Uchechukwu Olisah writes on the political intrigues, calculations and reactions between the Governor Adams Oshiomhole-led Action Congress (AC) and the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state before and after the Etsako Central election.

The rerun election for Etsako Central constituency seat in the Edo State House of Assembly, which took place on Saturday, 23 January, 2010, as earlier predicted, had proved to be a fierce and potentially decisive race. The already existing political intrigues and the implication of the result of the election, particularly  for the two major political parties in the state, the Action Congress (AC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), provided the fertile ground for such proposition.

Indeed, a brief insight into the aforementioned political situation may suffice. In November 2008, the AC candidate in April 2007 governorship election, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was declared winner of that governorship tussle, after a prolonged legal action. It was the first time, since 1999, that any political party wrested power from the PDP. With the loss of the governorship seat, the PDP still controlled power at the local government level, where all the chairmen of the 18 local government areas are members of the party.

But the 31 October, 2009 defection of six local government chairmen, two local government vice-chairmen and a few councillors, with some other persons from the PDP to the AC in the state altered this balance, and thus, the PDP lost the edge.

The PDP, which also controlled majority of the 24-member Edo State House of Assembly, at the beginning of the life of the present Assembly having about 16 seats, had this advantage whittled through court decisions or bye-elections/rerun elections. And so, by the time the Etsako Central rerun election held, the PDP was left with 12 seats, including thODE of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Majority Leader of the House, while the AC’s stake had increased to 11 seats.

By any conjecture, whatever the result of the Etsako Central constituency rerun election was going to be, it was not going to be fun for the loser. Defeat in the election was not considered an option by the PDP or the AC. Win, the party will have equal stake in terms of number of seats with the PDP in the House and a further prospect of producing the Speaker of the House. Lose, the AC will have its hopes of taking control of the House dimmed. Conversely, a win for the PDP would boost its grip on the House leadership, which was beginning to wane; a loss for the PDP would further push the party to the brink and further compound its woes in the current political developments.

Pre-election day drama, intrigues, squabbles
Each of the political parties, particularly AC and PDP, made spirited efforts to win the election. But the campaign efforts were overshadowed by intrigues, accusations and counter-accusation, particularly those that had to do with allegations of arms build up, threat of violence and plans to rig the election.

The accusations and counter-accusations were not limited to a particular political party. The verbal war even degenerated to personal attacks. The tension was generally regarded as an off-shoot of the August 2009 rerun for the Akoko Edo Constituency 1 seat in the state House of Assembly, which was won by the AC.

The PDP had accused Governor Oshiomhole and the AC of using government apparatus and other forms of coercion and violent means to rob them of victory, an accusation the AC vehemently denied. The AC had said it was actually PDP that planned to rig the election and the PDP was only crying wolf because the AC was able to demobilise the PDP’s rigging machinery.

Before the election, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Aniede Abasi Ikoiwak, was removed and a new REC, Mr. Ahmed Raji, was deployed to the state. Besides, soldiers were withdrawn from the anti-crime military/police Joint Task Force (JTF) code-named Operation Thunderstorm. To underscore the importance attached to the election, an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu was sent to the state as the head of a team of over 1,600 policemen to provide adequate security for the peaceful conduct of the Etsako Central election.

Matters appeared to hit a crescendo on Saturday, 9 January 2010, when during one of PDP campaigns in Fugar, headquarters of Etsako Central local government area, former chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) and an indigene of the state, Chief Tony Anenih, read what appeared to be a riot act for the election, warning against the use violence to obtain victory.

He said anyone who perpetrated any act of violence should prepare to spend the rest of his or her life in jail, adding that any attempt by the AC to rig the election would be resisted.

The immediate past governor of Edo State Professor Oserheimhen Osunbor said at the rally that Governor Oshiomhole’s AC-led administration was government of destruction, oppression, victimisation and taxation. Osunbor called on the people of Etsako Central local government area of the state to reject the AC candidate in the re-run House of Assembly election.

