SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY
The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) led by Prof. Stanley Orobator has set the stage for the commencement of political activities in the state penultimate week, when it announced date for elections in the 18 Local Government Areas of the state, for the 3rd of March, 2018. The pronouncement charged the political situation in the state particularly the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which immediately brought out its guidelines for aspirants of the party. While the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems confused whether to participate in the election or not due to the fear raised by one of their leaders that “it will be a waste for any candidate in the PDP to spend his money in an election where we already know the result, especially with what happened in the neighbouring Delta State where the ruling PDP cleared the entire Local Governments. So you think the APC will fold their hands and allow PDP to get any sit, that’s not possible”. However, the chairman of the EDSIEC had assured all the parties that the commission will conduct a free and fair election and warned against violent acts during and after the elections.
Following the EDSIEC pronouncement, the leadership of the APC came up with their guidelines. Chairmanship aspirants are to pay N250,000 as nomination fee while Councillors are to pay N50,000. The candidate must have also won his or her unit/ward in the 2016 governorship election in the state. However, there is tension in the party following the directive by the leadership of the APC in the state to bar all former chairmen, former councillors and other former officials in the administration of Local Government Areas from contesting the election. The decision was announced by the state chairman of the APC, Anselm Ojezua, at a meeting he held with leaders of the party in the 18 Local Government Areas of the state. Former House of Representatives member, Patrick Obahiagbon (Igodomigodo) represented governor Obasekiś Local Government, Oredo, at the meeting. Ojezua who addressed the party leaders, said the decision was reached after consultations with the state leader of the party and immediate past governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and governor Godwin Obaseki. According to him, ¨the leadership of the party decided to take this decision in the best interest of the administration of Local government Councils in the state whereby we intend to ensure that the ongoing reforms in the Local Government level as regards revenue collection which the governor introduced to ensure that Local Government Councils are self-reliant, and are able to pay their salaries, are not disrupted¨.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that Governor Obaseki has been seriously opposed to former Local Government administrators coming back to head the Councils due to what he described as the debt crisis they plunged the councils in the past. Before now, the governor has been advising them to exclude themselves in this contest as he does not intend to supervise a state where councils are not able to pay workers salary. However, the decision of the party has plunged many of the councils into confusion, particularly Egor and Ovia North East and South West Local Government Areas where about six former Local government administrators including three former chairman were in the race. Sunday Vanguard observed that the leadership of the party in Egor led by the member representing Egor in the House of Assembly, Crosby Eribo embarked on marathon meetings with a view to finding a candidate that met the requirement. Though the decision of the leadership of the party is being resisted in some of the Local Governments following what they described as alleged attempt to retire some persons who worked doggedly during the governorship election from politics. Besides, there are some party members who were not picked as Commissioners during the constitution of the state Executive Council by Governor Obaseki but were assured of going to the Councils but the new law by the party seems to have jeopardized that dream. Sunday Vanguard was reliably informed that some members of the party have vowed to head to court to contest the decision which they see as puncturing their fundamental human rights. It is still not clear about the position of the immediate past governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who is the state leader of the party in the matter, but as it seems, the former governor may find himself in a cross fire with some of the former chairmen who are his dogged loyalists and political foot soldiers who assisted in holding their councils solid and ensuring victory for Obaseki during the governorship election. Besides, those affected in Edo North and South senatorial districts are querying how that decision will be applied in Edo Central senatorial district, where the party lost most of the wards to the PDP. They felt it would be unfair even after they won their wards and units are asked to step down, while those who lost their units and wards in Edo Central are given the opportunity to produce chairmen and councillors.
