The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cleared 17 political parties to participate in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State with only one of them, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), fielding a female candidate for the contest.
In line with the INEC guidelines, all the political parties, in one way or the other, have flagged-off their campaigns, adopting various strategies to win the contest, reports Vanguard.
The three major political parties in terms of membership, spread and ones that can be said to have the required financial muscle to campaign and contest in the election remain the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP).
There are some other not-too-big parties in terms spread but have candidates that command some level of following.
They are the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which has the cerebral former Chief of Staff to former governor, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, Dr Isaiah Osifo, and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) which has fiery preacher, Azemeh Azena, of the Omega Fire Ministries as its candidate.
Curiously, the big three are suffering internal wrangling and defections that have reduced the tempo of their campaign or forced them to change strategies.
The events leading to the 2023 general elections and the outcome of the elections have significantly increased the level of political consciousness in the state.
People who never thought they could win elections, particularly from the LP, got elected into the Senate, House of Representatives and the state House of Assembly.
This increased political awareness and massive mobilization by one of the political parties contributed to the high number of people who participated in the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
LP
The Labour Party, despite its huge following, particularly in three metropolitan local government areas of Edo, Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba-Okah, and parts of Edo North, is battling with who is its deputy governorship candidate between Yusuf Kadiri (SAN) and Oluyinka Faith Alufohai.
Alufohai was the initial person picked but the party later claimed that she has been replaced by Kadiri but the INEC portal still has Alufohai as the deputy governorship candidate of the party.
It also currently has two people, Kelly Ogbaloi and Hon (Mrs) Elizabeth Ativie, claiming to be the state Chairman of the party while Kenneth Imansuagbon is still challenging the party’s primary election that produced former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olumide Akpata, as its candidate.
The controversy over the deputy governorship came to light again a few days ago when a group, Equity For Justice, called on the INEC to disqualify Akpata for disrespecting the law by still parading Kadiri as his running mate.
The group called on the national leadership of the party and former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to call the gubernatorial candidate to order because his action is confirming claims in some quarters that he could likely have been planted in the party to destroy it before the election and also criminal according to the Electoral Act.
They claimed that the party wanted to zone the ticket of the party to Edo Central until Akpata allegedly hijacked the process.
However, the factional Chairman, Ogbaloi, told Vanguard on phone: “They are actually misleading the people because some of them have developed into unnecessary busy body, meddlesome interlopers and they don’t have to take care of what does not concern them.
“Yes, it is a fact that there was a disputation on the fact that INEC hasn’t done the needful, but, right now, we have approached the responsible institution which is the court to authorize or instruct INEC to do what it should do; so that does not translate to the fact that we have an illegal deputy governorship candidate.
“What we have is the authentic governorship candidate, but, soon, INEC will publish the right thing and agree that, at the moment, the changes have not been effected by the INEC. That will be done and while we are waiting for that, Kadiri has the right to participate in all the activities the party is doing as deputy governorship candidate in wait.”
Despite these seeming challenges, Akpata and the party had a very successful launch of their campaign, penultimate Saturday, though without the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, who is alleged to be funding a faction of the party.
The colourful event had the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, whose presence drew many members of the ‘Obidient’ movement into the mill.
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They visited the palace of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, for royal blessings and also had a street rally and then used the day to commission the new state secretariat of the party and the campaign office of Akpata.
The Obi factor and the elites and many young and educated minds who still believe that the PDP and the APC are the two sides of a coin remain the biggest assets to Akpata and the LP.
APC
The APC, after several delays and release of different lists of members of its campaign council, more than three times, eventually inaugurated the APC Campaign Council on Friday, June 14 by the leader of the party in the state, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, who is also the chairman of the Council.
Although some leaders of the party claimed that the reason for the delay was because of the series of defections into the party from the PDP and the LP, Sunday Vanguard that it was due to disagreements on the composition of the Council between some leaders of the party including Oshiomhole, the Acting State Chairman of the party, Emperor Jarret Tenebe, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
At the inauguration, Oshiomhole said the party was poised to retake the state from the PDP and put the state to what he termed abandoned path of development.
He said that titles do not matter and urged every member of the party in Edo to work hard to win their units and wards, adding: “Every member is canvasser.
“If it requires me to take the role of a sweeper, I will sweep Senator Monday Okpebholo into office as governor.”
The Director General of the Campaign Council, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, expressed joy on the inauguration and urged members to work hard, as the task of defeating a government in power was huge.
