THE Presidential election has come and gone and Nigerians now have a President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC). For the first time in the history of Nigeria, we saw a sitting President, Goodluck Jonathan conceding defeat even before the final announcement of the winner. He went ahead to congratulate his opponent who was obviously coasting home with victory, an action that has won Jonathan, not only national but international accolades. Jonathan from what everyone is saying has written his name in gold. Buhari too, magnanimous in victory has extended his hands of fellowship to President Goodluck Jonathan whom he assured has nothing to fear as he bows out of office May 29th.
As I wrote in one of my articles, President Goodluck Jonathan must by now be perfecting his hand over notes for May 29th. He is being celebrated today for creating a conducive environment for democracy to flourish and for popular will of the people to prevail.
But the same cannot be said of some of his co-travelers in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who are bad losers and by extension, those responsible for the trouncing of Goodluck Jonathan at the polls. One of such characters is Chief Edwin Clark, an old man in his eighties who has refused to stop troubling this nation with adult rascality, political idiosyncrasies, and senility.
Instead of keying into the mood of the nation where the whole world is celebrating Nigeria’s political advancement, terrible Chief E.K. Clark felt that was the right moment to turn his vituperations on the Edo State Comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomhole who has done so well for Edo people as Governor. Clark’s unmerited attack on Oshiomhole centred on the court case between the University of Benin and the Edo State Government for which judgment was delivered in favour of the Edo State Government. Clark who is yet to recover from the defeat of his party felt that the Edo State Governor was his party’s undoing. Instead of hiding his tail under his feat following the humiliation of the PDP that boasted that it will rule Nigeria for sixty years at the presidential polls, E. K. Clark felt that an attack on Oshiomhole is the balm he needs to flee the country as his corrupt tendencies and overbearing attitude would not be condoned by the in-coming administration.
In the same token loquacious Dan Osi Orbih whose Abuja oxygen has been cut off and the Jonathan Army and Police he uses to coerce and bamboozle hapless and defenseless citizens will be no more equally believes that instead of mourning his party’s woeful defeat at the Presidential polls his party lost in the delusion that his uncouth diatribe on Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is what he needs to hang on to relevance that is fast fading away.
But Edo people understand that Nigerians are not only celebrating our democratic advancement but are jubilating over the end of a political party that has cause so much pains, sorrow, blood and tears for them this past 16 years. Nigerians are celebrating the death of PDP which promoted epileptic power supply, bribery and corruption, ineptitude in power, human rights abuse and rights violation, and all attributes of bad governance. They promoted insecurity, glorified poverty and enthroned mediocrity in the affairs of our beloved nation.
That is why the duo of E.K. Clark and Dan Orbih ought to be busy with obsequies of their corrupt source and the requiem of their exit from power, they rather have their eyes on how to destabilise Edo State. Their game plan is to use the next Saturday elections as a vent. They forget that nobody was going to condone PDP sharing of money to buy the conscience of the electorate next Saturday as they did in the presidential and national assembly elections.
They forget that Edo people are wiser and would not want to remain in an obtuse and comatose opposition. They do not know that Edo people are more advanced democratically than they can be deceived by the PDP where father deceives wife, son deceive mother and brother deceive sister. They do not know that Edo people cannot afford to pitch half tent with a party that is now leprous. Nobody wants to associate with leprosy and failure which PDP signposts in Nigeria today.
They want an Edo State where a House of Assembly would be fighting with the executive every day and at the end of the day, it is the common man that would suffer. They want an Edo Assembly that would be perpetually occupied by the police. Is this what Edo people want from May?
Rather, I believe that Edo people have pitted their tent with the change that has come. Edo people want positive change that would improve their lives and livelihoods. An APC government that would guaranty electricity, that would fight corruption to standstill, a party that would usher in development in all parts of the country. An administration that would give Comrade Oshiomhole the needed resources to develop Edo State and put it on a global map.
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is already prosecuting a massive development agenda in Edo State which all Edo people can see and appreciate. Edo people will before the end of this year have a modern Central Hospital that will be equipped with State-of -the- art facilities comparable to the best hospital in the world. The Governor is in a hurry to complete that project.
The Governor is constructing more roads and would complete all on-going projects. He is poised to establish two new universities in the state and equip them along the existing ones to international standards. The massive renovation of schools and hospitals would be multiplied, and more people are going to be employed in both the public and private sector in the state.
Oshiomhole is ready to revamp ailing industries, Edo Line which the PDP government killed is under way to bouncing back to its premium position in the transport industry in the country. The Okpella Cement Company is now producing cement and employing more and more Edo people. Many more industries are underway from the private sector which the Oshiomhole administration has been working on over the years.
Oshiomhole has kept faith with civil servants getting their salaries as at when due. Plateau State, a PDP State is owing its workers five months salary. Benue State, another PDP state is owing workers seven months salaries but Oshiomhole has ensured that his state workers are promptly paid. This is worth appreciating him and the best way to go is by giving him a friendly APC House of Assembly come next Saturday.
Buhari and Oshiomhole are set to take Edo State to the next level and Edo people must not make the costly mistake of voting for war in the state. Edo people, eligible voters in the state must troop out next Saturday and vote for all APC candidates. They must ensure that they endure whatever pains they would encounter in the cause of casting their votes. They must ensure that PDP is finally laid to rest so that we could have peace and development in our state.
Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State.