POLICE, AND OBSERVERS, EU, US VISA BAN THREAT
When the Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed deployed 31,000 police men and women to Edo state for election monitoring duties, the fear of “Federal Might” filled the air. It was believed the police were sent there to do the bidding of the ruling APC and work for Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s victory.
But as it has turned out, the presence of the police as well as men of the National Security Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, not only helped to reduce violence and thuggery to its barest minimum, but also allowed INEC officials to do their work within the scope of political manouverings by the two major political parties, the APC and PDP. Reports of INEC official being shot and taken to hospital and another slapped as reported in Etsako Central LGA as well as that on the vandalization of election materials in Ovia West LGA and Uhommode, looked like isolated, though condemnable, cases.
According to the IGP’s team leader in the state, Garba Umar, the police were in Edo to ensure the election was conducted in a fair, free atmosphere, “to make sure the electorate cast their vote for the candidate of their choice.” Umar, who is also head of INTERPOL in Nigeria, said, the deployment of policemen was not the result of an arbitrary decision but an analyses of situation reports in the state.
In the same vein, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Lere Oyemade, who supervised the men on the ground, said, “police gave good coverage and ensure nobody was intimidated. Democracy must be inclusive, free, fair and acceptable.
Then the fear of imposition of Visa ban announced by the United States and the European Union on election manipulators, THISAGE, has learned played another, though subtle, role in reining in high profile sponsors of violence, thugs and hoodlums. Combined with the strong presence of policemen and women, many of such sponsors of thugs simply let things be as they could not contemplate forfeiting their ego massaging trips to many of their abode abroad for sponsored violence they knew was a futile exercise in the presence of eagled eye-security personnel on the watch.
In his commendation of the exercise, PDP Governor’s Forum Chairman, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state, thanked President Buhari for, “his appeal and directive to agencies of government, INEC and security agencies to ensure and guarantee free and fair election in Edo State, “ and thanked the people of Edo state for exercising their franchise without fear or favour. Chairman of the PDP campaign Council, Governor Wike of River state commended all the parties to the electoral process for what he considered a job well done.
Meanwhile, President Buhari has congratulated Obaseki on his victory. A Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Sunday, said Buhari commended the electoral process that saw the Independent National Electoral Commission declaring Obaseki winner.
In the statement titled “President Buhari commends election process in Edo State reiterates commitment to free and fair elections,” Shehu quoted Buhari as reiterating his commitment to credible elections.
In congratulating Obaseki, the President was further quoted as urging him to “show grace and humility in victory.”
Buhari said, “My commitment to free and fair elections is firm, because, without free and fair elections, the foundation of our political and moral authority will be weak.
