Edo 2024: A litmus test for Edolites

EDO 2024: A litmus test for Edolites by Godwin Akhimie.

As the race to occupy the government House in Benin city, the capital of Edo state, popularly known as osadebe house, hots up, the political gladiators are criss crossing the state to tell the electorates why they are the best to succeed the incumbent Governor, Godwin obaseki. As indigenes of the state, we are concern and will give our opinions on the competence of the array of candidates jostling to be the next governor of the hearthbeat of Nigeria.

Edo state was formerly known as Bendel state comprising of today's Delta state until it was renamed Edo state when Delta state was carved out of old Bendel state in 1991 by the Ibrahim Babangida administration.

When it was Bendel state, there were military administrators appointed to preside over the state, notably among them was late Gen.Samuel ogbemudia from Edo south ( Bini)

Edo state is bordered by Ondo to the west and kogi to the North.

It is a state that parades intellectuals, academicians, business moguls, entertainers and different shades of people

The state has not measured up in terms of development considering the years it has been in existence. The reason being leadership with no vision at all levels of government.

The state has had five civilian governors from the time it was created. It had Professor Ambrose Alli,  odigie oyegun, lucky igbinedion, Professor osunbor whose tenure was cut short by supreme court judgment, Comrade Adams oshiomole, and currently, Godwin obaseki.

All the past governors of the state did their best in uplifting the state but their best was not enough considering the resources that attracted to the state during their era. Of all the past governors of the state, Professor Ambrose Alli stands out because of the giant strides his administration recorded before the Shehu SHAGARI administration was truncated by the military which affected the state governors. 

The state has had it's own share of bad governance in the past and plague  by humongous debts borrowed by some of the past governors with no commensurate development.

Edo state is an oil producing state. The major occupation of the people are farming, tree logging, cottage industry, bronze making and hunting.

The state parades an array of hardworking and  successful people scattered in every part of the world. However, bad leadership has robbed the state of development and growth. It is divided into three zones and three major languages are spoken. The binis in Edo south, the ESAN in Edo Central and the Afemai in Edo North.

The state has had   three governors from Edo south ( Binis), namely, Odigie oyegun, Lucky igbinedion and currently, Godwin obaseki. Edo north on the other hand had Adams oshiomole  who was governor for 8yrs, Edo central had Professor Ambrose Alli who was governor for  5 yrs. In the face of the law, Professor osunbor was never governor after the supreme court removed him and declared Adams oshiomole as governor.

The state needs a competent governor in 2024 to take it to sound pedestal.

Many of the candidates jostling to be governor in  2024 are competent while some don't have the ability to perform to turn the state around. The state is begging for a sound leadership that will harness it's potentials and put it on a sound footing.

The state is blessed with human and material resources but still plague by poverty, unemployment and infrastructure deficit.

The cacophony of zoning has again resonated within the two major political parties, the APC and the PDP. If we are to go by fairness, inclusiveness, justice and egalitarianism, Edo central should produce the next governor of the state. But Edo central has the lowest number of local governments and population, the reason why there should be political alignment with other zones for support. Competence should override zoning, but it will marginalise the other zones that has been short changed in the scheme of politics.

The political parties including the new entrants, parades candidates from the three senatorial districts.

All the candidates have their strength and weakness but what is needed is their strength which translates to their competence.

We are going to scan and diagnose the candidates so that the electorates can make their informed choices for a better and prosperous Edo state.

Edo state deserve the best and only the best can pilot the state and take it to the Eldorado .

The  candidates have held various positions in public and private sector.

We have had people from the public sector and career politicians who have done well as governors and we have equally seen persons from the private sector who have done well as governors vice versa. Career politicians  often don't make good leaders because of the spirit of 'entitlements' in them, their aides and supporters which sometimes stagnate the state in the areas of development and growth. Persons from the private sector are immune from 'entitlements' and settlements of political patronage. They are new face in politics and necessities bring them into politics to clear the mess created by the politicians.

A cursory look at the array of aspirants wanting to become the governor of Edo state, two are from the private sector, the others are career politicians with no business or have worked in a private sector where they earned salaries and are able to create jobs but lived all their lives on the resources of the people in the name of politics.