2023 General Election: Oshiomhole faning embers of electioneering Rascality

 

By Chris Akhabue

Recall  a few days ago, the Edo State governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki called for the arrest and interrogation of his predecessor and benefactor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of Edo state in connection with a video that has since gone viral in which Comrade Oshiomhole was  seen allegedly  instigating  some youths to intimidate Labour Party members and their supporters out of Edo state.

Not quite long after this, violent protest broke out in the Benin metropolis in connection with the lingering naira scarcity and its attendant hardship. Some aggrieved youth took to the street, breaking  and destroying banks ATM and properties in the process.

An owl cried in the night and in the morning a baby who was not  previously ill suddenly died without any verifiable cause.  The mother of the baby, family members and neighbours would definitely  attribute the death of the baby to the ominous nurctunal  owl who may not actually be responsible for the death.

As the chief security officer of the state, the governor, Godwin Obaseki, who, before now, has been having a running battle with the former governor, promptly asked for his arrest and interrogation.

Similarly, the Edo State Labour Party  chairman, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi while addressing the press earlier on the same matter  had also called on the state commissioner of Police to invite Comrade Adams Oshiomhole for questioning.

Recall also sometime last year, precisely Friday the 11th of November,2022,the three senatorial districts of Edo State were  beehive of activities  as two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress and the Labour Party were billed to have their rallies in parts of the state.

The Presidential flag bearer of Labour Party (LP)  Peter Obi was expected to meet with the Otaru of Auchi,   HRH Alhaji H.A Momoh in Auchi, and also address his supporters at -Ikelebe sports ground  in Auchi  before coming to Uromi to  meet with the Onogie of Uromi, his royal Highness Aslem Aidenojie and other Enigies of Esanland after which his campaign entourage was expected to move to Benin to continue with his visitations in preparation for the campaign for the presidential election.

On the other hand, the  APC  Senatorial candidate for the Edo north senatorial district, Comrade Adams Oshiomole was also scheduled to hold his campaign rally in a venue in Auchi, miles apart from where Peter Obi was scheduled to hold his campaign rally.

Oshiomhole in his usual characteristic of being unable to restrain  himself  from crossing the lines, told his supporters in his campaign ground that Peter Obi holding his campaign on the same day with him in "his land" was an affront that must be dealt with decisively.

Employing large doses of local parables to whip his supporters into a frenzy, the comrade governor then led them in a war match to the venue of the LP rally as a test of strength and to also let the "stranger' (Obi) know who  "owns the land'.

He mobilized his supporters to the sports ground where Peter Obi was billed to hold his rally and took over the space even though the two venues were miles apart.

You will recall also that the Edo State Commissioner of Police in an enlarged meeting attended by all the representatives of all security agencies and  all the  political parties represented by their stakeholders signed a peace accord  recently in Benin City, the Edo State Capital, in preparation for a peaceful, free, fair and credible elections. 

So, for any body to condescend to the level Adams Oshiomhole did

from the high pedestal of the exalted positions as a former President of Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), later as two term governor of Edo State and later as the Chairman of his political party, the All Progressives Congress(APC) to local thurgery and be calling  for anarchy and disorder in the same state where he was once the number one citizen and in the same state where he is running for the position of a senator in the Edo North Constituency is ludicrously absurd. 

 It remains indelible  in our memories how Oshiomhole  squandered all the goodwill gained in Edo  all because of his personal weak strength of character that are sometimes inimical, antithetical and at cross purpose with his objectives.

 Adams  Oshiomole, former Labour chairman, former governor of Edo State, former chairman of the All Progressives Congress, now, a senatorial candidate for  Edo North, discarded all known and acceptable composure and  decorum  to  fan the ambers of ethnic and tribal incontinence by vociferously mobilising  thugs to bully" the stranger"  out of " our land" and recently again by  allegedly calling the youth wing of his political party  in a video to cause disorder by  "harassing  people or Labour Party supporters out of Edo" is unacceptable. 

Oshiomhole's  garrulous tendencies, his greatest undoing,  had the better part of him on those very two instances.

One wonders if he, Oshiomhole, ever imagined the enormity of his brazen infringement and the possible consequences of his action of leading other people's innocent children to forcefully pursue Peter Obi and his supporters out of a venue they may have paid for to host their event .

Mobilizing his supporters to take over the campaign ground of Peter Obi in Auchi or asking his supporters or whoever they may be to intimidate  Labour Party Supporters out of Edo in this recent instant  is  a clear demonstration of height of lack of self restraints  and lack of gubernatorial composure  and a show of executive rascality which should be frowned at by any sane mind.

Imagine if Peter  Obi's supporters decided to  resist  the  brute  infringement in those two instances as no one has monopoly over violence, you can imagine the possible consequences simply because one man wanted to prove a needless and irrelevant point.

Oshiomhole should be told at this advanced stage in the electioneering that it is not by force    to represent his people at the Senate. Or it is by force that his preferred  candidate(s) must be voted for.

 Tell the people what you would do if elected and let them decide to vote for you or not. Stop this needless and childish display of  brute force that portrays an adult to look far away from decency. It is uncivilized and capable of creating undesirable precedence that could make the coming general elections violently  problematic.