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On the evening of Sunday, September 22, 2024, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the Edo governorship election.
Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second with 247,274 votes.
Before the announcement, the PDP kicked against the election result, alleging the exercise was rigged.
Like previous elections, the events that preceded the Edo poll came with drama and controversies in which the outgoing governor, Godwin Obaseki, the candidates, and political parties were prominently featured.
While the PDP predicates its loss solely on the rigging claim, several other reasons contributed to the APC’s victory. Besides the rigging allegation, Obaseki fought too many battles ahead of the election, and some of his 'political enemies' vowed to work against him.
Here are five reasons the PDP fell short in the Edo governorship election.
Gov Obaseki’s feud with Shaibu
Philip Shaibu, the Deputy Governor of Edo State was one of the first group of politicians to part ways with their allies in the APC and joined forces with the PDP to ensure Obaseki’s second term in 2020.
In his support for Obaseki, Shaibu openly insulted Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of the state whom he often describes as his political father.
Fast forward to 2024, the ties that once held the governor and his deputy together turned out to be the seed of their separation.
As Obaseki’s tenure rounds off, Shaibu prepares to take over from him but his boss has other plans. The ensuing conflict led to the deputy governor’s impeachment but the court reinstated him.
Irked by the humiliation he suffered, Shaibu vowed to work against the PDP, and he did. The deputy governor delivered his local government for the APC, dashing Ighodalo's hope.
Obaseki’s fight with the Palace
The stool of the Oba of Benin remains one of the revered thrones in the Nigerian traditional institution. The people of Edo State respect the throne and their adoration of their royal fathers cannot be disputed.
Unfortunately, Obaseki, either by omission or commission, clashed with the Benin traditional institution following his ban on Okaigheles (youth leaders) in the kingdom.
The governor said his reason for banning the youth group was part of his effort to tackle cultism in the state but the palace rejected his move, saying Okaigheles represented a segment of the age-long Benin traditional administrative structure.
While the palace sought to protect the tradition, the Edo State Government insisted that Okaigheles “pose the most severe threat to the security and stability of the state.”
That episode triggered a cold war between the palace and the state government.
Alleged betrayal of the legacy PDP members
The saying that politics is a game of numbers cannot be discounted, however, this number is usually not about the voters but about influential party members and stakeholders.
In Nigeria, political structures are built around political figures and strong party members who use their influence to convince and canvass people to vote for the candidates they endorse.
Traditionally, Edo State is a PDP stronghold, and even when the APC took over the control of the state in 2008, it was easy for Obaseki to take it back with the support of the legacy PDP members and Nyesom Wike.
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Unfortunately, Obaseki lost the support of the group, led by Dan Orbih, the PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South, who accused the governor of betraying and shortchanging them.
Undaunted by their agitations, Obaseki while speaking at an event described the legacy PDP politicians as a disorganised group, likening them to sheep without a shepherd, and even supervised Orbih’s expulsion from the party.
The narrative against Asue Ighodalo
Whether the PDP likes it or not, the narrative that Asue Ighodalo is not a ‘homeboy’ contributed to his defeat.
The three candidates have negative narratives woven against their personalities to hurt their chances in the election.
While the narrative against Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party is tied to his Yoruba name, the campaign against Okpebholo, who has been in Edo politics for over two decades is about his perceived poor command of the English language.
Unfortunately for Ighodalo, despite the massive publicity popularising his candidacy, the opposition’s portrayal of him as an ‘anointed successor’ who can’t speak the language of the people he seeks to govern injured his political chances.
Obaseki’s 'nonexistent' political clout
Being a governor is one thing, having the political clout to pull and sway things in your favour is another. The just concluded election showed Obaseki is an ordinary governor.
Ahead of the poll, he stripped himself of his support structures through the many battles with his deputy and other political stakeholders.
Obaseki enjoyed the support of Oshiomhole and Wike to secure his first and second-term tickets. However, his failure to get his preferred candidate into the Edo State Government House speaks volumes of his lack of clout.