10/08/2024
Edo 2024 Gubernatorial Election:
(“Barbarians" at the Gate of Civilization)
BY
OTEGHE ADAMS
PDP Progressive Agenda and APC Retrogression
The top echelon of the venerated Roman Empire once derogatorily framed the influx of Germanic immigrants to Rome around 406 AD, as "Barbarians at the Gate of Civilization". The concern of the Roman leadership was that the massive influx of the immigrants will prove catastrophic to the perceived cultural and political advancement of the Roman Empire. While it may not be equal on the scale of disaster envisaged in the Empire's narrative, I invoked the anectodal 406 AD reference because a definitely rigged APC victory will be tantamount to inflicting irredeemable wreckage and corrosive reversal of the progress that has been witnessed in nearly eight years in Edo State.
The reason for the imputation of such lexicon is principally for anectodal framing of the nightmarish disaster that a return of the APC to Osadebe House will represent in the annals of Edo State history.
The Ogbemudia, Lee Kwan Yew -like and Obaseki trajectory of a 21st Century economic power house is gallantly evolving; the September 21th election carries unimaginable high stakes which deserves the application of high consciousness and vigilance of the electorate.
Edo citizenry is now a highly enlightened and conscious group of people, they have developed the uncommon capacity to distinctly distinguish between the quintessence of genuine people- oriented Democracy and the political scam of captured statecraft - that was the situation preceding the Governor Obaseki's era.
The supposed three major political parties have placed their governorship candidates before the Edo State electorate. The profile of the candidates could not be more substantially starkly different in their grades and calibre.
For the Labour Party candidate, Olumide Akpata, a definitely accomplished legal practitioner and former national president of the Nigeria Bar Association, Edo State governorship is not the arena where he can compete. Akpata is questing for something far beyond the organizational and managerial ability that he can deliver.
Akpata’s fantastically attractive gyrations in his various television advertisements incontestably qualify him for premium prize in a dance edition of the Nigerian idol, but governance in these precarious times in Nigeria demand more than who is best to win the AZONTO contest.
Then there’s the fraudulently parallel- Congress selected Monday Okpebholo of the APC and the legitimately elected flag bearer of the PDP, Bar. Asue Ighodalo. It seems the PDP searched and nominated a candidate from its premiere and premium list while the APC went into its trash bin to pick a name.
The almost zombie-like APC candidate with a weird lifeless concorted countenance represents the worst kind of political fraud to be foisted on the people of Edo State. For all these months of campaign, no one has seen any credible image or video of Monday Okpebholo speaking to any audience in our legal lingua franca of governance. If the APC candidate cannot even read out from the script that has been prepared by his handlers, how does he intend to govern and relate with the people. There's unquestionably a grave cover-up regarding the Senator who was never seen on his feet on the floor of the legislature much less moving any motion. Monday Okpebholo selection is an arrogant assault on the sensibility of Edo citizenry; that the APC hierarchy will summon such crude audacity, to push a patently unqualified and unsuitable candidate for the governorship of such an enlightened state as Edo, is tantamount to political criminality.
Okpebholo must be urgently exposed for what he is; a crass illiterate and counterfeit who purchased the APC governorship ticket consequently cornering the party's leadership into a conspiratorial silence. While the APC cabal can stomach such junk political menu, the Edo electorate must now immediately begin a mass movement not only to reject Okpebholo but to demand public accountability from the hierarchy of APC leadership regarding some hard truths about the emergence and the competence of the shadowy character called Okpebholo.
A more vigorous process of a non-partisan public and media inquiry must be exigently initiated to save the state from avoidable local and global embarrassment.
There's no problem with Okpebholo being a panel-beater, that is a honourable profession, but Okpebholo will not even qualify as an intelligent panel-beater despite his dark channels of wealth. Was there a profound reason why Senator Oshiomole so vehemently opposed Okpebholo emergence at the beginning of APC primary process?
This is just the beginning of the non-partisan struggle for honour and dignity for Edo State. For those who genuinely care about Edo state, ( not based on blind partisan loyalty) can one even suggest a low elementary bar by asking the supporters of Okpebholo to publish one single motion that was sponsored by Okpebholo in the past ten or 12 months since he was elected into the Senate. One often wonders how Okpebholo diabolically meanders his way to occupy the distinguished senate seat that should have been occupied by any of the qualified Esan sons and daughters.
On the other hand stands a PDP candidate with tried and tested local and international background in banking, finance, law as well as public and corporate administration. Asue Igholdalo comes with the envied pedigree of an illustrious Edo son with incorruptible and unstoppable capacity to engender the continous prestigious uplifting of our state in the Nigerian federation and even beyond. Asue's visionary manifesto about which he has persuasively articulated at various public events is an unassailable testament to a political and technocratic personality with the quintessential background required to engender the momentum to further advance the interest of Edo State, not someone who will stunt our growth and even pull us backwards.
In the thoughtfully laid out manifesto titled "Pathway to Prosperity for All" , Asue Ighodalo spoke of an indissoluble socio-economic pact with the citizenry on such issues as enduring the wellbeing, health and happiness of the people. As someone with a background from the relevant sector, the candidate was clear-sighted about the roadmap for economic growth and wealth creation for the state. More importantly, Asue Ighodalo is prepared to publicly respond to questions about the plans contained in the manifesto.
So we have an unquenchably illuminated milestones of the road being envisioned by the PDP candidate. Simultaneously, APC Monday Okpebholo has remained deadly silent, not engaging or holding dialogue with the people as the ultimate repository of power in a democracy.
This will be the choice before the people if Okpebholo is able to surreptitiously escape the legitimate hurdles that he faces.
There's no
generation of intelligent homo-sapiens that will decide to precariously travel back into the wilderness, literally re-crossing the Red Sea for an endangered migration to the land of economic pestilence, destruction and deaths. It has taken eight consistent years of courageous policy mapping and re-orientation to disconnect the geopolity from decades of squander and systemic demolishing of people's cherished aspirations.
From frustrating stagnation and sheer cluelessness, Governor Obaseki through unrivalled combination of technocracy and transparent politics has re-calibrated the Contours of Edo State economic map for collective prosperity. The evidence of the progressive March of History across various sectors of the lives of the people is inspiringly manifest.
We are now at a critical crossroads in the history of Edo State. This is not the time to allow a witless man to be considered at the helms of affairs of the state as Edo prepares for the consolidation of the noble achievements of the past eight years.
The least we desire to have in Edo at the next gubernatorial poll is a continuation of the Sterling performances of the PDP-Obaseki government which Asue Ighodalo’s victory guarantees.
