The character assassination, mucky politics and violence that may exemplify the Edo State governorship election scheduled for June this year have started to unfold. Already, sickly sweet tension is mounting day after day in all the local government areas of the state, especially in Edo South senatorial district where many political monitors and thinkers believe the election would be decided.
The senatorial district, going by the last voter registration, controls almost 60 per cent of the state’s total voters’ population. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as part of its political calculation decided last Saturday in Benin City to pick its governorship candidate from the senatorial district. Retired Major-General Charles E. Airhiavbere defeated four other candidates to emerge the party’s governorship flag-bearer in the coming election.
That has settled the fact that the hot contest will be between the incumbent governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomohle, and Gen. Airhiavbere. And if the events of the last few weeks in the state are anything to go by, the stake is very high. Foot soldiers of both camps are already on the battlefield undoing and humiliating each other.
On Monday, Oshiomhole’s spin doctor, Mr. Louis Odion, claimed he received death threats through his telephone from people suspected to be working for Chief Tony Anenih, one of the national leaders of the PDP who has a stake in the coming election. Anenih is from Edo State.
Odion, in a letter written to some media houses, claimed he was publicly threatened by Chief Anenih at the palace of the Oba of Benin during a wedding ceremony. He said that there was a verbal assault directed at him by Chief Anenih, which was allegedly witnessed by the Delta State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was exchanging pleasantries with him on his way out of the palace.
For those who knew the cosy and comfy relationship that existed between the Iyasere of Esanland and the immediate past editor-in-chief/managing director of National Life, it is shocking how fast things change in politics. But could the high chief from Uromi have climbed down from his white, high horse to threaten the commissioner of information, who until recently was “near everything” to Louis?
Apart from the father-and-son relationship that existed between Chief Anenih and Louis, those who know the PDP leader can swear that he is not a flippant and reckless person, when it comes to a sensitive matter like that. A retired commissioner of police, Anenih is known to be very tactical, calculated and clam - even at a boiling point of provocation. Those who know him very well say it is very difficult and almost impossible to get Chief Anenih involved in what Louis accused him of. This popular belief may be wrong within this context but this is the Iyasere of Esanland, who many people, especially those close to him, have known for many years.
However, like the postulation of many right-thinking persons monitoring the unfolding political events in the state, these are signs of what is to come in the next few days, weeks and months: dirty politics that many people fear will be characterised by names-calling and violence, if care is not taken. But can’t we play a clean game devoid of mudslinging in the coming election? Yes, we can, if we apply decent basic rules and values in election matters.
Although some political analysts have said that the incumbent governor may still be returned by the majority of Edo State voters for different reasons and factors but the choice of Major General Airhiavbere may have put Oshimohole’s camp on its toes. Until recently little was known about the 58- year-old retired army general from Benin City. Many of his followers and supporters said that in spite of his little experience in partisan politics, his sound upbringing and educational background will count. Between 1960 and 1966, Major-General Airhiavbere got his primary education across many towns such as Ore-Oghene Baptist School, Benin City, Ibadan, Ijebu-Igbo, Lagos and Zaria. From 1969 to 1973, he attended Eghosa Grammar School, Benin City; thereafter he was admitted to the Nigeria Military School, Zaria as a “boy-soldier”.
He later proceeded to Auchi Polytechnic in 1978, where he obtained the HND with an upper credit in Accountancy. He was admitted into the Nigeria Defence Academy for Director Short Service Course in 1981. He won the best all-round medal on the course. He got commissioned as a Lieutenant into the Nigeria Army Finance Corps in June 1981 before proceeding to do a master’s degree programme in Business Administration at Nigeria’s premier university, the University of Ibadan (1987), with specialisation in finance.
Airhiavbere has held several appointments in command, staff and instruction in the Nigeria Army, among which are: staff officer, Nigeria Army Headquarters; staff officer in command, finance office, Apapa, at various times; divisional cashier in mechanized division between 1984 and 1990; cashier, Nigeria army in command finance office, Apapa, between 1991 and 1993; deputy defence attaché, Nigeria Embassy, Washington, DC, from 1993 to 1996 and 1998 to 1999.
He was director of finance at the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna between 1997 and 1998; deputy commandant/ director of studies, Nigeria Army School of Finance and Administration (NASFA), Apapa, from 2000 to 2001. He was appointed the deputy commander command, finance office, Apapa, from 2001 to 2005.
Major-General Airhiavbere also served as director army finance and accounts, in February 2008 and later commander the corps of army finance and accounts at the army headquarters. In 2010, he was posted to his alma mater, the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, to share his experience with fellow colleagues at the institute.
The elaborate background of the PDP candidate has been given here to properly underscore the credentials of Oshiomhole’s opponent in the coming election. For the PDP candidate, the coming election is political war because the only way a good military officer is trained to deal with perceived enemies or opponents is to crush them. So, it a war between a comrade and a trained army general.
Nevertheless, Oshiomhole has something good going for him in his current campaign to return to Dennies Osadebe House, Benin City. Compared with the performance of his predecessor, Lucky Igbinedion, who was also one of his financiers in 2007, the governor of Edo State has done well. In the history of Edo State, Lucky’s administration has been recorded as the worst thing that has ever happened to the state administratively. For eight years, he did nothing to justify the huge allocations the state received. For some people, the noticeable infrastructure development that Oshiomhole is currently executing is worth celebrating.
But, for whatever reason, the same governor is also being vilified today by many people especially, those from Edo South senatorial district, for concentrating the huge part of his project in Edo North, which constitutes less than 18 per cent of the voter strength of the state. But, from all indications, the governor who is from Edo North has no apology for doing so; his reason has always be that “my people” (Edo North) has been abandoned for years. This is one of the strong factors that will also determine his election. Interestingly, this may also be his undoing; the majority believe that they have been short charged in the allocation of state resources.
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