Obaseki made it!

On the streets of Benin City and other places, it was celebration galore for the victory of incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He defeated his opponent, Pastor Osaze Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), by a wide margin of 84,336 votes after the final result of the governorship election was announced last Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Whereas Obaseki polled 307, 955 votes, Ize-Iyamu polled 223,619 votes in an election that almost became a do or die affair.

Four years ago, it was also a straight contest between Obaseki and Ize-Iyamu except that, this time, they swapped political parties. By this victory, Governor Obaseki will continue in office for another term of four years. But the difference is that he will be a PDP governor which means all the six states in the South-South region of the country have PDP governors.

Upon reflection, it became evident that Obaseki won the election because of his record of achievements and protest/sympathy votes – there was too much gang up against him. Secondly, Edo State is a traditional PDP state and the political structure was available to be deployed fully for Obaseki and his supporters. Edo State has two PDP Senators out of three Senators and the last minute strategic move by Governor Obaseki to PDP paid off after he was humiliated out of APC. That was a costly mistake by APC stalwarts; a mistake that became PDP’s gain. There were also external interferences taken too far.

When you de-market your own candidate, what do you really expect voters to believe? Nigerians have become wiser and more politically aware. The protest votes against godfatherism, oppression and injustice showed that Edo people are resilient, vigilant and determined; they know what they want and how to get it. For giving Obaseki their mandate for another four years under the challenging political circumstances that confronted him, Edo people have validated and endorsed the “wake and see” governor.

From all indications, Governor Obaseki was warmly received in PDP which he called “home” and he, along with his deputy, Philip Shaibu, were on the ballot. The graciousness displayed by the other candidates of the party was indicative of the goodwill that Obaseki enjoys. He fought hard to win the governorship election – and he did. Once there is fairness, equity, social justice and transparency, political misunderstanding and quarrels will be minimised. After Edo North and Edo South zones, it is clearly the turn of Edo Central zone to produce the next governor in 2024. That would be the right thing to do.

President Muhammadu Buhari not only commended the election process, he congratulated Governor Obaseki for winning the election and urged him to “show grace and humility”. In a statement by Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, President Buhari said his commitment to free and fair elections is firm because, “without free and fair elections, the foundation of our political and moral authority will be weak”.

I join President Buhari to appeal to Governor Obaseki to be a “bridge builder and healer of wounds” after what was clearly an acrimonious and hair-splitting fight and fury in the run up to the election. This is the time for His Excellency to display affection, love and uncommon grace, unite all Edo people at home and abroad and put the past behind us. I know it is difficult because of what he passed through but it is possible; this is an auspicious moment for Obaseki to rise above the fray, eschew politics of bitterness and act as a statesman. He should see his victory as a testament of his goodwill and the grace of God.

Although there were pockets of violence in some polling units, the conduct of the gubernatorial election, from available field reports, was largely orderly and peaceful; we thank God for the final outcome. As at August 2018, the number of registered voters in Edo State was 2,210,534 out of which 1,726,738 PVCs were collected. Over one million registered voters did not participate in the election but the votes cast was, in my view, a reflection of the wishes and aspiration of Edo people.

Was there voter apathy? I do not think so. Some eligible voters may have stayed away for two reasons: fear of violence breaking out and the compliance status of COVID-19 by all active participants during the election. Voter behaviour was not impressive across the various polling units – it was observed that many voters failed to comply with COVID-19 protocols prescribed by INEC. These voters did not wear face masks neither did they observe social distancing.

Even then, voters displayed enough enthusiasm to cast their votes and ensure their votes counted. This was attributable to aggressive grassroots mobilisation and awareness campaigns carried out by the national and state councils of the two dominant parties. There were reports of vote buying which has, unfortunately, become common practice before and during elections in Nigeria. Agents of APC and PDP, it was alleged, shared between five and ten thousand naira to voters. COVID-19 palliatives such as branded bags of rice and cartons of a popular noddle were distributed before and during the election.

In spite of the “stomach infrastructure” phenomenon, what the Edo election taught us was that we can conduct free and fair elections in Nigeria if only politicians do not behave badly. Violence related events such as ballot box snatching and use of fire arms during elections are usually sponsored by politicians who want to win at all costs – we do not have gallant losers. Why is it so difficult for our politicians to congratulate their opponents when they lose elections?

There are politicians who do not have a first job to which they can return; it explains the desperation to win elections even if it means eliminating their opponents and positioning themselves strongly to have access to power and influence. They also need political patronage to survive. This practice is what has given rise to the culture of godfatherism; these are politicians with deep pockets who think they can play God – when political leaders impose their selfish and self-serving agendas on the people whom they are supposed to serve, that situation does not last forever. Eventually, the will of the people will prevail.

The will of Edo people prevailed at the governorship election last Saturday. This is an important characteristic for future elections as we look forward to Ondo elections holding next month. All the contestants should learn from the Edo experience and they must understand that it is possible to hold free and fair elections. Let every eligible voter take responsibility and refuse to be recruited by politicians to cause mayhem during elections – it is the people that can resist widespread use of money and intimidation. Vigilance should be the watchword to tackle vote buying, diversion of voting materials, ballot box snatching or attempts to bribe INEC officials.

The Edo gubernatorial election was reduced to a two-horse race between Obaseki and Ize-Iyamu although there were 12 other contestants on the ballot. The large presence of security personnel helped to reduce the likelihood of violence in many polling units across the 192 electoral wards in Edo State – this was truly commendable. What some people called “federal might” was the overwhelming presence of security personnel who did their job without dancing to the tune of any politician. Card readers were reported to have failed in some polling units but election observers commended INEC for acting quickly to replace or repair faulty card readers.

There are useful lessons from the election for everyone. Even political scientists can dig up research materials and theses from events of the last four years in Edo politics – a review of the style of the key actors and their modus operandi will present relevant case studies as we work hard to improve each election season.

I congratulate Governor Obaseki for his victory. Now is the time to look ahead and consolidate his achievements. The reward for hard work is more work; the next four years means more work for Obaseki and his team. I have no doubt in my mind that His Excellency will do well and make Edo people – and indeed Nigerians – proud.

Braimah is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Naija Times (https://naijatimes.ng)