Edo Guber: Who succeeds Obaseki?

•Ighodalo, Akpata, Okpebhelo, others in battle royale

•How election will be won and lost

By Ozioruva Aliu

THE stage is set. Voters across the three senatorial districts, 18 local government areas, 192 wards and 4,519 polling units of Edo State will troop out to elect a successor to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

No fewer than 2.249million voters, who had collected their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, are eligible to make a pick from a crowd of 17 men and a woman, who will mount the Edo saddle on November 12 and steer the affairs of the state till 2028.
The new governor will bring to an end the eight-year era of Governor Obaseki.

I 2016, the politically little-known Obaseki was railroaded into office by his predecessor and now a senator, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who “coerced” virtually everybody to be part of the Obaseki project from the time the All Progressives Congress, APC, conducted its governorship primary and Oshiomhole dumped his loyal deputy, Dr Pius Odubu, to the election proper.

Throughout the campaign, Oshiomhole was at the forefront of the campaign as he bulldozed his way across the state. Obaseki’s speeches were not long. They were so brief that his main rival then, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had to publicly complain that he did not know who he was contesting against between Oshiomhole and Obaseki.

The romance between Oshiomhole and Obaseki went sour and reached a peak ahead of the 2020 election when Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the APC ensured that Obaseki was disqualified. Obaseki left the APC for the PDP which gladly received him and gave him its ticket. Obaseki went ahead to win the election. Edo people massively stood behind.

Three-horse race

Like the 2023 presidential election, today’s governorship poll has panned out as a three-horse race among PDP’s Dr Asue Ighodalo; APC’s Senator Monday Okpebhelo; and Labour Party, LP’s Mr. Olumide Akpata.

Save for Akpata who seems to be his own man, the other two candidates have strong grassroots politicians backing them

Like outgoing Governor Obaseki, LP’s Akpata hails from Edo South, which has more registered voters than Edo North and Edo Central combined. Ighodalo and Okpebhelo are from Edo Central.

According to the INEC, Edo has 2.629,025 registered voters of which Edo South has1,526,699 followed by Edo North with 673,794 and Edo Central with 440,514.

Edo South as a battleground

Accounting for almost 54 percent of the voting strength of the state, Edo South is the electoral world bank of Edo. For anybody to become the governor, he or she must win a substantial vote in Edo South. Akpata enjoys immense support in Edo South and is expected to give Ighodalo and Okpebhelo a good fight here.

In the battle for Edo South votes, the major backer of Ighodalo here is Governor Obaseki who paved the way for his emergence as the candidate of the party and the process angered most of those who contested with him in the primary election of the PDP and almost all of them have left the party.

Ighodalo’s running mate, Osarodion Ogie, is also from Edo South. Another strong backer of Ighodalo and the PDP in Edo South is elder statesman, Owere Dickson Imasogie. He is highly respected and he is a founding member of the PDP who has never left the party. In this category is former governor Lucky Igbinedion; Deputy State chairman of the party, Harrison Omagbon; former Chairman of the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC), Larry Ogieva; the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Tim Osadolor. The Director General of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Management Council, Hon Matthew Iduorikemwen is a great mobiliser and has remained resolute in his efforts to deliver his candidate, today.

For the APC and its candidate in Edo South, all the former governorship aspirants who contested with Okpebhelo from the zone were at the forefront of his campaign. The likes of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Hon EJ Agbonayinma, former deputy governor Lucky Imasuen; and the Director General of the APC Edo Governorship Campaign Council, Sen. Matthew Uroghide who was a two-term senator under the PDP.

Ighodalo, Okpebhelo to split Edo Central

This zone is the smallest and also has the least voting population with only 440,514 registered voters. The APC and PDP candidates are both from this area but whoever wins would rely on the outcome of votes from Edo North and Edo South to be declared winner. The candidates of these two parties have almost equal share of support from political bigwigs in the area.

For Ighodalo, the likes of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi, Senator Odion Ugbesia and his twin brother, Akhere Ugbesia, former governorship aspirants like John Yakubu, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Marcus Onobun, Senator Clifford Ordia, Chief Francis Inegbeneki and others are for the PDP.

However, Okpebholo of the APC has the likes of Major General Cecil Esekhaigbe , retd; former state chairman of the party, Col David Imuse retd;, two former Speakers of the state House of Assembly, Victor Edoror and Francis Okiye; former Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea, Dori Okojie, and former ALGON President, Hon Felix Akhabue among others.

Until 2023, Edo Central was a PDP enclave. Okpebhelo was the first non-PDP member to win the senatorial seat since 1999. Regarded as a grassroots politician, it is to be seen if Okpebhelo would repeat the feat today.

