The question that every rational and political minded person in Edo state and those that were privileged to experience the enviable flourishing Bendel state of Nigeria from 1967-1975 is “Who will succeed the dynamic and able action comrade governor of Edo state when his tenure of office expires sometime this year”? This because the former Bendel state now split into Edo/Delta experienced a lasting period of decay and almost ruins by successive agnomical military dictators for twenty nine years. During this period the second republic of fastidious Professor Ambrose Ali administration, though short lived brought the Edolites some respite, a hope that was dashed by yet another coup detat in 1983. When civility government eventually greeted Nigeria in 1999 the suffering of Edo people continued unabated until the God fearing servant in Adam Oshiomhole was enthroned.

But as the adage says “nothing lasts forever”. The constitution of Nigeria makes sure of this that Oshio Baba must vacate his office for another person to fill. The question in every Edo person’s lip is, “who is that person and how that person is going to be elected and will that person be imposed by the echelons of all the political parties in Edo state or will they allow the party faithful to elect the person that will represent them?” Therefore there is need for the political leadership of all the political parties in Edo state to tread wisely in picking their gubernatorial candidate during the coming primaries in order to avoid the déjà vu of the military junta’s era.

There is no doubt that the gubernatorial election in Edo state will take place this year 2016. The aspirants of all the political parties are busying warming up for the ensuing primary election. Many people say politics is a dirty game but is politics really dirty or is it the people that play it that make politics to appear dirty? This question can neither be answered by me nor can it be answered satisfactorily by anybody. Suffice it to say that the Edolites await that person be it a man/woman to fill the vacuum which the present comrade governor Oshiomhole is sadly going to leave behind. This I must say would be unfortunate for the Edo people because the Nigerian constitution sets a two term of four years in office for a governor, therefore any acts done contrary to the constitution in this order will be ultra-varies. Consequently Governor Oshiomhole must leave the realm of power for another person to continue when he completes his tenure of office. The question as I said before is who will be that person and how will that person be elected? The whole Edolites honestly believe it will not be by selection! I hereby beg to contrast the political events in Nigeria with that of the western world especially that of the United State of America and Britain, both advanced democratic countries while Nigeria is a praetorian country but remember that the political aphorism is the same all over the world with the exception that the environmental variables of every country makes the practice of politics different from country to country.

In the USA and Britain anybody could put his/her name forward for gubernatorial or Presidential election either under a party or as a private candidate. This however would depend on someone’s ability to, raise the funds needed as the campaign to either position is sumptuous and this means that any poor person is emulsified from that enviable position. However in Nigeria to vie for political high offices such as gubernatorial or Presidency is the preserve of the rich and also to be eligible to stand you must belong to a party and campaign under a registered party. However what really makes Nigeria’s politics differ from that of America or Britain is that any one finds wanton especially with a baggage of the past, present or likely in the future of any sort is automatically eliminated and disqualified from standing for such an high office.

In these countries it is the people that decide who stand for the presidency or gubernatorial but in Nigeria it is probably a known fact that the leadership of a party dictates and selects who stands as a gubernatorial candidate or for president! This is a serious adynamia in Nigeria’s political adherent of which Edo state is perhaps the culprit. This diabolical political satire has not only blighted our image as a state but has abashed our pride to a point where we abaft other states in Nigeria. It does not take abecedarian who lives long enough to wail over the state of affairs of Bendel since 1975 to 2007 now centrally known as Edo state. Let’s prosaically discern the unfortunate period for the interest of humane propriety in the state. The Mid-West region was carved out of the old Western Nigeria in 1963 and remained the offspring but renamed Bendel state with some minor boundary adjustment in 1967 when that affable former head of state Gen Dr Yakubu Gowon divided Nigeria into twelve states from its former four regions status. Between 1967 till 1975 Bendel state could be mouthed as a country within Nigeria as she excelled in all human and developmental ramifications. It is no exaggeration to say that to be a Bendelite was a privilege which in all honesty was the envy of the nation.

The state was a laboratory house where other states in Nigeria learned from, it was a pace setter in everything and the hub of economic, social and political development and the birth place of exemplary moral value, culture, tradition and educational expediency and the bed rock for sporting activities that no other state even collectively could match and in the area of footballing it was miles ahead of its nearest rival in the country. Omo-Bendel was a delectable catching praising phrase that became a catch word that was used by other Nigerians to adjectively qualify any one from Bendel. It was the centre of excellence and the icon of administrative acumen that invigorated everybody of Bendel state to prance in glory, pride and dignity. That word Omo-Bendel gave all Bendelites a sense of added impetus, value and invigoration that was the envy of the nation.

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These achievements would not have been possible without that delectable and enrapture great man, Brig Gen Dr Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia. After Ogbemudia successive enigmatical military ‘Owuan-Ubes’ governors were frivolously and jealously brought to Bendel state to enthymeme Bendel state now Edo/Delta state with a negative syllogism. Their nefarious behaviour has haunted us ever since until the present governor Oshiomhole ascends the realm of power in Edo state. A true blood and an indigene of the state determined to reverse the vile and ills of the nonindigenous military governors who were hell bent in ruining the state. It is a well-known fact that one of the military governors of those dark years was adjudged saying “Bendel state was too developed compare to the rest of the country to warrant any further development”.

