BY EMMAN OLAREWAJU
The battle for the soul of Edo State in 2024 has begun and the political space in the state is being accelerated as the Independent National Electoral Commission on September 26, 2023, released its timetable for the governorship election paving the way for would-be aspirants as they have intensified consultations ahead of parties’ primaries slated for February, 2024.
As the Edo State governorship election remains only 10 months, September 21, 2024 to be specific, the field is crowded with a lot of aspirants who are seeking to succeed Governor Godwin Obaseki, at the Osadebe House.
Obaseki’s second term will lapse on November 12, 2024.
At the last count no fewer than 68 gladiators are jostling to succeed him.
However there are factors which may shape the outcome of the election; mostly the power-cum-supremacy schemes between Senator Adams Oshiomhole, immediate past governor of Edo State, and his successor, Governor Obaseki.
As of now, they are both busy scheming to outsmart each other in the battle for the soul of Edo State.
Governor Obaseki has been visiting various stakeholders such as party and community leaders in what political observers consider as efforts to garner support for his yet to be identified successor in the forthcoming election.
As pundits said, Obaseki has never lost any political battle since inception, as he is said to be ready to deploy every armament at his disposal to ensure he produces his successor.
Senator Oshiomhole too, on the other hand, is said not to be resting on his oars in his quest to re-assert his dominance in Edo political architecture which he once held.
Expectedly, the battle for the state’s number one seat is going to be a three-horse race between three major political parties – the ruling People’s Democratic Party, the opposition All Progressives Congress and the Labour Party.
However, one of the big obstacles political parties must surmount is the senatorial districts where the parties will pick their governorship candidates from, especially in the face of various agitations by the Edo Central senatorial district that it is their turn to produce Obaseki’s successor as the two other zones have occupied the number one seat in the past.
“Expectedly, the battle for the state’s number one seat is going to be a three-horse race between three major political parties – the ruling People’s Democratic Party, the opposition All Progressives Congress and the Labour Party”
Even though there is no written agreement or legislation in rotating the governorship position among the three major ethnic groups, the Binis, Esan and Afemais, the sentiment among Esan people of Edo Central is very high to produce the next governor.
The first hurdle to overcome is the issue of zoning; and this depends on how strong this factor is in Edo politics. Obaseki and former governor Lucky Igbinedion are from Edo South, while former governor Adams Oshiomhole is from Edo North.
Since 1999, Edo Central has not produced a governor apart from Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor who was on the seat for only 18 months before he was sacked by a court judgement in 2008 and was replaced by Oshiomhole.
Within the PDP, the sentiment is that the next governor should come from Edo Central, but Labour and APC are yet to make a categorical statement on their zoning preferences.
However, aspirants jostling for their parties’ tickets cut across the three senatorial districts with the hope that their parties find them capable as their standard bearers to wrestle power from the ruling PDP in the state.
The contest for the 2024 governorship is expected to be a big cracker among the major contenders and pretenders who had erected billboards and embarked on campaigns on different social media platforms to sell their aspirations.
Politicians are die-hard optimists. Even when the odds are stacked against them and their chances look slim, the belief that they will win every contest is unshaken. One cannot blame them for this in a country where a candidate who finished third in an election was eventually sworn in after a court judged that he scored the “highest valid vote”.
It is such optimism that is driving the old guards and the new aspirants in Edo State as they continue to declare their intentions to run for the governorship seat in 2024.
As the last count, the intending aspirants from the People’s Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, and the Labour Party are 68 with more expected to join the race. The LP has 28 aspirants, the APC has 29, and the PDP has 11, while it is certain that more aspirants will join the race from other smaller parties.
The aspirants are made up of old guards and new entrants while the decision by the APC not to heed the clamour to zone the ticket to Edo Central may see more aspirants joining the race.
Those aspiring on the platform of the APC include Joseph Ikpea; Gideon Obhakhan; Col. David Imuse, retd; Monday Okpebholo, Professor Osariemhenn Osunbor; and immediate past Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba.
Among those aspiring on the plank of LP are a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olumide Akpata, Kenneth Imansuagbon, Dorry Okojie and Pastor Azemhen Azena.
The PDP has the likes of Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu, Gideon Ikhine and Asuen Ighodalo among others.
Osariemhen Osunbor
A former governor of Edo State, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, recently joined the forthcoming 2024 governorship race in the state.
Osunbor, who declared under the All Progressives Congress, said he has the capacity to lead Edo State and its people to prosperity if given the opportunity in 2024 to govern the state.
Osunbor’s earlier victory in 2008 was set aside by the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal which declared his election invalid, and asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw his certificate of return and declare Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole of then Action Congress party as the winner.
Declaring his intention on December 7, 2023 in Benin, Osunbor pledged to address failed road infrastructure in the state, education, health and other developmental projects that are lacking and have taken the state backwards.
“I have the experience and integrity having been in the office as governor for a short time. I promise to deliver good governance,” he said.
Gideon Obhakhan
Obhakhan was commissioner for Education in Adams Oshiomhole’s administration. He is likely to split delegates’ votes because he is from the same local government as Professor Osunbor.
Monday Okpebholo
Okpebholo is currently said to be enjoying support and getting assurances from the leadership of the APC both at the national and state levels.
He is said to have the financial wherewithal to pursue his ambition. It is to be seen, however, if the assurances he is getting now will get him the APC flag bearer and the governorship eventually.
