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Intrigues as 20 contenders scramble for APC’s ticket in Edo

The Edo State governorship election comes up in September, 2016, and already several politicians have shown interest in the top job. Daily Trust on Sunday…

The Edo State governorship election comes up in September, 2016, and already several politicians have shown interest in the top job. Daily Trust on Sunday takes a look at some of the contenders under the two major parties, APC and PDP.

Evidently, the contest between the multitudes of aspirants who are working hard to take over from Governor Adams Oshiomhole will be dicey.  Besides contenders from other political parties,  over 20 aspirants are struggling  for the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and each one of them feels he deserves  to take over from the outgoing governor,  who is alleged to have crowned his successor.
 A peep into the life of some of the aspirants brings out salient issues about them.
Major-General Charles Airhiavbere:  He is one of the strong contenders for the APC ticket in Edo State and this is the second time he is seeking the number 1 seat. He retired from the Nigeria Army in 2011 and went straight into partisan politics where he contested the governorship election in 2012 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 
After a dodged struggle, he lost to the incumbent governor, Adams  Oshiomhole, but remained a powerful figure in the  PDP, which he worked for during the 2015 presidential election. The PDP delivered Edo for the former President Goodluck Jonathan, and also won the National Assembly election in the state.
However, when President Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential election, Airhiavbere decamped to the APC, where he also led the party to win the state House of Assembly election.
 He said his structures are still intact, and that he is ready to make the APC retain the Edo government house after the election.  General Airhiavbere has also pledged to drive the party’s progressive ideologies and programmes towards the overall development and improvement in the living standard of people of the state. He  said with his viable economic model, which encompasses effective security system, youth and women empowerment, blocking of leakages in all sectors of economy of the state, rehabilitation of ailing industries and factories long abandoned by previous governments, employment generation and other laudable programmes, an APC government under him would launch Edo State to the outside world.
Airhiavbere low side is that he is new in the APC. 
 Dr Pius Odubu: He is currently the deputy governor of Edo State and is seen as another serious contender for the governorship seat.
One of his strength is that he has been in elective office for 16 years. He was at the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007 under the platform of the PDP and thereafter became the deputy governor.
He is a grassroots mobiliser with proper understanding of political intrigues in Edo State. When the space for the contest was opened, he did not hide his interest in stepping into the shoes of the incumbent governor. However, as his journey began to yield fruits, it became evident that he does not enjoy the support of his boss.  Despite that, Dr Odubu says he is part of the success story of the governor and that he will continue with the party’s programmes if elected governor. At a time, the deputy governor alleged threat to his life when some assailants fired gunshots during the flag off of his campaign rally which was rebuffed by Oshiomhole and all other government functionaries, a pointer that he is not the preferred candidate.
He says he is optimistic of getting the party’s ticket if the primary is free and fair. Sources said if he does not get the APC ticket and the crisis in the rival PDP is not resolved, he may get the sympathy votes of aggrieved PDP supporters at the general election if he gets the ticket of any other party.
Dr Godwin Obaseki: He is another formidable aspirant of the governorship poll on the platform of the APC. He is currently the chairman of the state Economic Management Team and has the full support and backing of the governor Adams Oshiomhole. He is already seen as the “golden fish” and the most preferred successor of the governor, who has been mentioning his name at every available opportunity.
Though not seen as a grassroots politician, he will have to rely deeply on the popularity of his boss to get the party’s ticket. However, if resources are anything to go buy, Obaseki would have his way.
Barrister Ken Imansuangbon: Popularly known as the Rice Man of Edo because of his yearly distribution of rice in the state during Christmas period, the politician has an appeal among the downtrodden. He is an educationist and the owner of the Pace Setters group of schools in Abuja. He is also contesting on the platform of the APC.  Imansuangbon was formally a member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). At a time,   he left for the PDP but when he lost the governorship ticket of the party in 2012 to Gen Airhiavbere, he left the party and went back to the APC. Imansuangbon who hails from Edo Central, will rely on luck to get the party’s ticket because the APC  has already zoned the position to Edo South. 
Professor Oserheimen Osunbor: He was a former governor of Edo the state on the platform of the PDP in 2007 but lost at the election tribunals to Governor Oshiomhole. There are clear indications that after tasting what it means to be governor, the professor believes he has more to offer for the Edo people and working tirelessly to actualize his dream.
He contested the 2012 governorship primaries but lost to   Gen Airhiavbere. He was also a former Chairman of Nigeria Law Reform Commission. He decamped to the APC after the 2015 general elections. He neither has the backing of the governor nor that of the party’s machinery in the state but is insisting that he shares some ideals with Oshiomhole.  
Mr Frederice Osar-Ose: This is another contender in the APC. He says he stands out because he believes that his resolve to continue from where Governor Adams Oshiomole stops will bring the desired change in the state. An ardent supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, Ose has the listening ear of some of the APC stalwarts in Abuja and Benin.
Osarodion Ogie: Is a former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Works in Edo State. At present, he is among the contenders for the APC ticket.
Chris Ogienmwonyi: Is a former Minister of State for Works and has shown interest in picking the APC ticket for the governorship.
Pastor Ize Iyamu:  He was the Secretary to the Edo State Government (SSG) under the former administration of Chief Lucky Igbinedion. He was formerly of the PDP before he decamped to the defunct ACN which later merged with other parties to form the APC. He rose to become deputy national chairman (South) of the ACN and was chairman of Governor Oshiomhole’s re-election campaign in 2012. He fell out with the governor, when it became clear to him that Oshiomhole will not back his governorship ambition. He is now a strong contender in the PDP and has the backing of the state biggest political structure, the Igbinedion family. Barring last minute change of political scheming, he may not have much problem getting the ticket of the PDP.
Chief Solomon Edebiri: He is another aspirant on the platform of the PDP. He enjoys the support of the masses in the state but does not have the backing of any god father. He also contested the governorship of the state in 2012 on the platform of the former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

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