However, anybody who understands Obaseki’s policies since he assumed office will know it will be difficult for him to shift ground on this matter unless his party leader, Comrade Oshiomhole is able to convince him that the decision may affect the party in the general elections. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the governor wants to start a clean state in the councils particularly after the auditing carried out in the councils from 1999 till date indicated mismanagement of funds by the former management of these councils. The truth is that the reforms the Obaseki led administration commenced in the councils are yielding fruits as most councils in the state can comfortably pay salaries of workers now. And from all indications, he does not want to disrupt the progresses made so far in the councils due to his strong believe that former chairmen and councillors may have the old mind set to go back to the councils to loot. The governor is sincerely reasoning the economic part of it but the party leaders opposed to it are looking at the political implication the decision may have in the 2019 elections. However, the tension in the party went down last Friday after the leadership of the party reversed the decision banning former chairmen and councillors from contesting the Local Government elections. it was learnt that the party considered the litigations that may hit the party if the decision was allowed to stay. The development was received with wild jubilation as aspirants who had lost hope due to the ban rushed to the party secretariat to pick nomination forms.
Though the PDP in the state are yet to say categorically whether they will participate in the election or not but they have indicated interest in heading to the court after the state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, said the Edo State House of Assembly cannot validly amend the Edo State Local Government Electoral Law to abridge the length of notice of the Local Government poll just as he urged former chairmen of APC and councillors who were barred from contesting the election to protest it in court. The PDP also alleged that members of the EDSIEC were card carrying members of the APC. But dismissing PDP’s claim that the amendment to the local government Electoral Law made by the Edo State House of Assembly on 12th December 2017 was done in violation of the mandatory provisions of the Rules of the Edo State House of Assembly on law making process, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Paul Ohonbamu recall “Similar amendment was done under the administration of Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbo in 2007. The amendments disenfranchised certain people who were caretaker committee chairmen from contesting in the election and nothing was said about it then. The function of the Edo State House of Assembly is to make laws according to the rules of the house in the interest of all Edo people and this they have done. The PDP should approach the court of law for proper legal interpretations if they are confused and not engage in acts of rascality. The PDP should not create tension where there is none. The house has the duty to amend laws.” Adding that “it is not the duty of political parties to decide on legal issues. They know they are finished and have attained the age of menopause and are merely brandishing expired talisman. So I want to advise the PDP to go to court and test the waters for proper interpretation of the law.”
On the PDP’s opposition to the number of days of notice to parties and other stakeholders before the election, Ohonbamu said, “If PDP says it has to be 90 days, they should go to court, their objection is nothing but an escapist route. The PDP can claim the sky and moon, but it is the duty of the Judiciary to interpret the law. They are finished and down. When they were in power, they caused serious plundering of the economy. Today they are looking for how to come back to power to continue their plundering. The Edo State House of Assembly will continue to make laws for the common good of all. The PDP cannot draw us back. Edo people are not ready for their faulty interjections. I enjoin them to go to court to test the veracity of their claim”.
However, as campaigns for the elections kicks off, some aspirants are already enjoying the support of majority of their leaders. In Oredo, Dr Tom Obaseki, brother to the incumbent governor of the state, is enjoying the support of the Igbos, APC youths and the immediate past chairman of the council, Osaro Obaze. They agreed that Obaseki possessed the best credentials to lead the council which is the largest in the state. However, some party members say the chairmanship position cannot be ceded to ward 4 since the governor is from that same ward. But in a counter position, party leaders including Obaze, described the argument as unpopular. one of the leaders told sunday Vanguard that ” Oredo is the biggest Local Government Area in Edo state and the heart of Benin City. Therefore, we need the best candidate and that person is Tom Obaseki. we don’t care whether the governor and the chairman are from the same ward. when Obasanjo was President his daughter was a senator and both were from the same zone. So that argument does not hold water”.
In Etsako Central, Mr John Akhigbe is said to have received the endorsement of the APC leadership in his LGA is also in safe hands.
Meanwhile in a Caucus meeting of the leadership of the APC, held Friday and presided over by Oshiomhole, Obaseki was said to have directed party leaders to nominate their best candidates as he wants competent people at the local Governments and nothing more.