Edo governorship: Oshiomhole, Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu and politics of self interest
There is an axiom that in politics which states that there is no permanent friend or permanent enemy, but permanent interest.
This saying indeed has come to reality in the ongoing political intrigues in towards the Edo State governorship election, as the interest of key political gladiators are beginning to override the relationship they have had with some of the aspirants whether good or bad.
The political development in Edo State have made many political watchers to wonder whether political leaders in the state are taking the people for fools who can be taken for a ride at any point in time or that they believe that with their financial power they can sway the people whichever way they desire.
This concern is especially germane considering what transpired among key political leaders in the state during the 2016 election and the level of revelations, accusations and counter accusations among some political leaders in the states and how these same people make a 360 degree turn around on the same individuals.
A major case in point is the former governor of the state now national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole and the 2016 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, whose accusations and counter accusations left many mouths wide open, now turning around to become bed fellows as the 2020 election comes closer.
While the 2016 election campaign was ongoing in Edo State, Governor Oshiomhole, as he then was, came down hard on Ize-Iyamu, saying many negative things about him and convincing the Edo people not to trust him with their treasury, and why Godwin Obaseki is the God sent who will take Edo State to the promised land, the people heed the call and today Obaseki is governor.
However, between then and now a lot has changed and Obaseki has fallen out of favour with Oshiomhole who has now found Ize-Iyamu as the best person to take charge of the affairs of the state, while Obaseki has become to him a person of negative repute.
For instance, Oshiomhole had told Edo people then to vote for Obaseki of the APC and not Pastor Ize-Iyamu of the PDP, saying the PDP candidate, from his antecedents, cannot be trusted with public funds.
Oshiomhole had told various traders’ associations in Benin City that his distrust for Ize-Iyamu with public funds prevented him from appointing him after he was re-elected as Governor in 2012.
According to Oshiomhole, “I didn’t appoint Ize-Iyamu because of his past record, I would not be comfortable to put government money in his hand, that is why I kept him completely out of government, I didn’t even give him a board appointment. He was part of the government that looted Edo State treasury. Don’t put the key to your kitchen in the hands of someone you don’t trust.
“Usually, a governor appoints the Director-General of his campaign after his election, but I didn’t appoint him into government because I have his records, I do not trust him. You must know who you can use for what.
“I read Ize-Iyamu complaining that I’ve developed my village, Iyamho, Yes, because Iyamho is part of Edo State, but I didn’t put the money in my pocket, but what did they do in Okada, they said they wanted to do a dual carriageway, they collected the money and put in their pocket and they didn’t do the Okada road.
“They accused me of building a state University, Edo University, Yes, but they also built a University and privatised it. The difference is this, in our records, they’ve spent more in Okada than any other place in the state, but there’s nothing on ground to show for it.
“Today, we are going to flag-off a new company that we gave land to in Ovia North East to produce a variety of products and set up an agricultural park. We have also given land to the company making Indomie, so instead of sending Indomie to Edo State, they will come and produce it here.
“When Godwin Obaseki says he will create 200,000 jobs, he knows what he is saying and he meant it; the road is already there for those 200,000 jobs,” he said.
Also speaking at the APC campaign flag-off for Edo North at Auchi, Oshiomhole said the EFCC should do its job and make the PDP candidate face the music for collecting N700m of the Dasuki Arms fund.
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He said: “According to Pastor’s statement to EFCC, he took the N700m Dasuki fund to their Leader’s house and they shared it in line with the principle of PDP which is ‘share the money’.
“Now EFCC asked how to narrate who and who did you share to, he said ‘ oh we gave various local governments’, they are singing how they shared government’s money for defence exactly same way as local witches used to sing at midnight when there was no light in villages.
“Do you know why he wants to be a governor, Mr Ize-Iyamu wants to be a Governor to get immunity to protect him from prosecution. Today, we ask EFCC why is Ize-Iyamu having confessed to money collected for Defence from Fidelity Bank, having confessed to taking it for purposes other than defence and directing how he shared it, he must face the music that Dasuki and others are facing. Even their leader wrote in his handwriting that he collected N300 million from NSA.
“Do you want to hand over Edo treasury to a thief. I’m a proud Kukuruku man, not the son of a cook, but we don’t take money for Police, money meant for soldiers, money meant for Defence to secure Christians in Churches, Pastors are collecting it and sharing it to their party members.
“For me, I am humbled by what God has shown that he is capable of doing, when I see them now appealing to power for level-playing field I wonder. I thought they would decree that there is no vacancy. Things have changed and things will continue to change.
“I’m the Governor today and I have all the records, I advise them to be quiet.”
The question now is what has changed? This question has become relevant today because the same Ize-Iyamu who was painted with all manner of negative brush prior to the 2016 election has now become the best candidate that Oshiomhole, chairman of the ruling national political party that prides itself as a party determined to fight corruption to the ground is now fronting as the best person for the same Edo State.
Since the assumption of office of Governor Obaseki, he has had running battles with his predecessor, Oshiomhole, who more or less singlehandedly made him governor of the state.
Oshiomhole had fought every opposition to Obaseki, imaginary of real and made many enemies along the way to making Obaseki governor, but shortly after becoming governor they had what many described as a fallout mainly because of Obaseki’s determination to deviate from Oshiomhole’s style of leadership and policies.
