Edo Decides: Esan In Twilght of Political Direction.

 

Gov.Oshiomhole

By Prince Kelly O. Udebhulu.

Political diminishing returns in full circle in Esanland. Esan ethnic block has been degraded and is now in its twilight of political endgame of irrelevance as a result of the married of political convinience between Edo South and Edo North.

Edo Central hitherto the horseman of Edo politics is now sleepy hollow completely taken apart by this new found political love between Edo South and Edo North.

To some political pundits, this scenarios has been quietly brewing, but there was absent of charismatic person to put a seal on it either from Edo South and Edo North until the advent of Comrade Oshiomhole on the one, and on the other, as a result of some sagacious political characters before now from Edo Central.

However, to some pundits, Comrade Oshiomhole is only an opportunist; they opined that the political unwiseness of Edo Central people to invest into individuals as a shrine, rather than ideology, which before put them at the forefront of progressive politics is responsible for their fall from Olympian height of politics in the state.

According to them, the fall of Edo Central from political relevance is self inflicted, as the district was not been proactive in its political networking.

This school recalled since the present political dispensation in 1999, Edo Central has pit their tent with the conservative party, PDP, even when it was clear the party is not only ideologically absent, or its 16 years of governance was less than impressive. They recalled the hold on the political pipe was its ability before to play on the divide between Edo South and North.

Secondly, while the two other districts were more ideological driven, Edo Central was more or less behavouring or playing the politics of a caliphate, driven more on individual loyalty and allocation of resources.  In other words, while the other two districts were dynamic on their politics of collective success, Edo Central was blindly following individuals.

Esan is second monolith tribe in Edo State, after the Binis. Despite its population estimated at about 25-30 percent of Edo's and the recent dominance of the political space in Edo, the current political field has left Esan orphaned as a direct result of the above stated reasons, to the extent that today, the entire race is now jotting to even be appointed as the Secretary to the state Government or jubilating that at the other side of the river bank, deputy governorship slot was given to them which is windy as per actualization based on the new political wind.

The pertinent question now is what would they do to get back to political reckoning?

Personal and tribal action over who gets what in the next dispensation has become intense in Edo state. The echoes are loud enough to deafening ears.

One thing is clear as the next governorship election date draws near; the three ethnic nationalities in Edo State are scheming for one position or the other. So, it is now a game of interest. No longer collective interests!

Prior to this time, electorate is expected to vote on the basis of party ideology and suitability of the candidate for the position of the number one seat; most ethnic groups in the state are preparing to vote based on what they get in the next dispensation. A 180 degree turning indeed!

Political geography divides Edo State into three senatorial districts, namely: the Edo North, Central and South Senatorial districts respectively.

To every political analyst, the major political parties in the race are APC and PDP. The ruling All progressives Congress (APC) gave its ticket to the Edo south after Mr. Godwin Obaseki emerged winner of a keenly contested primaries. The Central senatorial district, going by the original calculations, lost the bid both to produce the next governor and deputy. A topic for another day!

The People Democratic Party (PDP) gave its ticket to Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu (though under a factional outlook for now), who is from the Edo South district also. The governorship candidate of PDP picked its deputy from Edo central to balance the political equation and their chances of winning in the main election but Mr. Godwin Obaseki of APC took his deputy from the Edo Northern senatorial district.

As it is now, and with the emergence of Hon. Shuaibu, as deputy governorship candidate, the Edo Central Senatorial District will have no outstanding electable position from 2016 should the APC sweep the polls?

Sensing that the Esan people would be further endangered in the next dispensation if they continued to fold their arms and watch the Esan political class dictate the pace of the polity, the leadership of the young Esan elites and some other prominent leaders in the ethnic nationality began a rescue mission. Observers of political events say the young esan elites believe that the ‘Esan political class’ were their problem and they were no longer prepared to further mortgage the future of the land on the altar of self-imposing politics being played by the political class under greed and selfish interests.

To me as an esan man, I hereby task the Esan people to vote wisely and for a candidate that can truly win according to the direction of the political wind. Esan people must vote creditably and wisely. One thing that my Esan people must avoid, a vote that will place or tag us as opposition stronghold in the state.

...to be continued!