Governor Adams Oshiomhole
Governor Adams Oshiomhole pulled a stunner yesterday as his anointed replacement Godwin Obaseki won the Edo State governorship election putting to rest the boasts made by top bigwigs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and godfathers to defeat him.
Oshiomhole has politically retired the so-called godfathers of the PDP who had held sway in the state over the years before he was elected the governor. With the latest defeat, Oshiomhole has succeeded in writing his name on the political stone of victory in Edo State and will now be regarded as one of those whose words cannot be ignored in the state.
With his APC team, he successfully defeated an alliance of top politicians in Edo state like Chief Tony Anenih, former PDP Board of Trustees (BoT); business mogul and the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion; his son and former governor, Lucky; former Foreign Affairs minister, Chief Tom Ikimi; former Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen; former Chief of Staff to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Mike Oghiadome; media mogul, Chief Raymond Dokpesi and Senator Odion Ugbesia all of the PDP.
These bigwigs had boasted before the election to stop Oshiomhole and the APC as they promised to defeat him in the just concluded election. But, Oshiomhole surprised them and gave them a brutal political beating they will never forget.
With the defeat of PDP, many are beginning to feel the power of Oshiomhole in the state after he single-handedly changed the politics of the state. It seems like the APC will dominate the state for a longtime to come if the party continues to keep to its promise of alleviating the suffering of the people by providing needed development and infrastructure.
It is indeed a new dawn in Edo State as Oshiomhole through his anointed ally Obaseki steers the wheel of the state.
No wonder a victorious Oshiomhole declared that he has finally clipped the wings of the godfathers in the state as he said thus: “Over the last eight years, we have tried to orientate our people not just the voters but politicians that the season of election rigging, where one or two godfathers write the results is over and we were committed to dismantling the rigging machine.
“We have a rerun in 2012 with all the godfathers on one side and new forces of change on my side, I won in all the 18 local government areas. Our people have spoken loud and clear that they believe in democracy, they just don’t want to be beneficiaries, they want to be the drivers of the process. This was showed by the way they conducted themselves on election day.
“It is outstanding and remarkable that tensed as the election was with all the predictions, the APC won 15 out of the 18 local government areas decisively.
"Those who were loudest in making noise have been revealed where they stand in relation with Edo people.
"We have humbled Chief Tom Ikimi even in the local government he claimed to have created. We defeated Chief Raymond Dokpesi in his polling unit, his ward and his local government.
"In Okada, the political family that has boasted that they will continue to govern this state and even compelled the state to adopt them as the queen of England whose birthday must be celebrated was rejected.
“In Esan land, the senatorial zone of the PDP godfather, we won two out of the five local governments. We gave him a fight that he managed to escape. He used the factor of his age to play on the emotion of the people. It is a victory for the people of the state. Edo people are now proud they can now determine who rules them and no one godfathers can choose a leader for them.
