New song for Edo ACN

What appeared to be an imminent cloud threatening the cohesion of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Edo ahead of the July 14 governorship election in the state may, after all, not be devastating, writes JAMES AZANIA

When a local columnist in Edo State wrote that the Action Congress of Nigeria’s slogan, ‘Democracy for Justice,’ was in danger of going into extinction, and about to be supplanted with the chants, ‘Odubu must go’ and ‘No Odubu no election,’ at official party functions, many observers of recent political events in the state would have agreed. This was because the surreptitious rejection of  Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s deputy as the former’s second term running mate in the forthcoming governorship election was nearing a boiling point.

The issue had been that the ACN Vice-Chairman, South-South, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s foot soldiers and supporters were behind the calls. Both Pius Odubu and Ize-Iyamu, ironically, are from Edo South, nay same Orhiomwon Local Government Area of the state.

The argument, according to some of the unofficial spokespersons of Ize-Iyamu, is that it was he (Ize-Iyamu) that invited and nominated Odubu, a two-time House of Representatives member (1999 to 2007), to be Oshiomhole’s running mate and hence, it remains his discretion to say when Odubu steps down.

Ize-Iyamu, a former Secretary to the Edo State Government under the PDP administration of former Governor Lucky Igbinedion, no doubt, is a founding member of Edo ACN, having featured prominently in the ‘Grace Group’ alliance that pitted itself against the Tony Anenih-led faction of the party then. It was a  divide that ultimately rendered the PDP near comatose and consigned it to being the opposition party in a state it ruled for over 10 years. The tenure had started at the advent of the new political dispensation in 1999.

So bad was the situation that some political analysts predicted that the ACN may suffer a loss in Edo State.

Events came to a head during an end-of-the-year party organised by Oshiomhole. What played out at the event, which held at the Best Western Hotel in Benin on Jan 30, 2012, was to shock some of those in attendance when supporters of both leaders (Odubu and Ize-Iyamu) clashed openly, hurling insults at one another in the presence of Oshiomhole and other ACN bigwigs. It took the sagacity of Oshiomhole to calm the feuding party members and save the situation from degenerating into a free-for-all. While a faction of the party loyal to Ize-Iyamu chanted ‘Odubu must go,’ those for Odubu cried, ‘No Odubu as second term running mate, no election.’

As supporters of both leaders continued to slug it out at subsequent party gatherings, observers of political events began to wonder how long the centre would hold in Edo ACN, with rumours of Ize-Iyamu’s dumping of the party for the PDP renting the air.

Events of the last week, however, appear to prove right what other observers have described as the resilience of Edo ACN under Oshiomhole with the feuding factions singing ‘a new song.’

What unfolded at an enlarged state executive committee meeting on Monday, ironically at the same venue, where the earlier event almost turned into  war, became out as what a party supporter dubbed a pleasant surprise.

Whether he was whipped into line, cajoled or pleaded with, Ize-Iyamu made a moving speech that in effect collapsed all factions into what he described as a strong and united ACN in Edo State.

So moved was Oshiomhole that he described the moment as one of his happiest. Before Oshiomhole, former Foreign Affairs Minister and ACN National Leader, Chief Tom Ikimi, in his oratorical best, applauded what unfolded, giving more applause to Oshiomhole for his “role in making Edo ACN the pride of all Edo people.”

Before the public declaration of a truce, Ize-Iyamu had during a smaller gathering a week earlier, stated his own position. Odubu, on the other hand, and true to type, did not comment on the issue.

The ACN national vice-chairman had told a group of journalists that rumours of his involvement in the agitation for the rejection of Odubu’s candidacy were purely in the realm of speculation.

Ize-Iyamu had said, “I’m sure many of you know that am not interested in the Edo deputy governorship position. Even if the governor is to call me to say, ‘please be my deputy governor,’ I will decline politely; not because I despise that office, but simply because I believe square pegs should be put in square holes. The position of deputy governor should be given to those who can adequately play that role. I’m contented as the national vice-chairman of our party and the party is growing. To the glory of God, from one, we have won six states. It means that the party has a lot of potentials. So, for people to believe that somebody holding such an office (vice-chairman) would now be thinking of becoming a deputy governor is surprising to me.

“In politics, disagreements are allowed and that is one of the beauties of the ACN, but what is important is that we do not allow our disagreement to lead to the disintegration of the party we have built. I’m an experienced party man and I know that by the time we vote in our primaries, we don’t vote for deputy governorship candidate, we vote for who will be the governorship candidate. The process of the choice of a deputy governor does not allow lobbying. There is no doubt that the issue has brought a lot of controversies, but not from me. Nobody can really quote me on the issue of who will want to be the deputy governor, but we monitor the opinions of our members; after all, the deputy governor is not even the issue, it is the governor. We have agreed that Governor Oshiomhole will run a second term and by the time he emerges from our primaries, which will of course be democratically conducted, it is he, in consultation with the party leadership, that will decide who his deputy will be.”

At the open event, Ize-Iyamu went further, “I can never be one to work against the interest of our great party. Edo ACN remains as united as ever and the impeccable performance of the comrade governor is added impetus for us to even do better as party members.”

While Oshiomhole said unfolding events would be bad news for those he described as the detractors of Edo ACN, Ikimi said it would sadden the same set of people referred to by the governor.

Oshiomhole described the unfolding events as unprecedented, saying it would be a source “of sadness for those outside.”

He said, “What we’re witnessing today gladdens my mind to no end, showing that our party has continued to grow in unity, and with a resolve to continue in the service of our great state. We will not rest on our oars in our determination to make life better for the people of Edo State and to project further that things can work and indeed are working in Edo.”

Soliciting support for Oshiomhole, Ikimi said, “Of course, before Edo State was won, our critics would say ACN was a Yoruba party, but since then they have ceased to say so. Very soon, we will be doing our governorship election, and we will come out in our numbers, together with the good people of the state, to reward the governor for his good work and his unsurpassed dedication to the lifting of Edo State. People from other political divides and from even outside of the state have come to acknowledge the monumental changes that have been taking place in the state, for which the ACN and we as indigenes of the state are very proud of.” 

Chief Francis Inegbeniki, an ACN leader in the state, added his voice, accusing people he described as party detractors as being responsible for falsehood about the ACN.

 He said, “As at today, we have only one aspirant running for the position of governorship in Edo State. This alone is a source of headache for detractors of our great party. There is no crisis in Edo State ACN; the party is a united family. What you are hearing that some people are saying they don’t want Odubu as deputy governor or they don’t want this or that as governor, I must tell you this is as a result of the influx of people from the PDP to the ACN every day. The party is now a very big party, therefore, there are bound to be some challenges. Also, what we are having in Edo ACN is not a crisis but a family quarrel. It is like the teeth and the tongue: they live together inside the mouth and they still quarrel; that is why sometimes you see blood coming out from the tongue but they still live together.”

However, it is left to be seen if the new-found love and unity in the party will be sustained. Some observers believe that the true position of things will come to the fore when it is time to share political offices if and when Oshiomhole wins a second term.