Edo: Oshiomole Blew It All Away - Oke Umurhohwo

By the evening of Sunday, September 20, 2020, the ballots count had ended, and the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), wasted no time in announcing the result. According to INEC, Godwin Obaseki, the incumbent governor, polled 307,955 votes to beat his closest rival, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who got 223,619 votes.

This outcome renewed the mandate of Obaseki for the next four years and expectedly, triggered varying reactions in Edo state and across the country. Just like the election, celebrations and criticisms are dependent on the side of the divides, causing sentiments and emotions to flow freely.

What just happened? That question rang like a bell in the mind of political observers, many of who least expected the outcome of the poll. While Obaseki secured a fresh term as Edo governor, something big had happened, and in the process, altered the political configuration of Edo state.

It was not unexpected, but the timing and how it happened is what must have caused a sensation. The re-election of Obaseki pointed to one thing– and that is the depletion of Oshiomole’s relevance in the scheme of things in the state.

Before that election, Oshiomole was seen as the ‘kingmaker’, who dictate the political direction of Edo state, and without his blessing and backing, becoming a governor or holding any other political office in the state, would be a herculean task. So, when he withdrew support for Obaseki and queued behind Ize-Iyamu, some presumed it was game over and that the outcome would produce a new governor for the state.

But that didn’t happen, and without much prompting, the Edo electorates put a final seal on the political fortune of Oshiomole and left him with nothing. Edo is not Lagos sentiment pushed Oshiomole to the brink, and he could not withstand the defiance of a multitude of electorates, who resoundingly opted for freedom. Before that election, Oshiomole’s political fortune had dwindled, and winning Edo state for Ize-Iyamu could have offered a reprieve, but that didn’t happen.

Well, Oshiomole has himself to blame for the outcome he got. The signs were there for some time now, but typical of people oblivious to the ephemeral nature of power, Oshiomole failed to read the mood of things properly, or perhaps, as some people have insinuated, allowed himself to be pushed to the extent that he blew everything away. Yes, Oshiomole is left empty, just like the first time he joined politics.

Whether in his home state or elsewhere, Oshiomole’s influence has nosedived significantly, and the huge goodwill he enjoyed over the years, seemed fast gone. The problem, as several events in the past have shown, is his high-handedness and insatiable lust for control, most of the time, for personal benefits and to massage his ego.

All these were enough motivation for resistance, and before you know it, Oshiomole turned an aging fighter who has lost touch but keeps flailing away while his opponents easily throw punches. This is evident in the manner in which he was unceremoniously sent packing as the National Chairman of APC, and with the outcome of the Edo governorship election, he could no longer be a godfather.

If there was any good news in how things turned out for Oshiomole, it would be the valuable lesson on the transient nature of power and how no human should play ‘god’ in the face of other people. That was the impression that the disqualification of Obaseki in the APC’s primary suggested, and the subsequent moves from Oshiomole, including that of a former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who went as far as to canvass against the governor’s re-election in a viral video, gave to the public.

As things now look, Edo did not only decide who govern them for the next four years, they made an even important choice– and that is saying no to godfatherism. In 2016, Oshiomole was able to maneuver his way and get the electorates to agree to his choice, but as the just concluded governorship election showed, they resoundingly say no this time, leaving the former governor empty handed. A sad turn for him!

Written by Oke Umurhohwo, a Political Analyst and Strategist. He tweets via @OkeStalyf and can be reached on [email protected]

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