Chief Mike Ogiadomhe, former deputy governor of the state during the administration of Chief Lucky Igbinedion and now Principal Secretary in the Office of the Vice-President, who is from the local government, promised that there would be maintenance of law and order during the re-run election.

Ogiadomhe warned that anybody that behaved rascally would be ruthlessly dealt with as the party would not fold its arms and allow miscreants to create trouble in the area.

The state chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, called on the AC to be prepared to adhere to the principle of one-man-one-vote, adding that those who did not have business with the re-run election in Etsako Central should not be seen in and around the election venues.

Oshiomhole did not fail to respond. The governor, in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Peter Okhiria, described the comment by Anenih as a jaundiced opinion.  Oshiomhole said it was on record that Chief Anenih’s party, the PDP, was in power in the state for 10 years and left a rot behind.

“They could not even plant the flowers that Anenih is bellyaching over in the whole of these ten years. It is also on record that Chief Anenih was the Minister of Works and despite the billions of naira allocated to that ministry under his watch, he could not fix the Benin–Ore Expressway nor extend the dualisation of the Abuja-Okene Road to the state.

Chief Anenih, if not that he prefers to stay in Abuja rather than his state, should have noticed the development strides of Comrade Oshiomhole, aside the bold programme of beautification of the Kings Square which also include all the adjoining roads,” the governor added.

According to Oshiomhole; “It is also rather amusing listening to the musings of Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor who was ousted for savouring a rigged election. Osunbor has no moral right to sermonise on issues of governance after being a chief beneficiary of a rigged election.”

About a week later, Oshiomhole raised the alarm over alleged order by the Minister of Defence, General Godwin Abbe (rtd), withdrawing soldiers attached to the OperationThunderstorm. Oshiomhole, who expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, appealed to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to call General Abbe, Chief Tony Anenih and Principal Secretary to the vice-president, Oghiadohme to order with a view to avoiding chaos in the state. He alleged that the reason for the withdrawal was to enable the PDP to move in arms and ammunition into Etsako Central local government area for the re-run election.

Reacting, the state vice chairman of the PDP, Owere Dickson Imasogie said, “if the allegation that the Minister of Defence gave directive for the withdrawal of the JTF, I will count it as a good omen for the state and the rerun election for the simple fact that the AC and the government of Edo State, known for their propaganda, have alleged that the PDP and the Minister of Defence want to use the army for this rerun election.”

Orbih described the alarm which Governor Oshiomhole raised as ironical, adding that, “based on the governor’s and AC’s outcry that the PDP is planning to rig the election with the military, the Federal Government has thought it wise to withdraw the soldiers in the JTF, so as to avoid temptation of the PDP using them to rig the said election.”

“That Adams Oshiomhole is crying over the withdrawal of the said soldiers goes to show that he is indeed the one with the secret plans of rigging the election with the soldiers. The Governor’s accusation that the PDP is bent on unleashing violence on the Election Day through the use of thugs is ironical.

”The governor should practice what he preaches - one-man-one-vote. If the principle is adhered to and he keeps to that, after the election we shall know who owns the land.”

Election day
The Police, the State Security Services (SSS) and other relevant agencies provided what can conveniently be described as adequate security on the day of the election. There was no part of the Etsako Central constituency that had no presence of law enforcement agents.

Indeed, the security provided by law enforcement agents on that day made all the hype that the election day was going to be violent and bloody an anti-climax. Except for the arrest of eight persons for impersonating All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) agents and the discovery of about 24 fictitious names of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials in the records of the commission for the Etsako Central constituency, the re-run election was largely incident-free.

The police arrested six of the suspects in Ogbona and two others in Fugar for the alleged impersonation, while the fictitious names of the INEC officials were said to have been discovered in Wards Five and Eight by AC members, who protested the incident. Consequently, INEC substituted the fictitious names with the names of genuine commission officials. In all, the turnout of voters was impressive while the voters conducted themselves in an orderly manner in all the wards and units visited.