He also urged party members to resolve their differences and work hard for the victory of the party and de-emphasize the role of money.
Tenebe acknowledge the late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, Prof. Ambrose Alli and Oshiomhole as three former governors who provided good governance for the state and said that Governor Godwin Obaseki was supposed to continue from where Oshiomhole stopped but he failed, adding that the result is the flooding Benin was witnessing and lack of red roof schools across the state and promised that by the time Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa come on board, those things would come back.
What the party is trying to explore is the obvious anger of the political class against Obaseki which has led to many of them resigning and defecting from the party and many also joining the APC while some have chosen to remain in the PDP but vowed not to work for the party or the candidate on the day of election.
Among this two classes are Hon Charles Idahosa and Hon Nosa Adams who have openly resigned from the PDP and joined the APC in grand styles while the likes of former deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, and former House of Representatives member, Hon Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, both former governorship aspirants of the PDP who have donated their vehicles and secretariats to the APC and its candidate.
More resignations are expected in the next weeks leading to the election according to some leaders of the party.
But the APC has also had its share of losses as its Vice Chairman, Edo Central, Chief Francis Inegbeneki, has resigned from the party.
The resignations also include the spokesperson for the party’s campaign council in the 2020 election, John Mayaki, and one of the party’s female aspirants, Victoria Amu.
Amu on Wednesday formally joined the PDP.
It remained to be seen how the party would explore the dissatisfaction of the political class to its advantage.
PDP
The PDP remained the big fish with its egg heads and many not conservative members of the party are looking up to the election and have vowed to remain in the party and sail it to victory.
The party was the first to inaugurate its campaign council led by a veteran in the politics of the state, Hon Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, who was once the state House of Assembly as Majority Leader, a Commissioner that represented the state in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a former governorship aspirant and senatorial candidate.
He commands a huge following.
Despite the defections, the party is moving on with a new strategy of meeting with the voters directly and winning new members to itself.
During the last Continuous Voter’s Register (CVR), the PDP embarked on a conscious move to mobilise people to go and participate across the state.
Several leaders and members, including some local government council chairmen, mobilized their people to be part of the process.
The party may not embark on rallies as it used to but meeting the people directly through their various associations where the candidates and the party leaders meet with the people directly and interact with them.
The party has engaged a lot of canvassers across the state donning the candidate’s attires and souvenirs moving around.
The PDP is also heavily relying on the Edo people in the Diaspora who have reasonable influence on dependents at home.
The candidate and his running mate are expected to have symposiums in several parts of Europe that have huge Edo population to let them know of their manifesto and programmes for the state.
One of the senior leaders of the party said: “Most times, rallies are for party people which we will definitely do. What the party is doing right now is the usual way of campaigning that we are used to.
What we are doing is meeting the people directly in various ways and hear from them directly, we were supposed to have a town hall meeting few days ago which was shifted, we will still have it though because it is in such meetings you meet with the people directly, they are free to express themselves and tell you what their views are and what they want. They can ask questions as much as they want and there is room for interaction with the candidates and that is what we are doing.
“For instance if we meet with tailors union, we will hear from them directly, such people will not have the opportunity to ask you questions in a rally but such meetings with them directly, they tell you their problems and you hear from them directly and then know how best to handle their issues, that is the same for every other groups. It is going to be across all groups both professional groups, associations, unions and all so with that, you are connecting directly with the real voters.”
But the biggest asset for the PDP going into this election is the deputy governorship candidate of the party, Osarodion Ogie. He is unarguably exposed and experienced politically. In fact Vanguard gathered that candidate Asue Ighodalo only decided to contest when Ogie agreed to be his running mate.
In addition to having served in different capacities under the Lucky Igbinedion administration, Ogie was the Secretary of the Oshiomhole Campaign Organisation in 2007.
He coordinated the legal team that retrieved Oshiomhole’s victory in the courts that culminated in the swearing of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in November 11 2008 and he was appointed Oshiomhole’s first Chief of Staff.
He was the Commissioner for Works in Oshiomhole’s second term and, even at that, was still handling so many political issues for the former labour leader.
Ogie’s connections cut across the three senatorial districts, across parties and religious lines; he does not discriminate and operates an open door policy. He does not only reach out during Christian festivals, he does the same during the Muslim’s ones too. One of his aides told Vanguard that in the last Sallah, he reached out to virtually every mosque in Edo. His strongest point is he talks less so his plans are hardly known but he is very strategic.
If the PDP wins the election, then the victory would substantially be linked to the Ogie factor.
