Major signs of distress, defeat and desperation are beginning to manifest in recent actions taken by the incumbent governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki. The actions have exposed the innermost feelings of a man desperate to return for a second tenure as governor of Edo State – thanks to Edo People’s Movement, EPM that has succeeded through series of engagements, to push Mr Obaseki to a point that he could no longer hide the venom in him.
The actual workings of his mind which were cleverly concealed for eight years, while working as a diligent technocrat under the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, have been revealed.
It is now obvious that Mr Obaseki is not the man that he pretended to be in 2016 when he was voted massively by Edo people to carry on with the good works initiated by his predecessor. The man we now know, is a man desperate to install himself as a second term governor against all odds. He wants to be his own man by any means, and he has the support of some over-the-counter advisers currently hovering around him for some bounty harvest from the avoidable APC crisis in Edo State.
Obaseki’s quest to come back as governor of Edo State for a second tenure may be within his own rights as a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but this has become a very tall order considering his massive rejection by the leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Edo State. EPM, a pressure group within the APC has repeatedly stressed the need to strengthen the party in order to return it to its winning ways, as well as shop for a credible replacement for Mr Godwin Obaseki, who obviously will not be able to win elections in 2020 considering his poor performance in the last general elections in Edo State.
In the last national assembly and presidential elections, Obaseki lost his ward, local government, senatorial district and State to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. Also, with the level of abandonment of the people that helped him to power in 2016, there is justifiable apprehension that APC will lose Edo State to the major opposition party if Obaseki is chosen as its flagbearer in the 2020 governorship election.
The desperation manifesting in the recent actions taken by Obaseki and his close allies, suggests a sudden realisation of the difficult task of getting a second term ticket in a free and fair electioneering process. He has therefore decided to change his tactic from that of the usual easy-going technocrat of the Afrinvest fame, to the brutal Governor Godwin Obaseki, who doesn’t mind if the constitution is turned on its head in his quest to crush any element of opposition. Over the last couple of months, several desperate moves by Obaseki and his team have left many asking questions as regards what happened to decency, the rule of law and respect for the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He started by sending what has now become known as a kangaroo proclamation letter to the clerk of the Edo State House of Assembly and ended up in the process, inaugurating nine out of the twenty-four members-elect by 9:30pm on the 17th of June 2019.
This action which clearly negates the provisions of the Nigerian constitution, has been condemned from various quarters including the National Working Committee of the APC and the National Assembly. The governor has however, remained adamant and has refused to do the right thing four months after the illegal nocturnal inauguration.
Having apparently succeeded in running an illegal house for four months, Mr. Obaseki appears to have shifted focus to indiscriminate suspension of local government council chairmen who are allegedly not committed to the actualization of his second term ambition. As at last count, four out of the eighteen local council chairmen have been suspended with rumours of some more penciled down for same treatment in the coming days.
For those who have not been suspended, strict instructions have been given to them to ensure that members of Edo People’s Movement are not allowed to organize meetings within their respective local government areas. Threats of suspension have been issued to the chairmen who cannot prevent EPM members from holding meetings within their local governments. This again is a direct attack on the Nigerian Constitution which guarantees freedom of association for all citizens.
A recent communique released after a meeting of Edo State Executive Committee of the APC confirmed Obaseki’s desperation as he has apparently co-opted the State Executive Committee to do his bidding. The obviously doctored communique stated among other issues, that “the group known as the Edo People Movement (EPM) is a divisive and unconstitutional contraption being a factional or parallel group within the APC which offends Article 21 of the constitution of the Party”.
They went ahead to set up a committee charged with the responsibility of dealing with cases related to the activities of EPM and its members. The State executive in a different breath has openly endorsed a similar group that has openly shown support for the re-election of Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Phillip Shaibu. This group known as Obaseki/Shaibu Movement, OSM has also received open endorsement and blessings by the State Chairman of APC. The question to ask here is, what is the difference between a group dedicated to supporting a candidate who is aspiring for an office and another group dedicated to working against that same candidate?
The most recent action that shows the desperation of a man who is losing the battle, was the attack by sponsored hoodlums on the Benin City residence of the national chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. This uncivilized action has been condemned by many including the national publicity secretary of the APC. The path that Obaseki has chosen is a dangerous one which does not augur well for the good people of Edo State. If these illegalities are allowed to fester, Edo State may degenerate into a completely lawless state.
This is therefore an urgent call to all relevant authorities to call the governor to order and admonish him to do the right thing now. The consequences of today’s inaction may be too grave to handle tomorrow. A stitch in time saves nine.
Gideon Obhakhan, former Edo State Commissioner for Education, wrote from Benin City. Email: osolease@gmail.com
Kommentarer