By Sufuyan Ojeifo
The outgoing Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has, by the
way he cavalierly manipulated the conduct and outcome of the September 28
governorship election, proved to the entire world that he is an unkind
Mafioso. Having unsympathetically arm-twisted ambitious individuals
within his Mafia group, supposedly in Edo State, as typified by the All
Progressives Congress (APC), he got most of them to kowtow to his
predetermined agendum of foisting Godwin Obaseki on the party as its
governorship candidate. It was not surprising that he resorted to extreme
self-help in his desperate bid to railroad an Obaseki governorship on the
people.
What mattered most to Oshiomhole was how to ensure, at all cost, the
emergence of a successor that would cover his questionable tracks. The
truth, really, is that anybody, in his shoes, enjoying the backing of the
Federal Government, would do the same thing. This is understandably
because his political survival and the assurance of protection against
post-office inquisition for the alleged mindless misappropriation and
plundering of the commonwealth of Edo people could only, in his vain
imagination, depend on the successful enthronement of a surrogate as a
successor. He has, perhaps, forgotten recent history of surrogates, under
the current dispensation, who have become thorns in the flesh of their
predecessors and benefactors.
The action by politicians, which I have always believed to be ungodly, is
to deliberately plan to rig out opponent(s), and burden the actual winner
to run to the tribunal to prove that he or she actually won the election.
Such a scenario always places the opponent in a position of disadvantage,
particularly if the defendant is the governor or party in power. This is
the situation in Edo where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship
candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has already filed a petition before
the Election Tribunal in his bid to reclaim what he strongly believes to
be his “stolen mandate.”
Indeed, three, if not four things, I believe, continue to serve as
encouragement to Ize-Iyamu on his voyage of reclaiming his “stolen
mandate.” One, there is a precedent in the State, which involved the
current dramatis personae. In 2007, Oshiomhole, who was sponsored by
Ize-Iyamu’s Grace Group on the platform of the then Action Congress (AC)
for the governorship election was defeated by Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor
of the PDP. But, because Oshiomhole believed he won the election, he
deployed his labour activism background and experience by making the State
ungovernable through incessant street protests during the period of the
case at the tribunal and court. He intimidated and blackmailed everyone.
He caused the court to resort to vote cancellations virtually turning it
into an electoral body that recomputed the votes and awarded victory to
him. That was how he became Governor in 2008. A vast majority of Edo
people believe that this should happen in this current case between
Ize-Iyamu and APC’s Obaseki.
Without wanting to act contra bonus mores, knowing full well that the
matter is sub judice, I can only interpose at this point: that I hope the
PDP and its candidate have been able to file solid, provable cases of
election manipulations, over-voting, rigging and other infractions that
the tribunal can latch on to admit that the applicants have substantially
proved their case beyond reasonable doubt against the defendants. A key
step is to avail the tribunal with the authentic results and prove the
same in order to effectively counter the results that INEC announced on
the basis of which it declared Obaseki as the Governor-elect.
Second, Ize-Iyamu and the PDP appear to enjoy the support of the people as
evidenced during their statewide campaigns and as demonstrated by the ease
with which the people have been easily mobilized on several occasions to
embark on peaceful street protests in Benin since the INEC announced
Obaseki as the winner of the election. It takes a popular, confident and
genuinely shortchanged party to do so. The critical argument that subsists
in many quarters in Edo state is there was no way the people would have
rewarded the APC with the votes that gave it victory, considering its
perceived anti-people policies, ranging from multiple levies to
excruciating tax regime.
Third, it would appear somewhat remarkable that Oshiomhole, his
Governor-elect and others who worked together to subvert the will of the
people, would find it difficult to celebrate their so-called victory.
They know such celebration is misplaced because the victory in their kitty
is stolen; and, it is only a question of time that there will be a just
recompense, if not at the tribunal and the courts of law, certainly in the
court of God. God’s judgment is right! The Bible says, in Proverbs 20:17
that “stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth.”
(New Living Translation) If the consciences of these election riggers
are not dead and seared, they should live under the burden of real quilt
until the guilt is exorcised through the legal process that culminates in
issuing victory verdict in favour of the actual winner of the election.
Perhaps, the fourth thing is the current pressure that the APC Federal
Government has piled on the Judiciary. I hope the Judiciary, which is now
hung on the cross by agents of the Executive, has learnt its bitter
lessons. It has the opportunity to reinvent itself and prove to the
entire world that it is a dependable custodian of the Temple of Justice.
The Edo governorship election petition offers that opportunity. It is
expected that the judicial officers will resist possible overtures from
any quarters and deliver judgment on the basis of facts adduced and
proved.
But while we anxiously await the petitioners and the defendants to lock
horns and treat us to legal theatrics and fireworks, the new godfather has
continued to irritate us with his predictable and old-fashioned antics of
political vendetta and outright persecution of those who pitched their
tents against him and his surrogate, Obaseki. Take, for instance, the
suspension for seven days, from October 26 to November 1, 2016, of the
Onojie of Uromi, Anselm Aidenojie, as widely reported in the media: the
showmanship of political power was unnecessary. However, the new
godfather, would want to humiliate the royal father for allegedly having
sympathy for the PDP candidate, Ize-Iyamu. For an incident that allegedly
happened on the Election Day when an APC woman, Ms Betty Okoebor,
misbehaved and was called to order by the Royal Father, thus making it
impossible for the APC to win in any polling booth in Uromi, Oshiomhole
decided to punish the Royal Father.
Oshiomhole had earlier directed the Royal Father to apologise to the woman
and the State Government; otherwise, he would stand deposed as the Onojie
of Uromi. This parody of Uromi royalty is unconscionable. But the woman,
who is a loyal subject of the Onojie, wrote to Oshiomhole, to plead that
she would not be in a position to accept such apology as it would amount
to sacrilege. This is proper upbringing and respect for tradition on her
part. But the Governor is causing aggravation instead of building bridges
of reconciliation, kindred spirit and bond. This is quite sad. We are
witnessing the last dance steps of a neo-godfather whose underbelly will
be exposed, not many months hence.
There is no doubt that Oshiomhole, who loves power and grandeur, but
pretends to be an austere labour man, is completely sold to the bad habit
of abusing leaders, attacking the characters of elder statesmen,
embarrassing Traditional Rulers and royalty as well as undermining
time-tested traditions for personal and self-serving political
expediencies. This lover of public space has fully unraveled but will
soon be displaced and Edo people will be spared his petulant ranting and
antics.
Mr Ojeifo is the Editor-in-Chief of The Congresswatch magazine.