David Imuse
Col. Imuse, retd, the current chairman of APC in Edo State is also from Edo Central. He got the backing of Oshiomhole to emerge as APC chairman. However, he is from the same Local Government Area with the likes of Osunbor, Obhakhan and Ikhine, which may affect his chances of picking the APC ticket.
Joseph Ikpea
Ikpea is a former chairman, Esan South-East LGA and Edo State Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Oil and Gas. With the combination of multinational and international training in management and leadership, supporters of the Edo Central politician said he has the prerequisite pedigree for the onerous task of governing Edo.
Ikpea served as chairman of Esan South-East LGA for his council being one of the three best managed in terms of excellent service delivery. It was based on this that he was appointed as Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Oil and Gas under the Godwin Obaseki administration
Political observers are of the opinion that Ikpea who has been able to build bridges across the different districts through his Joseph Ikpea Humanitarian Foundation would have the needed support to realise his ambition.
Clem Agba
His not hailing from Edo Central may, however, deny him the APC ticket as Senator Oshiomhole and the leadership of the party are said to be looking towards supporting an Edo Central aspirant.
Gideon Ikhine
Engineer Ikhine was one of the aspirants who stepped down for Governor Obaseki during the 2020 PDP primaries when he was disqualified by his party, APC.
He recently left the PDP for APC over what he called irreconcilable differences between him and Obaseki who he accused of hijacking the party. It is to be seen if the APC will favour him ahead of those who had remained in the party during his flight to PDP.
Kenneth Imansuagbon
He is an Edo State veteran governorship aspirant.
He has been seeking the seat for over 20 years. He is also from Edo Central.
His inability to get a ticket of any of the leading parties has become a major hurdle. His defection from one party to the other has also not helped.
In 2016, he was said to have abandoned some of his supporters and constituents by stepping down for Obaseki with little or no consultation.
Now, aspiring on the platform of the LP, it is to be seen if the Labour Party will lead him to victory.
Dorry Okojie
Dorry Okojie is in his mid-40s. Okojie, from an independent popularity rating stands out in the crowd of aspirants contesting on the platform of the Labour party
Matthew Urhoghide
Senator Urhoghide, who left the PDP, recently, has not officially unveiled the platform he will be running on but he is known to be hobnobbing with the LP.
Asue Ighodalo
Asue Ighodalo, co-founder of Banwo & Ighodalo, a prominent corporate & commercial law firm in Nigeria, has set his sights on a new frontier, the political landscape of Nigeria, specifically aiming for the governorship of Edo State.
Ighodalo had resigned from his positions as chairman of Nigerian Breweries and Sterling Bank in preparation for his political pursuit.
“All my life, I’ve pursued excellence through hard work, persistence, and teamwork. Today, I am excited to invite you to join me in honest conversations about Edo State; where we are, and what our vision for the future of our state is,” Ighodalo wrote on X.
His aspirations are rooted in the belief that a collaborative effort can eliminate poverty and overcome current challenges by directing investments towards education, technology, infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, security, and human capital development. He emphasized the critical need to rebuild trust between leaders and citizens to unlock Edo State’s true potential.
Philip Shaibu
Deputy Governor Shaibu is from Edo North and the same LGA as Oshiomhole, a factor that may affect his ambition.
He no longer enjoys a good relationship with Obaseki of which he is alleging of plots to impeach him and has gone to court to obtain an order to stop the plot.
Shaibu’s alleged plan to defect to the APC was ‘aborted’ by Oshiomhole who retorted that APC was not a rehabilitation centre for distressed politicians.
The governor, who is rooting for an Edo Central candidate, has reportedly told Shaibu to drop his governorship ambition, noting that they came on board together under the same ticket of APC in 2016 and would go out together in 2024.
Sources said that the current face-off between the governor and his deputy is as a result of Shaibu’s insistence on going ahead to actualise his ambition in 2024.
“The contest for the 2024 governorship is expected to be a big cracker among the major contenders and pretenders who had erected billboards and embarked on campaigns on different social media platforms to sell their aspirations”
Olumide Akpata
Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata, the immediate past President of the Nigerian Bar Association, recently stormed the Edo State Secretariat of the Labour Party to formally announce his intention to contest for the 2024 governorship election on the platform of the party.
The legal luminary stormed the secretariat with supporters, saying the interest for the people of Edo State is the force behind his intention to govern the State.
He said he decided to aspire for the governorship seat on the platform of the Labour Party, noting that among the registered political parties in the country, LP is the only party that is people-oriented.
While lamenting that the people have been taken out of the equation in governance and politics, he assured that if given the party’s ticket as a candidate in the September 21, 2024 governorship election, he would change the political narrative of the state
“My interest is for the people of Edo State. And what I find out in politics and governance in Nigeria today is that the people have been taken out of the equation. Nobody cares about the people.
“So, when I look around, the only party I find to be people-oriented and to be interested in a lot of our people is the Labour Party. So, I have come here to express my interest and to carry the people along”, he said.
He promised to take the Labour Party to greater heights if nominated as the candidate of the party during its primary election.
The former NBA president, who appealed for a level-playing ground for all the aspirants, urged would-be party’s delegates to consider merit above ethnic and primordial sentiments.
He however concluded that the people of the state need the best among the aspirants to govern them, and not a diasporic governor.
Earlier, Kelly Ogbaloi, the state chairman of the party, said the State Working Committee of the party had agreed to allow him to run, just as he promised a level-playing ground for all aspirants.
The question of who succeeds Obaseki in Osadebe House 2024 will soon be clear at the election of September 21, 2024.
