Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the outgoing Governor of Edo State
recently pleaded with Nigerians that he would not want to be remembered as a
serial “fighter.”
His plea came last week, amidst questions from newsmen
who covered the commissioning of the newly constructed Airport Road Park and
Garden in Benin City.
Obaseki’s melodramatic appeal started when one smart
reporter asked him how he would want to be remembered. To the consternation of
onlookers, the rebellious and highly divisive governor replied – “I don’t want
to be remembered for my fights.”
Obaseki will leave office after eight years as a
governor that engaged in the highest numbers of needless fights with friends,
politicians, traditional institution, judiciary, doctors, university students
and their teachers, and several others.
Soon after riding on the back of his predecessor,
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Obaseki assumed office without bothering about the
cumbersome process that landed him in Dennis Osadebey Avenue.
Strangely, Obaseki picked his first fight very early
in his first tenure, which extended to the end of his tenure.
One of his ferocious milestones then, was his battle
to prevent 14 elected members of Edo State House of Assembly from taking their
oath. This fight attracted the attention of the Attorney General of Federation
and the National Assembly. Obaseki managed to triumph.
However, the fight took a better part of him and he
was summarily disqualified from getting re-election ticket from the All
Progressives Congress, due to his doubtful academic records at the University
of Ibadan.
Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party committed the
greatest political error when they scored an ‘own goal’ by giving their 2020
governorship ticket to Obaseki at a time the party had almost concluded the
process of picking their flag bearer.
Shortly after his victory with the PDP, Obaseki turned
his gun nozzles to the leaders and members of his new party. He quickly resumed
another war of attrition in PDP and fought from top to bottom.
Like a man in a hurry, Obaseki set off series of
self-destruct mechanisms that will later explode and disintegrate him
automatically, having been preset to do so.
Along the line, Obaseki designed a scheme to act his
own screen play of ‘Game of Thrones’. His main features this time, was shrouded
in sponsored conflicts, alliances, and betrayals within the traditional
institutions in Edo State.
He found alliances among some renegade Enegies or
Dukes who he propped up to damand for a parallel Local Government Traditional
Council in Edo South.
Despite the uproar and objection from the Benin palace
and well meaning subjects of the Benin monarch, Obaseki through the Attorney
General of Edo State, approved the very unpopular decision.
When some of the delinquent Enegies were later
suspended by the Benin Palace, Obaseki again, promoted the cultural feud when
two Enigies dragged the Oba of Benin before a Benin High Court, presided over
by Justice P. A. Akhihiero, over their suspension.
In suit No. B/290OS/2023 filed by their Counsel, Dr.
Osagie Obayuwana, the claimants, Prof. Gregory Akenzua and Edomwonyi Iduozee
Ogiegbaen, Enogie of Evbo-Obanosa and Egbaen respectively, challenged the
monarch’s authority under Obaseki’s orchestrated ‘law’ to suspend them as the
Enogie (Duke) of their respective communities.
This development eventually positioned Obaseki who at
this point, lost control of his desire for power and hurriedly became the enemy
of the people – especially the people of Edo South.
Obaseki will be remembered in history as a governor
that had the greatest knack to take over landed property from individuals and
communities. In this regard, he will be remembered for the various protest that
marched against his forceful conversion of community lands in the state.
Governor Obaseki deservedly will also be remembered
for his ignoble fight with his Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu over his
desire to succeed him as governor of the state. Shaibu was subsequently
impeached on trumped-up charges by Edo State House of Assembly, but was later
restored by the Federal High Court.
Obaseki who will hand over to the Governor-elect,
Senator Monday Okpebholo on November 12, 2024, has fought many political
battles from the blast of whistle in 2016, to the end of his second term in
2024.
For aa man who prides himself as the strongest man in
Edo politics, and who was acclaimed by his political disciples as ‘Ematon’
(Iron), his present paperweight category is irreconcilable with his past
infamous King Kong conquests.
A search for ‘Obaseki’ on the World Wide Web will
prioritize ‘Godwin’ the governor of Edo State and many stories of his illogical
fights that he is begging Nigerians to now overlook.
Political observers are of the opinion that Obaseki’s
penchant for fight with members of the public and political class led to his
downfall and his inability to produce Mr Asue Ighodalo as a successor.
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