Erha's Consistent Attack On Senator Okpebholo's Governorship Aspiration, Power Shift to Esanland Unbecoming

By Osarobo Igbinomwanhia 

"When people throw you stones, it's because you are a good tree full of fruits. They see a lot of harvest in you. Don't go down to their level by throwing them back the stones, but throw them your fruits so the seeds of yourself may inspire them to change their ways" - Susie Hess Miller 

The above quote from the American art collector and motivational speaker, Susie Hess Miller aptly captures the trauma and pains one Tony Erha is presently experiencing in the run up to the Edo State governorship election and the advocacy for an Edo Governor of Esan  extraction. 

His latest article is titled "Of Akpakomiza's Imposition, Ohonbamu's Outburst and Metephoric Power Shift to Esanland", published in the 9 November edition of the Conclave news.

It is worthy of note that whilst Tony Erha was crafting his latest article, Edo Central APC leaders were screening their governorship aspirants and Senator Monday Okpebholo came tops.

In the said article under reference, Tony Erha tried to tell the Esan people that he is a bold comrade of those who want to scuttle their dream of having an Edo Governor of Esan extraction in 2024.

On the other side of the coin, he tried strenuously to convince his paymasters why the Personal Indentification Number (PIN) of the ATM Machine must remain with him, unchanged. 

In an attempt to to explain his long time relationship with Esan people, Tony Erha pointed out that he has before now been exited from all the Esan platforms he belonged by the administrators of those platforms. 

It does not need further explanation that Esan people in those platforms have discovered that he, Tony Erha is a mole in those platforms. 

A cursory look at his latest article reveals that Tony Erha's much talked about relationship with the Esan people is analogous to the proverbial relationship between soap and oil. 

Oil was used in the saponification of soap. However, immediately the process of soap manufacturing was completed and inquiry made about its efficacy, soap urged the people to bring clothes and dishes stained with oil to it for removal. Soap removed the stains easily.  When it was asked how it attained the feat, it told them he knows the secret of oil. 

It is now very clear without any iota of doubt, that Tony Erha has been using his long time friendship with Esan people to job those governorship aspirants from outside Edo Central, telling them he knows the secret of Esan people. He has turned against Esan people who fed him in the past as he alluded to in his article. He's now turned a Frank Einstein monster to the Esan people. 

The Esan people should now realise that if Tony Erha enters their house, office or car simultaneously with a snake, Erha should be chased out first, because he's more dangerous to them than the snake.

In his attempt to defend himself before the Esan people who he will eventually return to by the time his ill fated project would have completely failed, Tony Erha again showed that it's  fait accompli that Senator Monday  Okpebholo will get the nod of his party leaders to fly the APC flag in the 2024 governorship election. 

This is because Erha's paymasters have assess to privileged information more than most of us. They must have informed him that the APC leaders want power to shift to Edo Central and that Senator Monday Okpebholo is the preferred choice of the leaders.

Few things Erha and his financiers should know, is that the Esan people are not bothered where an Edo State Governor of Esan extraction comes from. They are not also bothered if the Governor emerges from among the present members of the National Assembly. 

In the likely event that Senator Monday Okpebholo emerges Governor of Edo State by the grace of God and the grace of Edo voters, he automatically loses his Senatorial seat which will thereafter be occupied by another Esan man.

The choice of the envisaged Governor of Esan extraction is not going to be done by Esan people alone, but by all Edo people. Is Erha urging Esan people to forget their advocacy for an Esan Governor if the other Edo people prefer Senator Monday Okpebholo?

Am surprised how these infantile arguments are swaying Erha's paymasters to continue to maintain his retainership.

He's even telling them to add more perquisites to his pay by including air fares in his travel schedules because he sees Hon. Paul Ohonbamu flying to Abuja and Lagos. 

Paul Ohonbamu, an accomplished legal practitioner and human rights activist, has been flying from Benin to Abuja and Lagos several years before he won election to the Edo State House of Assembly. 

This much Erha attested to in his article, that Paul Ohonbamu (Esq) did a case against Edo State government and the defunct Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for victims of Kerosene fire disaster, pro bono. 

Hon. Paul Ohonbamu was in the forefront for the realisation of the mandate given Comrade Adams Oshiomhole between 2007 and 2008.

He also contributed immensely to the success recorded by the administration of  Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as Governor of Edo State. 

Paul Ohonbamu has never been a political jobber and will never be. He has his law firm in a prime location in the Benin metropolis. He sees public office  as a call to service and returns to his law chambers once his tenure expires or finds reason to resign as he did in 2020 as Commissioner for Communications and Orientation. He's not like those who will betray their long time allies because of stomach infrastructure. 

While advising Tony Erha to look for more creative ways to sell his preferred aspirant, he should stop attacking Esan people's quest for the governorship of Edo State. 

He should realise that a man who sells his old friend to a new friend because of stomach infrastructure will never be trusted by the buyer and new friend.

And what is the guarantee that he will not use the information he's gathering from his new friend today against him tomorrow?

By the same token, I wish to appeal to Esan people to rally behind any of their own who finds favour with his party faithful from other Senatorial Districts. This is the surest way to get an Edo Governor of Esan extraction.