POLITICAL GLADIATORS IN EDO NORTH BATTLE FOR RELEVANCE AS ETSAKO LEADERS MAKE U –TURN
As the february 14th general election gain momentum, the front line political parties in Edo State the All Progressive Congress APC, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and the Social Democratic Party, SDP are ready to slug it out. These political parties are relentless as they aim to outwit each other at the polls. One unique feature of the Edo North polities is that it is a family affair. An afemai man or woman must emerge at the end of the day. Nothing to lost at the long run. The major factors that will sharpen the forth coming election in Edo State is the achievement of the PDP administration in the state versus the achievement of the All Progressive Congress in their six years of reign in Edo State. Based on all this important consideration, Etsako political leaders in other political parties in the state, have resolve to to cue behind their son and first Etsako Governor comrade Adams Oshiomhole in other to safeguard the afemai agenda in the February 14tth election in the state. Chief Iyama who lost out in the APC house of representative primary to Hon. Shaibu said this last minute decision by Etsako leaders is to make afemai politician to be united behind APC candidates.
Meanwhile Political gladiators in Edo State including PDP chieftain believe that before the coming of the Oshiomhole's administration, Edo state was in ruins. Though oil revenue was high, the greater part of whatever accrued from the oil revenue usually found its way into the pocket of those elected by the people. It never matter to the PDP administration whether the people they were representing was suffering or not. According to an insider, I was told in my few weeks in Auchi that the hard work and transparency in the Oshiomhole administration is the basic reason why PDP politicians in Edo State campaign only at night due to their inability to face the shame of non performance in their many years of reign in the state. These are salient issues that will sharpen the February 14thelection in Edo State. This is the first State in Nigeria where the hard work of a sitting governor is becoming an embarrassment to other political party. Now I have a clearer understanding of the word that “The same sun that melt the butter also harden the clay. The same harmer that forges the steel also break the glass. The same love that brings the greatest human happiness can also produce a living hell.” In essence it means you cannot eat your cake and have it. At a point it was a thing of joy to stock pile money without dividence of democracy to show. But today, it is the time to show your faith by your work. I am talking to whom it may concern.
Nigeria democracy has come of age, where the strong must learn to lift up the weak rather than trampling on them like it was during the immigration employment saga. Today in Nigeria, political party campaign by performance and not personality. It is the party that provide the platform for victory not our personality. It is parties that are announce as winners not individuals. Politicians must consider their political platform before picking their party forms for election. For example, the Edo North political landscape is daily becoming interesting with increasing number of defection at every campaign ground. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are the parties mostly affected as their erstwhile loyalists dump them for the APC. SDP had initially benefited from the gale of defection from PDP. But today, those who defected from PDP to SDP are now pulling emmas from SPD again to APC. To the leadership of APC in Edo State, it is an harvest of defection.
The city of Agenebode, capital of Etsako East local government was almost shut down for hours as the Senatorial aspirant for Edo North Barrister Francis Alimikhena as well as the majority leader of the Edo State House of Assembly Hon. Philip Shaibu who is also the APC candidate to represent the three Etsako local government at the National Assembly were on hand to welcome thousand of defectors to the APC. The major bode market road was block as party faithful, supporters and well wishers who throngedthe place in their thousands, dancing and singing praise of their senatorial candidate and the majority leader. Dignitries at the events include prominent politicians including the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, His Deputy Dr Odubu, commissioners, APC State party chairman and his deputy, local government chairmen, LGA party chairmen, APC House of Assembly Candidate in the three Etsako local government among others. Good will messages were delivered.
Delivering their good will messages the governor task the supporters to sweep out PDP from the federal to the State level. The governor maintain that “In the PDP of today, there is apathy, hathred, distrust, oppression, favoritism, impunity and the dog eat dog syndrome. But all these are not part of the APC family the governor said. Other speakers like Hon. Kingsley Ugabi House of Assembly Candidate for Etsako East said “this is a new beginning. This is the time for good thing and good tidings from us. We have brought common sense revolution. On his part, the National Assembly Candidate and majority leader of the Edo State House of Assembly Hon. Philip Shaibu , accused the PDP of telling lies. PDP have exhibited failure, lack of capacity, vision, and creativity. The lies of yesterday is the same lies of today and tomorrow. While expressing confidence that All APC candidate will win in Edo North senatorial district Barrister Francis Alimikhena pleaded with those who have not collected their voters card to go and do so because God can only answer to the prayers of pvc on the day of election. Without your pvc God is deaf to your prayers he emphasis.
Edo North is the most complex senatorial district in the state. This is because the senatorial district have one shepherd (Political leader) and once the shepherd give direction the rest is history. Since Edo state is not conducting governorship election until 2016 when the tenure of the incumbent governor will be over, the political gladiators and parties in the State are scheming over the leadership and control of the National and State Assembly candidate because that will determine their level of impact and influence in the Governorship election next year. The major political party in the state is the All Progressive Congress (APC). PDP and SDP are battling for relevance in the area. To the people of Edo North, APC is their party of choice because it is the governors constituency. As the political coast become clearer by the day, major political camps are already in disarray and political leaders in the state are settling for the governor's boys in other not to be cut in the web. PDP and SDP seems to have lost their ground in Edo State due to the high level of decamping that took place last week in Agenebode, Akoko-Edo, Owan, Fugar and Jettu where more than five thousand members decamp from both Labour party, SDP and PDP to APC. Speaking on behalf of the defectors, the former supervising councillor of finance in Etsako West and former Chairman of Art and culture Hon Okotse Osueme said APC have already shown Nigerians that there have the X-factor to take over the governance from the incumbent president. APC has shown commitment in putting the nation back on the track of development to catch up with the rest of the world I infrastructural development, science, democracy and social order. In the same vein political leaders in Okpella and Igiode have disown their former party and their candidate to support the majority leader of the Edo State House of Assembly who is also the National Assembly candidate to represent the Afemai people and the Edo North senatorial aspirant Barrister Francis Alimikhena. PDP youth leader Mr Festus Ogene who defected to APC with other Okpella youth called on Edo people to come out of darkness and be part of the moving train where the future of everybody is assured rather than running after aspirant who are political spoilers. The former youth leader describe the SPD candidate Engr. Momoh as a political prostitute who has defected from more than three political party within the last few months saying Momoh, Ugbome and others are contesting election in order to use their ambition as a spring board to negotiate for appointment. They are spoilers and not aspirant. Don't waste your vote where it will not count. We must unite and speak with one voice by our block vote. We must strongly resist any political calculations that will underdeveloped Afemai land. He however pleaded with the political spoilers to go back to their core area of service to create room for the growth of their father land.
FROM BEN. A.
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