In 2020, Governor Godwin Obaseki gave a stern response to Bola Tinubu’s desire to return Edo State to the All Progressives Congress (APC) saying to him bluntly that ‘Edo no be Lagos’ and the governor had his way. Today Tinubu as President is saying that APC will take back Edo and make it as beautiful as Lagos. This is the background that set the stage for Saturday’s make or mar election in Edo State.
No one can capture the mood of the September 21st 2024 Edo State gubernatorial polls better than governor Obaseki who declared it ‘a do or die’ election. Added to his statement, the Governor and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party ((PDP) have refused to sign the cosmetic peace accord that the former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and his team always parade every election circle with little or no impact. The tension in the state has been perceivable with political pundits practically agreeing that the election is going to be tempestuous and choppy.
The edginess and hostility over this election are not without history. It’s all a continuation of the animosity between three former friends bonded by the business of governance and now being set apart by politics. Adams Oshiohmole, Godwin Obaseki and Asue Ighodalo, one former governor, one serving or outgoing governor and another an incoming governor by his wish.
The triumvirate was once pals dancing around Edo State funds and having been exposed to the sweet taste of political power, they have g.