Four political parties namely the PDP, the AC, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) participated in the election. But the PDP and AC are by far the most dominant. There was early distribution of election materials even to far-flung places within the constituency. This made it possible for early commencement of voter accreditation and voting.

Each of the polling units was properly manned by gun-wielding policemen. Election officials did their job under the watchful eyes of these policemen and party agents. Even police Armed Personnel Carriage (APC) were stationed at perceived flashpoints in places such as Fugar, the local government headquarters, and hometown of Chief Oghiadomhe; Ogbona, the hometown of the state PDP chairman, Chief Orbih, and parts of Ekperi kingdom, where the vice-chairman of PDP, Edo North, Mr. Paschal Ugbome, to reinforce security. The headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Fugar was guarded by what could possibly pass as a full complement of security operatives and party agents.

Speaking shortly after voting, Mr. Ugbome, said he was impressed and happy, but however, stated that he felt for the voters who cast their votes under the hot sun as a result of long queues. Alleging that the opposition, AC, had moved thugs to the hinterland of the local government, Mr. Ugbome expressed the belief that the police would handle the situation, even as he expressed optimism that the PDP would win the election.

The chairman of Etsako Central local government area and member of the AC, Mr. Joseph Ugheoke, who also alleged that the PDP tried to rig the election, said he was optimistic that the AC would win the election, especially with the application of one man, one vote policy of Govenor Oshiomhole. He said the people were prepared to police their votes to avoid rigging.

Governor Oshiomhole and retinue of top state government officials, AIG Ogbaudu, some non-governmental organisations like Africa Network for Economic and Environmental Justice (ANEEJ) and a coalition of Civil Society Organisations were among the personalities and organisations that monitored the election.

At the end of voting, sorting, counting and collation of ballots commenced. It later emerged that Oghiadohme lost his ward to the AC, while Orbih was able to  secured victory. However, before the result of the election was announced rumour made the round that the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr.  Raji, was not going to announce the result of the election.

The reason for the REC’s supposed action was not immediately known, but the rumour prompted Governor Oshiomhole, AIG Ogbaudu, former Chief of General Staff (CGS) Admiral Ohai Mike Akhigbe, who is also an indigene of Fugar, and the Electoral Officer, Mr. Clem Okechukwu, to show up at the INEC office in Fugar to meet with the REC over the purported plan to cancel the election.

The REC told them that the election was inconclusive, a statement which lent credence to the possibility that the rumour could after all be a reality. The Electoral Officer and AIG Ogbaudu did not agree with the position of the REC. They warned of the dangers in not announcing the result, pointing out that the election was free, fair and peaceful. Wise counsel apparently later prevailed as Oshiomhole and Akhigbe urged him not to provoke avoidable crisis and the REC allowed the Electoral Officer to announce the result.

The Result
According to the result of the election as announced by the INEC Electoral Officer, Clem Okechukwu, the AC candidate, Johnson Oghuma, polled a total of 7,884 to beat his closest rival, Chris Umogbai of the PDP, who scored 3,712 votes.

Oshiomhole’s reaction to the result was almost immediate. “I do not care about who won the election but the process. I am glad that the people have voted their conscience. It is victory for democracy and the end of godfatherism. Never again will our people be held hostage by a cabal, never.”

The reaction of the PDP to the result was a bit delayed. It came on Sunday 24 January 2010, a day after the election. “Edo State chapter of the PDP has accepted the results in the just concluded Etsako Central House of Assembly rerun election, in spite of the widespread electoral malpractices perpetrated by Governor Oshiomhole, his battalion of thugs and litany of Edo State government officials as,” the Edo PDP chairman said, while addressing journalists in Benin City.

The Ripples
The outcome of the election is now having a ripple effect on the polity in the state. The Etsako Central constituency election led to an even split of the 24-seat Assembly between the PDP and the AC. The AC now has 12 seats, the same number of seats as the PDP. Palpable tension has obviously gripped the PDP members of the House, as their political power and influence seem to be waning in the face of the apparent change in the fortunes of the AC.