Not happy with the development, Oshiomhole was said to have immediately begin a plan to truncate the governor’s Obaseki’s second term, and modalities was put in place to replace him with Ize-Iyamu who by now had made peace with Oshiomhole.
Despite many attempts to deny that Oshiomhole had pen Ize-Iyamu down for the position, recent development seem to put a lie to such denials.
Today, Ize-Iyamu is the toast of many political leaders in the APC and he is one of the favourites to win the APC primary already fixed for later in the month of June for which he has already purchased the form.
This development is despite the claims of the immediate past National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who said in a recent paid advertorial in some national newspapers recently that President Muhammadu Buhari, has endorsed an agreement that Governor Godwin Obaseki be returned for second term to contest the September 19 election unless he do not wish to continue in office.
Odigie-Oyegun, in the advertorial said he was aware that Buhari had endorsed that the governor be given right of first refusal.
He, however, said since democracy did not encourage imposition, the party must also accept and present governorship aspirants.
He said, “I also welcome most warmly the news that Mr President has firmly endorsed the agreement reached to settle the disruptive leadership crisis at the national level that was threatening the very existence of the APC.
“The immediately relevant part of the agreement was that both the governors – Mr Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki of Edo State and Mr Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN of Ondo State have performed creditably and should be returned unless they do not so wish.
“This means that the party, in unity, should organise to support the return of both governors.
“Our democracy of course has no room for imposition, so the party must accept and also present members that offer themselves to serve in the positions being occupied by the incumbent governors.”
In the case of Edo State, the former party chairman expressed the hope that a consensus can be built around Obaseki because he has performed well and has not offended any aspect of the party’s constitution.
If a consensus cannot be built, Odigie-Oyegun said “everything must be done to ensure that the persons in the leadership of the party at the centre who are part of the contrived crisis in Edo State must not even remotely be allowed to plan, participate or supervise the primary election.”
Despite this position which some key leaders of the party interested in the Edo election has said did not happen, action have been intensified to ensure that Obaseki second term is frustrated.
However, a chieftain of the APC the state, Barr. Andrew Osawaru, has warned that Oshiomhole would be making the greatest mistake of his life, if he now decided to work with those who plotted to impeach him when he was governor of the state
Osawaru noted that the state’s deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, whom Oshiomhole now sees as his betrayal, stood by him and fought the new friends of Oshiomhole with his blood.
He alleged that the new friends of Oshiomhole were the same people that led thugs to invade the House of Assembly in order to impeach him (Oshiomhole) but were resisted by Shaibu.
He noted that Oshiomhole may be the major loser as he would no longer have the formidable support he enjoyed from Edo North prior to the 2012 election, as he has betrayed his political son for those who plotted his impeachment.
He further alleged that these new friends have already perfected plans to pay the national chairman back in his coin for the humiliation they suffered from him when he held sway as the governor of the state.
According to him, “It is fast becoming evidently clear that after the next governorship election in Edo State, and obviously before the next Presidential election in Nigeria, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole would have been shoved into a state of political irrelevance.
“Edo State political gladiators are earnestly waiting for Comrade Oshiomhole to explain publicly, how a man whom he described on the 24th of July 2016, as a pathological liar and a dubious pastor that masterminded the looting of Edo State resources during the reign of Chief Lucky Igbinedion as the State Governor now suddenly turned a saint that can be accorded any political trust and relevance.
“While some people are already talking about Oshiomhole’s overbearing influence in the affairs of the state, others are talking about how he will be cut to size by his new found friends after handing over the party’s ticket to them.”
He said there is already uneasy calm among supporters of Gen. Charles Airhiavbere and Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi and other members of the Edo Peoples Movement, on why Oshiomhole and others “will impose on the people, Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu, who left the party.”
He added: “The battle may have just begun as the disintegration in the party will be full-blown in the days and weeks ahead as supporters of various aspirants, including Governor Godwin Obaseki’s supporters will want to outdo each other with series of blackmail that will involve sponsors/aspirants.
“Those who decamped with Pastor Ize-Iyamu claimed to have returned to occupy their former house, those who claimed to have built the house and stayed with Comrade Oshiomhole are flexing muscles to fight to finish, as the new decamped members cannot come and take over what they had earlier destroyed with lots of crises.
“While some people are already talking about Oshiomhole’s overbearing influence in the affairs of the state, with the imposition of over seven commissioners that were recently sacked, others are talking about how he will be cut to size by a man he once defamed, should the party ticket be handed over to Ize-Iyamu.
“With the calculations ahead, Oshiomhole would be the major loser as he would no longer have the formidable support he enjoyed from Edo North prior to the 2012 election, as he has balkanized the party and betrayed his political son for marabouts.
“Worst still, those who recently decamped with Ize-Iyamu are those that fought Oshiomhole with lot of casualties at the House of Assembly and during the elections.”
The question now on the lips of many political watchers is what interest is Oshiomhole fighting for in his new political chess game? What does he intend to gain in the support, tacit or otherwise, that he is currently giving to Ize-Iyamu against Obaseki and Shuibu?
Besides all of these, if Obaseki who has had very good relationship with him in the past could turn his back on him so soon after assuming office, what is the hope that Ize-Iyamu, who he had publicly defamed, if he becomes governor will not only turn his back on him, but dig up evidence to put him behind bars?
This is the time for Oshiomhole and other political gladiators in Edo State to put on their thinking caps and rethink this political chess game, to ensure that whatever they do today does not come back to haunt them in the near future.
