By Abu-Uwesu YAKUBU
I am one person who enjoys robust contests in any endeavour ranging from football, a game which I enjoy a lot, through boxing of which I am a follower and then politics, both local and international.
It is in this light that I have enjoyed and savour the diatribes and cross fire, until some little time past, between especially the All Progressives Congress APC and People Democratic Party PDP, being the two major contending political parties in September 21 governorship election in Edo State, and in addition, the little political noise-smoke emitting from the Labour Party LP’s relatively puerile camp.
Of recent, it seems that the fire in the PDP camp is waning and turning to ashes while that in the APC camp has smoldered into a conflagration engulfing the state in frenzied support for the candidacy of APC’s Monday Okpebholo/Dennis Idahosa ascendency.
The little noise droplets from the PDP camp now only seems to surround Senator Okpebholo being non-endowed with gift of the garb, while the APC camp revels in showcasing democracy dividends delivered even though it is not the ruling party in the state.
Here is not to dwell on who has provided for the citizenry better in terms of infrastructure but to interrogate reason why the PDP campaign umbrella is degenerating and almost becoming commatos.
I want to imagine that APC was good in oiling its campaign machinery from the onset by firstly consecrating on highlighting Asue’s godfather, Govenor Obaseki’s abysmal eight years performance as Governor in Edo State. This singular aspect, I hear bore fruits as Ighodalo has begged Governor Obaseki to distance himself from his campaign affairs as his involvement in it has constituted albatross. Such Ighodalo’s request I hear also, has created a hiatus between the governor and his baptised Asue political son making the governor restrict government apparatuses of campaign from him.
The second thing I feel the APC successfully did was fueling the Obaseki self-orchestrated conflict between himself and deputy, Philip Shaibu leading to his grievous mistake of non-clandestinely removing Shaibu which maneuver has since backfired on the sitting governor.
We have since witnessed how, Shaibu being erstwhile member of PDP Edo inner caucus, has capitalised on the hidden secrets in Asue’s INEC candidacy qualification to traumatize both Asue and Obaseki including the PDP in terms of the various suit, he Shaibu, has instituted and won against them. Such secrets are the non utilisation of the authentic delegates list in PDP primary and the forgery of voters card for aspirant Ighodalo to partake in primary contest, both cases in which Philip Shaibu currently has legal upper hand.
The final APC straw deployed is the unabating harvest of the the who is who in Edo PDP into its fold. When the likes of Senator Urhoghide, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, Ogbeide Ihama and host of others led the train, it was seen as child’s play. Soon it turned a tsunami with the likes of former Minister Onoleleme, Obaseki jnr, etc, streaming into APC. The Dan Orbih’s PDP faction joining forces with APC to dethrone their very party of membership compounded issues.
Today the rout is as good as completed with the same State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, former House of Representatives aspirant, Omosede Igbinedion in Ovia and the who is who that has ever traversed the PDP terrain crossing over to the warm embrace of APC.
The result in all these have manifested in the crowded rallies of APC since it flagged off.
The antithesis is that the wind seems let off the PDP sails as not much is heard about its campaign trail. Even the social media rants of its members seem to die off.
In all these, I get worried because I enjoy and encourage robust contests. It is clear from the ongoing that PDP has lost the September 21 governorship election even before ballot but that should not prevent the party from presenting a bold front. Afterall, it is said that he who fights and runs away lives to fight another day
That Governor Obaseki has ruined the PDP chances even before votes are cast does not mean that Asue Ighodalo should throw in the towel so soon.
I encourage Asue Ighodalo to take heart and run the race till the finishing line even if the tape would have been breasted by Senator Okpebholo before him.
*Abu-Uwesu Yakubu is member, Publicity Committee of APC Edo State Campaign Council.