The enigmatical military governors for those years they ruled over Bendel (Edo/Delta) did nothing to alleviate the suffering of the people but succeeded in enervating the spirit of the people and were embroiled in empoison practices of the sort that has never be experienced possibly anywhere in the world to push Bendelites to pique in delirious and despicable penurious state of affairs. They were perhaps brought in to inutile the Bendelites but thanks to God almighty they failed in their perfidious phoney plans. I am sure that those military governors that placed Edo/Delta state in that position shall never in their life time and next life see the day and joy of life because their archaic behaviour will never be forgiven by men and women of Edo state. In 1999, Joyfully Nigeria returns to civility government and Edo state was, actually to be euphemistic in my choice of words found itself in the web of old story until 2008 when the action governor, Comrade Oshiomhole was sworn in as the governor of Edo state. Please pardon me because it would be a travesty of justice if I failed to mention the tussle and struggle for Oshiomhole to become the governor of Edo State. He was enthymeme by some political cankerworms of the state and consequently denied his rightful place for almost two years. Thanks to market men and women, the Judiciary and especially the bike riders who in their indefatigability fought to wrestle the realm of power from the unlikely claimant to the rightful winner of that election. Although it is rumoured that the political leadership was behind him but the victory that followed was the common man’s victory and thank God the leadership at that time allowed the wishes of the populace to prevail.

The epiphenomenon of the people’s victory is what we have been ripping in Edo state since 2008. Edo state has been transformed and the lost glory for almost twenty nine years of military party goers in Edo state is almost forgotten thou the scar would always remain with us. Governor Oshiomhole has laid down the development vectors in Edo state, and must be sustained and only the right person that has the peoples’ blessing will succeed. The science of epistemology teaches the rational being to follow that path which is adjudged good and to refrain from that which is bad. Therefore the leadership of all parties whether the APC. PDP or LP must allow the wishes of the party faithful to prevail in picking who represents their party in the, forth coming gubernatorial primaries and subsequent gubernatorial election for the interest of the state. If the leadership wants the Edolites to continue to enjoy the fruit of Oshiomhole’s labour then total abstinence must be observed. This does not mean the leadership has no say in the affairs of their party but an imposition of candidate against the wishes of the people is an affront on democracy and a sanctimonious act on the people that could have a dire consequence like the one that was experienced from 1999-2007 in Edo state. The Edo state political leadership must bear in mind that there is a new dawn of political emancipation in Edo state and possibly Nigeria.

The consequences for under-performed party in authority is dire so is any one with past, present and future baggage(s) and whose political appoggiaturas seem to be laden with taints and innuendoes. The society’s populace is ready to ditch, and punish such party or person. Consequently agitation for and acceptance for performance and order transformation and expediency by any government in authority is now the order of the day, demand and norm of voters in society. Thus society now moves along political trends that are satisfactorily appreciated and viewed as satisfactory and ready to turn against the chosen path when the tide is viewed unsatisfactorily. Consequently, the leadership of all the political parties whether PDP, APC, LP needs to pick a candidate with affability, delectability, whose appoggiatura is not tainted, that has no baggage, a man that connects with the public, admires by the electorates and with political clout capable of bringing together the diverse peoples and bringing about change in Edo state and in other words a tried and tested successful technocrat or administrator. But there should be no witch hunting because nobody is a thaumaturgist, therefore a lacklustre performance in the past and someone’s wealth should not be used as witch hunting. There is no doubt that there are men and women who could bring about the happiness and joy that Oshiomhole has started, people such as Obaseki, Imasuagbon, Grace Osahon, Chief Solomon Edebiri to mention but few. However Chief Edebiri and possibly Obaseki have become household names that are being encrypted in all circles in Edo state. Byes are the days when the public or electorate could be taken for a ride. Thanks to globalization and education of the masses, which is diluting the tendency of any party to cheat on the voters and also parental influences are waning by the day.

Some politicians have very much often seen political party as a ground for political ramboesque and ostentatious parsimony which does not require particularism or loyalty. Those shameless politicians with no political ideology and tainted with controversies of credibility have started to learn the lessons of retribution from the electorate who they wickedly intended to cheat. There is therefore the need for the political party echelons to allow the wishes of the electorate and party faithful to prevail by allowing a free and fair open ballot election of members for the coming gubernatorial primaries because the primary determines to a large extent what would become of Edo state and unacceptable imposition of candidate by any party could be dire with a catastrophic consequences.

However the political mind-set of the political leadership in Edo state could manipulate the conceptual formation of Edo society positively or negatively depending on rational reasonability in choosing their candidate as imposition could be dire for any party that tries it. Therefore the Edo people await a credible person as their next governor and not an imposed reject by Edo society be it APC, PDP, or LP because politics in Edo state has moved to a new level where money alone can no longer by the votes. Even if you manage to waggle your ways your conscience can never allow you rest for the rest of your life because you have not only robbed the people of Edo state of their divine rights but you have become the clandestine robbers of your conscience. Remember, “What does it profit a man/woman if he/she gains the whole world and loses h/her soul.” The leadership of all the political parties must succumb and adhere to the wishes of the electorate and must avoid any hocus-pocus dealings that would dwarf the state otherwise the déjà vu of the military era lurks ahead.