There is no denying the fact that the phrase, “Wild goose chase”, simply means a hopeless quest. The phrase is noted to be one of the plethoras of Shakespearian phrases which was first recorded in Romeo and Juliet in 1592: The dialogue where it was mentioned was theatrically acted by Romeo, Shakespearian character in the book, Romeo. He was recorded to have said, “Switch and spurs, switch and spurs; or I’ll cry a match”.
Responding to the foregoing, Mercutio, another character in the book replied, “Nay, if thy wits run the wild-goose chase, I have done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five.
Interpretatively put, the use of “Wild goose chase” in any form of communication as it is being used in this context alludes to an undertaking which will probably prove to be fruitless. It is metaphorically used to explain how hard and unimaginable it is for someone to achieve anything that is more doomed to failure just exactly the same way it is for anyone to catch a wild goose by chasing after it.
However, an etymological school of thought has it that an earlier meaning, different from the one drawn from Shakespearian context relates to horse racing. It posited that a “Wild goose chase” was a race in which horses followed a lead horse at a set distance, mimicking wild geese flying in formation.
Without dwelling much on the etymology of the phrase, it is expedient to recall in this piece that “The 1978 film ‘The Wild Geese’ unarguably refers back to Irish mercenaries who ‘flew’ from Ireland to serve in various European armies in the 16th to 18th centuries. The plot of the film involved a group of mercenaries embarking on a near-impossible mission. Of course, the near-impossible is no problem for action heroes and they caught their prey.
Against the foregoing etymological analysis for ease of clarity, it is not an exaggeration to say that since Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state won the gubernatorial election that was stiffly contested in Edo state in September last year that politicians that are affiliated to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, particularly Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu have literarily not been sleeping soundly. Yes! This view may be pooh-poohed but evidences on ground as expressed in the following paragraphs are eloquent enough to buttress this writer’s postulation.
It would be recalled that the PDP and its candidate at the Sept 28, 2016 Edo gubernatorial election, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, being wild goose chasers, have literarily been on the legal trenches with Governor Obaseki and the state All People’s Congress, APC. However, the governor has all along been on the victorious side of the legal tussle.
Again, as it was at the Court in April 2017, the PDP and its candidate, Ize Iyamu have lost their suit at the Appeal Court in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Friday, June 9, 2017. It was reported that the Court sitting in the state capital validated the election of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
To my view, this judgement may literarily be the last legal straw that breaks the Camel’s back. It would no doubt bring to an end all manners of challenge that had been trailing the election since September 2016.
Recalling the judgment again in this context for the benefits of all the wild goose chasers in the state’s PDP, it is expedient to say that “The president of the five-man panel, Justice Monica Dongba-Mensen held that the appeal lacked merit. He hinged his judgement on the fact that the election cannot be invalidated on mere allegation, that the judges at the tribunal allegedly compromised their duties.
However, Justice Dongba-Mensen dismissed claims that the PDP and its candidates were not given enough time to follow through their vote recount, which exceeded the 14 days allowed by law.
The five-man panel therefore threw out the appeal and validated the election of Mr. Godwin Obaseki as governor of Edo state”. An African proverb says, “When a child is too eager to run an errand that he was not sent, know that he has an ulterior motive.” Against the backdrop of this proverb, why are the members of the PDP in Edo state so eager to grip the rein of power in the state again to the detriment of the people’s choice and the developmental well being of the state? Have members of the party forgotten so soon how they impoverished the people and underdeveloped the state when the party was the ruling party under the leadership of former Governor Lucky Igbinedion from May 1999 to May 2007?
To my view, the PDP and its candidate at the election should think of another platform they can use in assisting the ruling party without being sentimental towards the development of the state. Rather than engaging in a wild goose chase, they should begin to support Governor Obaseki in a constructive manner in his quest to continue rebuilding the state from where former Governor Oshiomhole stopped after it was destroyed by them during their two-term tenure.
____________________________
Isaac Asabor, a Journalist, writes from Lagos
