Forces that worked against Oshiomhole, Ize-Iyamu in Edo

Like the proverbial cat with nine lives, Governor Godwin Obaseki has clinched the governorship seat of Edo State for a second-term after navigating the political murky waters and surmounting the dark clouds that characterised his re-election bid.

Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 307,955 votes to defeat his closest rival, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 223,619 votes.

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Obaseki defeated Ize-Iyamu, the anointed candidate of his former godfather, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The outcome of the poll has left sad tales and sorrow in the heart of the losers on one hand, and tears of joy in the heart of the winners.

This is the second time in four years that Obaseki defeated Ize-Iyamu.

In the 2016 governorship election, Obaseki contested on the APC platform, while Ize-Iyamu contested on the PDP platform. Obaseki won the poll.

While some heavyweight politicians and power brokers in the APC have bitter tales and experiences to churn out, others see APC’s defeat as democracy in action.

Political pundits have argued that many factors worked for the PDP candidate including a conspiracy by some chieftains of the APC who are angry with the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Oshiomhole.

It was gathered that the plot was to disgrace Oshiomhole and Tinubu, ahead of 2023 political machinations.

There are claims that some APC governors and a minister from the South-south worked for Obaseki.

Specifically, there are hints that three APC governors from the South West, two from the North-west and one from the North-central as well as a serving Minister from the South-south met in Abuja, before the poll and perfected strategies on how to work for the PDP’s candidate.

It was learnt that the governors made financial donations to the Obaseki’s campaign and detailed some of their key aides on how to execute their agenda which later resulted in APC’s defeat at the poll.

Obaseki had earlier confirmed at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, in an interview with newsmen, shortly after he was screened for the June 25 governorship primary election of the PDP that he still enjoyed the support of some APC governors even as he defected to the PDP.

“I still thank God that I enjoy national support; not just support from my colleagues from the APC. I think the support is national,” he said.

A chieftain of the APC, Barrister Abdullahi Jalo, however, told Daily Trust in a telephone chat that, “We lost Edo largely because of Oshiomhole’s attitude to the elders and political leaders of the state.”

A former state publicity secretary of the APC in Edo,  Godwin Erhahon, also told Daily Trust that the party lost the election because “The people of Edo State were tired of Adams Oshiomhole’s dictatorship and therefore resolved to bury him politically. “

But a former governor of Kano state, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in a congratulatory message to Obaseki, argued that the advisories from the US and UK warning potential election riggers of consequences beyond the borders of Nigeria made the PDP  to win.

However, a source at the APC National Secretariat told our correspondent in confidence that the APC candidate, Ize-Iyamu, was defeated because Oshiomhole de-marketed him in 2016.

“Oshiomhole was captured in different video clips deriding Mr Ize-Iyamu, the then PDP candidate, in a bid to sell the candidacy of his then political ally, Mr Obaseki.

“It was captured in the news that he called Ize-Iyamu different names such as; treasury looter, acid bather, and person of questionable character.

“With this, it is clear that men of goodwill in Edo state have deserted the APC and its candidate,” he said.

He added that the “injustice” meted out to Obaseki by denying him a ticket in the APC was equally a contributory factor to the party’s defeat.

Tinubu’s broadcast

The broadcast by the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, days to the election also contributed to the loss of the party. It gave birth to the slogan, “ Edo no be Lagos”.

Like a wildfire, it went around the 18 local government areas of Edo State.

According to pundits, Tinubu’s broadcast on national television was the last straw that broke the camel’s back in the election.

Speaking on Tinubu’s broadcast, Dada Ayokha, said many of the voters were angered by the comment of the former Lagos State governor.

“ Many did not take it funny the claims that Tinubu was trying to annex Edo State to Lagos,” he said.

A media consultant, Dada Ayokha, said the crack within the APC also contributed.

He said those who had issues with Oshiomhole used the election to deal with him.

On his part, former Edo State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Godwin Erhahon, said APC lost the state, “because the people of Edo State were unhappy with Oshiomhole.”

Oshiomhole’s fate

Political analysts say Oshiomhole’s abrupt sack as national chairman and defeat of his anointed candidate in last Saturday’s election, will spell doom for his political career.

The APC National Executive Committee (NEC) had in June, 2020, wielded the big stick against Oshiomhole when it sacked him to quell the intense crisis in the party, and constituted a 13-member National caretaker committee led by Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, to run the party and organise a national convention within six months for a new crop of NWC to emerge.

A political analyst from the South, Chief Jackson Lekan Ojo, has told Daily Trust in a telephone interview that Oshiomhole has killed himself politically.

“Oshiomhole is a victim of self-destruction.

“He has killed and buried his political career.

“He was not sensitive to know that there were forces behind that made Obaseki to fight him.

“He was not sensitive to know that the forces that removed him as national chairman were still there and were planning to nail his political coffin, which they succeeded in doing.

“He wasn’t sensitive to know that some people must have been beating the drum for Obaseki.

“If Oshiomhole was very calm, what has happened wouldn’t have been the end of his political life in Edo and Nigerian politics.

“But few days before the election, Oshiomhole was seen on Channels TV where he said ‘How can a lizard defeat a lion?’

“But eventually, the person he called lizard defeated the Tiger of Bourdillon and the Lion of Oshiomhole.

“So, he destroyed himself. People now removed the plant from his leg and he fell.

“So, he is dead politically, “ he said.

But a member of the APC National Caucus, Chief Sam Nkire, countered Chief Ojo, saying what has happened does not mean Oshiomhole’s political career is doomed.

“Every good politician is like a cat with nine lives.

“You never can say never.

“He has suffered some loss no doubt, but he cannot be breathing his last political breath.

“I don’t believe that he is finished.

“Anybody can suffer a political accident.

“What I know is that he needs some moment of reflection so that if this kind of opportunity comes next time, he will do things differently.

“I advise Oshiomhole to get up.

“When you fall, you get up.

“He is a good politician. Our party has also learnt its lessons,” he said.

Oshiomhole  reacts

Reacting to the outcome of the poll, Oshiomhole said he was not down.

Oshiomhole said: “You work hard and leave God for the outcome.

“You do your best and trust God to bless your effort.

“I feel good, thank God. I feel healthy, thank God. I feel strong.

“Thank God. In life, you win some, you lose some, but life goes on.

“A lot of people will be thinking now ‘Oh, Comrade is down’.

“But I am not down. When God says you are not down, you are not down and I am not down.”

How Obaseki pitched tent with PDP

There were feelers that Oshiomhole during his reign as APC’s National Chairman nurtured and executed an idea of not allowing Obaseki,  who won his first term on the platform of the APC, to retain power in the state.

The APC Screening Committee for the Edo state primary had on June 11, 2020, announced Obaseki’s disqualification while presenting its report to the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.

Chairman of the panel, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, while presenting the report explained that Obaseki was disqualified because the committee could not vouch for the authenticity of his higher school certificate he claimed to have possessed.

Obaseki’s disqualification climaxed the intense feud between the governor and Oshiomhole, who is a former governor of Edo state.

Sequel to the development, the governor consulted his political allies, supporters and thereafter jumped ship to the PDP in June.

The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) met and granted him a waiver on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to contest the party’s primary poll for Edo, where he emerged winner and became the PDP governorship candidate for the election.

The APC and President Muhammadu Buhari have since congratulated Obaseki as winner of the election, but it is left to be seen what will play out in the Ondo State governorship election.