The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC),last week announced that it had fixed March 3, for the conduct of local government election in the state.
The commission’s chairman, Prof Stanley Orobator was the one who broke the news to everyone in the state. There is no political party that can say it is not aware of the date as preparations have long began by all the registered political parties in the state before now.
The Claim by the Peoples Democratic Party that they are not aware of the notice of meeting scheduled for yesterday, Monday 15, 2018 is all tactics to give false impressions about the preparations for the polls and further look for excuses for their failure when the elections hold.
We are happy that government appointed well respected Edo sons and daughters as Chairman and members of EDSIEC. Most of the members are well known to all Edo people as men and women of impeccable character who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of human endeavour.
Other details for the conduct of the polls are being awaited as at time of stitching this treatise. Edo people expect a free and fair election from EDSIEC as anything short of that would be unacceptable given the high values citizens, particularly, eligible voters place on the officials.
However, Edo people are very much at home with the All Progressives Congress which have continued to reel out dividends of democracy uninterrupted since the party took over the reins of government in November, 2008. The council poll affords the Edo people opportunity to express gratitude to the APC-led administration by turning out en masse on March 3 to exercise their franchise.
Already, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has set a machinery in motion to ensure that only credible candidates, tested and trusted are thrown up for election. It has commenced a transparent and democratic process for the conduct of primaries for its aspirants in earnest.
The APC is ahead of other political parties in the preparations for the elections because it is the most organised party in the state. Its closest rival, the PDP is so disunited and disintegrated and have all sorts of persons speaking for the crisis-ridden party.
Meanwhile, the Edo PDP is tired of the one man show of its life chairman, Mr. Dan Orbih and his clique within the party since he discarded the party’s members views for him to step down. So many members of the party have been leaving in droves to the APC.
Some groups within the party opposed to the Orbih being imposed on the party had warned of the grave consequences that would greet such a move. They painted a gloomy picture of what would befall the party if Dan Orbih remains as chairman. They further warned that the party, which is presently suffering in Edo State directly from the loss of the Federal Government to the APC in Abuja and by extension the financial muscle and oxygen that had flowed in from Abuja before now, will not only lose thousands of members but would certainly lose all election, woefully.
A group within the Edo PDP known as “New Dawn” based in Edo South rose from one of its meeting with a warning to Dan Orbih not to perpetuate himself in power. This warning was unheeded as he pulled himself back to power.
Their main angst against him is that he is a habitual loser who has not been able to win any election for PDP in Edo State free, fairly and credibly till date. The major allegation against him, coming from some PDP faithful is that he did not give account of how campaign funds were being spent by the party in the state.
Mr. Dan Orbih is also standing accused by his party men of unending soap opera in the state by making all kinds of unsubstantiated claims and hollow allegations against the Edo State Government led by the APC. The angry PDP members said they are tired of such tactics that has not blown the party any good. They say the regular media briefings where false allegations are usually leveled against the state government has effectively pitted the party against the people in the state.
It is obvious that the Edo PDP is in disarray and nobody can help the situation as long as Dan Orbih holds sway. Edo people have concluded that as far as the upcoming Local Government election is concerned, the All Progressives Congress (APC) would produce all the 18 Council Chairmen and all the various councilors from all the 114 wards. Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki has beautifully continued massive development in the state from where his APC predecessor comrade Adams Oshiomhole let-off to warrant such streak at the upcoming polls.
It is important to put on record that in 2008 during the Edo PDP state congress held in Benin City, the former Governor Prof. Osariemen Osunbor’s with a former Governor, Dr. S. O. Ogbemudia and former Chief of General Staff, Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe, held their Congress at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, Benin City with the officials from the PDP National headquarters and INEC in attendance. Another fake congress organised by Chief Tony Anenih held the same day at the premises of NTA, Benin City. No party official from the National Secretariat, Abuja and no INEC official attended. Surprisingly, Prince Vincent Ogbuluafor-controlled National Working Committee (NWC) recognized the Anenih faction and gave them the chairmanship and control of the party in Edo State. Consequently they deregistered all those who attended the congress held by a serving Governor.
It is this illegality of the PDP national secretariat under Vincent Ogbuluafor orchestrated by the manipulations of Chief Anthony Anenih that led to the crisis that overwhelmed the Edo PDP that has continued to hunt the party till date.
That was what gave birth to the Grace Group which got like-minded people from the state and formed the Action Congress which defeated the Anenih-led PDP in Edo State in the 2007 general election. The Action Congress later fused with other like-minded groups to form the All Progressives Congress which has been providing dividends of democracy to Edo people. The ten years rule of PDP in Edo State was characterised by poverty, pot-hole roads, flooded cities and town, unpaid salaries of workers and pensioners, decayed infrastructure, godfatherism, agberoism and general citizens apathy. Edo people suffered untold hardship under PDP and vowed never again to have anything to do with the party.
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Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State.
