WHY THE DECIDING FACTORS ON 2024 EDO GOVERNORSHIP CONTEST AS POSITED BY GIDEON OBHAKHAN HAS NO BASIS IN REALITY

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BY IRIAEVHO YUSUF MOHAMMED

As far as electoral projections and postulation goes, there is no Edolite or close watcher of political events and trends in the state presently can deny the massive popularity of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the APC. His continually growing popularity and the sense of affinity the masses of Edo people across ethnic divides have for him are the most palpable and talked about factor in Edo right now. The fervent support for this simple but grassroots minded philanthropist and progressive politician has seen the most unlikeliest of political heavyweights decamping to APC because of the Opkebjolo’s appeal.
That is why any objective minded person with insight of Edo political contest today will find the recent article written by Gideon Obhakhan and titled “Factors that may shape Edo 2024 Gubernatorial Election’ most lame at best and deliberately misleading and mischievous. Considering the fact that the writer himself is not only from Esanland, but also a leader in APC, even more, he was an aspirant under APC before he stepped down and refused to pay for his form of intention also makes his summations most strange.

However, our focus here are not on the person of the writer but the issues he raised
On the issue of voters demographic divides, every body knows that it is a tacit agreement that it is the turn of Edo Central to produce the next governor of Edo State. It is in precognition of this fact that both the APC and the PDP, the two dominant political parties in Edo State chose their flag bearers from Edo Central. Consequently, claiming that because the Labour Party’ candidate is from Edo South is a factor in his favour is outright fallacious.
It is also a fact as Mr. Gideon reluctantly admired that the youths support that LP enjoyed in the last general elections has since like over heated water evaporated and condensed elsewhere and that place is Okpebholo of the APC.
Talking of the character, pedigree and general acceptance of the candidates, it is very obvious that Mr. Gideon was only expressing his personal wishful thinking and positing same as factors. Firstly, it is very surprising and misleading to state that Okpebholo was an unknown entity in Esanland and Edo State before his advent into partisan political contest before 2023.
The truth is that though not in politics before then, Okpebholo had already become a household name in Edo Central due to his personal community developmental projects that dotes the entire landscape of Esanland and his personal philanthropy across demographic divides. An eloquent testament to this was his unprecedented and overwhelming victory under the APC in the 2023 Senatorial contest in a Senatorial District that had been a PDP exclusive reserve since 1999.
Mr. Gideon also shot himself in the foot by alluding that Ighodalo has the support of the people of Esanland because it is their turn to produce the next governor of Edo State. The fact is that Ighodalo though an Esan man has no political or developmental presence in Edo Central. He is an unknown character without any contribution to speaks for him nor endear him to his people. To them, he is a total stranger with only his name as an identity as an Esan man.

The most unfortunate aspect of Gideon Obhakhan’s article was his totally willfully blind of eye and deliberately misleading attempt to downplay current happenings in the political space in Edo State.That is namely the gale of defections from both the PDP and the Labour Party that shows no sign of ablating anytime soon. The fact is that Okpebholo’s popularity and acceptance across the state has become a tsunami that is bent on sweeping PDP and any other opposition to oblivion even before the election proper.
Mr. Gideon obviously anti Opkebholo stand was his erroneous description of Okpebholo as been timid and in the same breath still say that it his timidity that draws the people of Edo to him is standing logic on its head. How can you call a Senator of the Federal Republic who is not known for shying away from addressing the Red Chamber, pushing motions that will benefit his constituents, and a man who is a pioneer ICT investors in Nigeria timid beats imagination
Coming back to demographic divides, it is a fact that the APC deputy governorship candidate has more electoral value than Akpata can ever dream of in Edo South. Also, Mr. Gideon derogatorily posited that the APC Primary of which he would have been a contestant was messy. Tell me which electoral contest in any clime that does not have its fall out?

How can you say that lingering issues in an intra party contest that has seen Edo State APC emerged stronger and more united with the two leading contestants now governor and deputy governorship candidates, and other former contestants visibly working hard and deploying their personal human and capital resources to the success of the party, except himself of course will work against the party? Big laugh.
The fact is that out of the three leading contending parties, only APC has emerged scar free from its primaries.
In PDP, Obaseki’s single handed choice and emergance of Ighodalo has left PDP as a house divided against itself and will surely crumble. The Labour Party has totally lost traction due to what Edo youths see as the dollarisation the process that saw the emergance of Akpata as the parties flagbearer against their choice.
In conclusion, it is obvious that Gideon Obhakhan was only stating his own wishful postulations, perhaps based on his personal grudges or he is surruptiously gunning for another candidate outside APC .

Whatever are his motives, the fact is that his postulations are far from reality and have no bearing in the realty of this contest.

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