The fight for Edo South

9 years ago

The fight for Edo South

Edo State calendar for gubernatorial election was altered in 2008 by a judicial pendulum that left the contenders to the exalted office spellbound and enmeshed in steamy sweat and blood struck off their tired, wrinkled brows.

Arising thereof, the tenure of the current occupant will expire in 2016. It is only then that the curtain of another open gubernatorial race will be drawn. Consequently, the star election in February 2015 in Edo State is, unarguably, the Edo South senatorial election.
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It promises to be the hottest arena for the display of wits and intrigues. The reason is not far-fetched; Edo South is the hotbed of Edo politics and a pointer to the political direction of the state.
An enlightened pigeonhole view reveals that the seven local government areas of Edo South constitute, for all practical purposes, a silhouetted incorporation of Edo State.

For instance, the most recent estimated population of the area is only a little short of 60% of the state. Geographically, it occupies 57% of the land space while the resources derivable from the district are about 80% of the State resources.

More significantly, the history, language and culture of other senatorial districts are heavily indebted to the old Benin Kingdom and mere variants of the same historical and cultural contours. Thus, the state can be categorized as largely consanguineous and relatively homogenous. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that the political rhythm or pulsation of Edo South not only reverberates across the state but also gives the cue of where she is headed.

The party primaries that produced the senatorial candidates in Edo South of the two major parties, the APC and the PDP, appear on the surface to be rancor free. While it was a two- horse race between Hon. Samson Osagie and Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon in the APC, it was practically a triple race in the PDP between Mathew Aisagbriodion Urhoghide, Hon. Edos Ebomwonyi and Hon. West Idahosa.

In the APC, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, the main opponent to the eventual victor, Hon. Samson Osagie, has since returned to office as Chief of Staff to the Governor and this seemed to have rested nerves over the fiercely contested primaries of the party.

However, in the PDP, there is an uneasy calm as the unseen hand of a godfather is allegedly said to have predetermined the result of the primaries in favour of Urhoghide. Those who felt cheated and betrayed, namely: Ebomwonyi, a former Commissioner for Education and Hon. West Idahosa, a three-time member of the House of Representatives, are still kicking and weighing their options! However, the stage is finally set for a duel between Osagie of the APC and Urhoghide of the PDP over the coveted Edo South senatorial seat.

The senatorial election should ordinarily be an analyst delight given the pedigree and antecedents of the two dramatis personae. Osagie, a lawyer, is currently a member and the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, and has a huge experience in the legislature starting from Edo State House Assembly. On the other hand, Urhoghide is seeking to come into the legislature as first timer, after several unsuccessful attempts in the past.

The most visible political office to his name so far is that of state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, which he has held on to, till date. Edo South is by the impending election called upon to place the two candidates side by side and cast their vote on who has the potentials of giving them a strong voice, that is, effective representation at the Senate.

This time, Edo South deserves a voice that will powerfully reverberate on the floor of the Senate.
Here comes an opportunity to choose a highly cerebral, athletic and persuasively eloquent speaker as senator. It must not be squandered. Never again should the mistake be made to send someone who could never have caught the sheerest whiff of the wood vanish of the red chambers to occupy it.

Our people have the capacity to make the right choice if well guided. They must look out for the candidate that possesses the requisite attributes to deliver effective representation such as interpersonal skill and talent to influence peers, ability to optimize coalitional possibilities and lastly but not the least, ability to interact and build bridges across parliamentary blocs. Against this background, the logical question to ask is as follows: Who among the two main senatorial hopefuls: Osagie and Urhoghide fit squarely into the above characterization?

* Osakue, a political strategist, is based in Benin-City.