The area is said to have two blocs- the Okpebhelo and Agbazilo. While the APC candidate is from the Okpebhelo bloc, Ighodalo is from Agbazilo. The Okpebhelo produced the late Professor Ambrose Ali and Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, who once governed the state, the Agbazilo is yet to produce a governor. As it is, Edo Central votes are expected to be split with the victor recording a narrow victory.

Edo North

If the results from previous elections are anything to go by, Edo North may likely be taken by the APC because it has largely dominated the area. It has 673,794 registered voters and former governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is undoubtedly the leader of the party in the area and has galvanised support for the APC and Okpebholo.

Besides Oshiomhole, the Minster of the Niger Delta, Abubakar Momoh is there. Others include the reinstated deputy governor, Philip Shaibu; former governorship aspirants like Hon Anamero Dakeri; Prince Kassim Afegbua; former Minister, Clem Agba; Johnson Oghuma; Ganiu Audu; Senator Francis Alimikhena; Ernest Afolabi; Hon Julius Ihonvbere; Hon Abdul Oroh; Senator Domingo; former Chief of Staff to Obaseki, Taiwo Akerele; former Federal Commissioner in the Public Complaints Commission, PCC, Oladele Bankole-Balogun; former Speaker Kabiru Adjoto,; and Rev Peter Obadan are backing Okpebhelo.

However, Ighodalo has the likes of former Deputy Governor Chief Mike Ogiadhome,; Pascal Ugbome; Senator Yisa Braimoh; Senator Victor Oyofo; Deputy Governor Marvellous Omobayo,; former lawmaker, Hon Emmanuel Agbaje; current Speaker Blessing Agbebaku; Barr Jimoh Ijegbai; and Chairman of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, Hon Taju Alade.

18 standard bearers eyeing Obaseki’s seat

Based on court judgments, 18 political parties are contesting today’s election instead of the 17 earlier cleared by the INEC.

Those running include Accord Party which has 49-year-old Bright Enabulele from Edo South 50 years old Iyere Kennedy from Edo Central his running mate.

The Action Alliance, AA paired 60-year-old Tom Iseghohi from Edo Central with another 60-year-old Onaiwu Mabel Osemwonyenmwen.

The African Action Congress, AAC, has Udoh Oberaifo David, 37, Edo Central, and Osunde Lords Osas, 45 years, Edo South, as his running mate.

For the African Democratic Congress, ADC, 47-year-old Izedonmwen Osarenren Derek from Edo South is running with Engr Osagie Philip, 61, Edo South.

The Action Democratic Party, ADP, has Akhimie Kingson, 37, Edo Central has a female running mate, Obazee Ramatu, 35.

The APC has 53-year-old Okpebholo Monday with a Bsc in Business Administration from Edo Central as its candidate and Idahosa Dennis, 43 years old with a Masters in Legislative Studies as his running mate. Also, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, fielded 64-year-old Osifo Isaiah from Edo South with another 64-year-old Bello Aneru from Edo North as running mate.

The Allied Peoples Movement, APM, has Ugiagbe Odaro Sylvester, 45, Edo South and Ezomo Timothy Ede, 44, Edo South.

Flying the flag of the All Peoples Party, APP, are Areloegbe Amos Osalumese, 56, Edo Central and Mrs Oyarenue Paul, 57

The Boot Party has Osiriame Edeipo, 57, Edo South with Omorogbe Kingsley, 52, as his running mate,
The LP fielded two lawyers, Olumide Akpata, 51, Edo South, and Prince Asamah Kadiri, SAN.

Like the LP, the ruling PDP also nominated two lawyers Dr Asue Ighodalo, 64, Edo Central, and Ogie Osarodion, 63, Edo South.

Other candidates and parties include: the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP, which has 44-year-old Azena Azemhe Friday from Edo North and Isokpan Ihueghian, 48 years old.

The Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, nominated Mrs Patience Ndidi Key, 50, Edo Central as the only female governorship candidate with Ojo Abuomwande Advice, 60, as her running mate.

The Social Democratic Party, SDP, has 50-year-old Anerua Abdulai Aliu from Edo North as its candidate and Amedu Paul, 40.

Running on the platform of the Young Peoples Party, YPP, are 40-year-old Okungbowa Paul Ovbokhan from Edo South and 39-year-old Mustapha Ahmed Tijani from Edo North.

Last but not least is Zenith Labour Party, ZLP which has 43-year-old Akhalamhe Amiemenighena from Edo North as a candidate and 50-year-old Idubor Joyce Olamilayo, a female, as his running mate.

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