28th May, 2012
With its deadly run-in, the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, slated for July, promises unfettered violence
On 14 May, Benin City, capital of Edo State, erupted in a huge protest, which claimed one life and left many injured. The protest was sparked by the anger of some supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, at what was perceived as an attempt by the rival Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to fiddle with the fresh voters’ registration exercise ordered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
That day, an INEC official was said to have been caught with a Data Capture Machine meant to be used in Igueben town. ACN supporters, who allegedly saw the INEC official with the device at about 8a.m, asked him what the machine was for. The man was said to have replied that it was used for training in Igueben the day before and he was asked to take it to Uromi, where registration had already begun. The alleged admission that registration had begun two days before it was due set the ACN supporters off, provoking the huge protest that resulted in the barricading of INEC office in Benin.
A notable figure in the protest was Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who had serially alleged that the PDP, in collusion with INEC, was working to rig the election through manipulation of the registration exercise.
“Three days ago, they met in Abuja, basically to say that they must rig the election, that they will use the military, they will use this voter registration, they will bring thugs from ex-militants. They have areas where they will use on the election day. They will tell you they registered here, but they are actually there as thugs. They have a deal; they settled a lot of people in INEC, particularly those in ICT, and when you see what they have today, it shows clearly they have a deal with the ICT people,” Oshiomhole alleged.
Of his participation in the protest, the governor said: “Those qualities that brought me to this office include mass protests. If, as a governor, I feel that an institution of state is being mismanaged or being misused, I have a right and if it is something that I can sit in my office and clean out, I will do it, but INEC is not under my control. Even much more than that, I am the candidate whose election is being manipulated and I am not one of those leaders who ask people to go and confront fire while they remain in the comfort of their offices. I want to lead by example. If I ask my people to go and protest, I will lead the protest; bear the burden, the stress of protesting under the sun. That is it.”
INEC responded to the upheaval by suspending the voter registration exercise in the state until after the election. The PDP, like the ACN, had also submitted petitions to INEC alleging plans to rig the election. INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, announced the suspension after meeting with representatives of the seven parties fielding candidates for the governorship election. He explained that the commission took the decision to suspend the registration “given the weighty nature of some of these allegations and the need to thoroughly investigate them”.
The disturbance and the eventual suspension of the registration exercise were presaged by other disturbing developments.
On 28 April, a tipper smashed into the convoy of Governor Oshiomhole along Warrake/Auchi Road, killing three journalists: Olatunji Jacobs, George Okosun of Independent Television, and Fidelis Okhani of African Independent Television.
Louis Odion, Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, also alleged that his house was attacked by some unknown hoodlums a day after the accident. On 4 May, the state witnessed another tragic occurrence, when Olaitan Oyerinde, Oshiomhole’s Principal Private Secretary, was murdered by unidentified gunmen at his private residence on Ugbor Road, GRA, Benin. These tragedies supplied additional fuel to the already combustible situation, with ACN and PDP swapping infernal words. Following the tipper incident, the PDP issued a message to condole with Oshiomhole, the ACN and the people of Edo in general.
The message did everything but condole the ACN and Oshiomhole, who alleged that the condolence message, which was already in circulation while the victims were still being evacuated from the wreckage, was an indication that the PDP knew of the crash beforehand.
The day after the accident, Odion told journalists that the PDP must have had foreknowledge of the accident, claiming that the party’s condolence message was already being distributed to media organisations represented in Benin and paying for it to be aired while the evacuation of the victims was still in progress.
“It will also interest you to know that shortly after that accident happened, PDP rushed out a statement and I have it on good authority that they went round media houses, especially electronic media houses, giving money for it to be heard. We find that very, very curious because I guess it is the first time they would come out and issue statement. And we thought that was very mischievous. Except you have a foreknowledge that the accident was going to happen, I wonder how a written statement would be in circulation when people are still wailing,” said Odion.
Prior to the accident, alleged Odion, top government officials had been sent text messages threatening their lives.
A statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Dan Owegie, said it was unfortunate that the PDP could commence airing of condolence messages while the victims were still being evacuated.
“What other explanation does the PDP have if they have no hand in the accident? If the PDP are innocent of the attack on the Comrade Governor, as they now want the world to believe, why would they not wait for the outcome of police investigation into the attack before making spurious claims and asking idiotic questions?” the party asked.
PDP’s riposte was no less angry. Dan Orbih, Edo State PDP Chairman, accused the ACN of “playing politics with the death of young and vibrant journalists”. Orbih added that Oshiomhole needs to be spiritually delivered from accidents involving his convoy, which he said had claimed the lives of many of his aides since he became governor.
On claim that the PDP’s condolence message was a move too soon, Orbih said they learned of the unfortunate accident through a call from one of the victims of the accident to one of the cameramen at the venue of a rally at Ekiadolor. The PDP boss said the rally, where his party was to receive decampees from the ACN, had to be put off immediately after a one-minute silence was observed in memory of the accident victims. According to Orbih, the accusation came at a wrong time, given that the victims were yet to be buried.
“I believe that the governor should rise above personal and parochial interests. It is dirty politics; it is criminal and it is a sin for the governor to accuse us even when the corpses of the casualties were yet to be buried. We will employ every available means, both legal and public opinion to seek redress,” Orbih said.
However, some analysts believe that the police should widen the scope of their search for Oyerinde’s killers.
A political analyst, who spoke to this medium, said there could be several sides to these alleged cases of politically motivated killings, particularly the murder of Oyerinde. While not dismissing the possibility of PDP involvement, he said the murder may have come from within the ACN. “A person’s enemy could be from under the same roof with him. It could be his best friend. Could it be that some of the governor’s men were envious of the close relationship between Oshiomhole and Oyerinde, knowing that he was Oshiomhole’s most trusted aide?” He asked.
Others also want the police to beam their searchlight on Oyerinde’s immediate constituency, the organised labour.
With the drama above and more, the battle lines are drawn in Edo State. The atmosphere is charged. The warriors are battle ready. The spectators are excited and can not wait to see how events unfold. The dateline is 14 July. The major gladiators are Oshiomhole of ACN, and Maj-Gen. Charles Airhiavbere of PDP.
The performance of these two major contenders in the governorship race will depend on several factors.
The power of incumbency will be in the favour of Adams Oshiomhole, who is already a household name, just as he is currently basking in the euphoria of endorsement galore. Right from former governor, Chief Odigie Oyegun to market women, commercial motorcyclists, workers, traditional rulers, the list of those endorsing him is endless. But the latest and most important to Oshiomhole apparently is that of the Benin Monarch, Omonoba Erediauwa, whom the Bini see as next to God and so, whatever he says is law. He openly gave his endorsement and support to the re-election bid of the governor when he went to seek the blessing of the king.
The rapid and almost unprecedented infrastructural development of the state by the Oshiomhole administration is another factor that might work in his favour. A ride on commercial motorbike in Benin City will let you into how the people view Oshiomhole’s performance. These commercial motorcyclists will almost tear one to pieces if he dares say anything negative about the Edo governor.
It is, however, difficult to assess the strength and weaknesses of the PDP candidate, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere. A greenhorn in politics, with no noticeable political structure on ground, Airhiavbere is banking on structures already put in place by others.
—Jethro Ibileke/Benin City