Home poll: Obaseki worries as National Assembly election defeat unsettles governor

With the dismal performance of the People's Democratic Party in Edo State in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, ADEYINKA ADEDIPE writes that State Governor Godwin Obaseki , took to the streets to solicit votes as his party's popularity wanes in the state

The battle for the soul of the Edo State Assembly has turned fierce as two state political heavyweights, Governor Godwin Obaseki of the People's Democratic Party and his predecessor , Adams Oshiomhole of the All Progressives Congress, are locked in a battle of wits. They are both campaigning vigorously for their parties to win enough votes to control the 24-member Assembly.

With gubernatorial elections not taking place in the state until 2024, it has become more important for the governor to ensure he gets a majority of seats in the state. assembly in order to avoid any measure of impeachment.

The governor, whose party did not win any seats in the National Assembly or hand over the state to PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in the presidential and National Assembly elections of February 25, knows he must work harder if he is to win a majority in the state assembly, which seems unlikely given the voting pattern in the last election, where the APC dominated in Edo North and Edo Central while Labor Party candidates dominated in Edo South, while the PDP finished a distant third in the presidential poll.

All hope is not lost as the state PDP, led by the Governor, is working to turn the situation around.

However, the lukewarm attitude of the Legacy Group, led by South-South PDP Vice President Dan Orbih, towards the election may have contributed greatly to the poor party performance. What is clear is that this week is crucial for the governor and his faction.

Obaseki took to the markets and streets to inform shopkeepers and residents of the need to vote for his party in the March 18 elections, noting that it would help him continue the development of the state.

However, some shopkeepers did not believe his idea, as he was greeted with chants of Obi (the LP's presidential candidate) when he recently visited the market for spare parts from Uwelu. He finally got a hearing after the frayed nerves subsided. However, he was better received in some other markets where he campaigned, which could be a good sign for his party's candidates in the March 18 elections.

On the other hand, the emergence of Oshiomhole as the representative of Edo North in the Senate seems to have galvanized the APC, which previously functioned poorly as the main opposition party in the 'State. After securing Edo North and slaying Deputy Governor Comrade Philip Shaibu, who is from the same local government area as the former national leader of the APC, in the February 25 elections, Oshiomhole moved to Benin, the state capital, where he continued to campaign. in markets and open spaces. Wherever he went, he was greeted by enthusiastic crowds chanting his name. What Oshiomhole has going for it is the way it captivates the crowd and keeps them going with its energy and rhetoric.

Adding to the fierce battle is the acrimony generated by the expulsion of 14 APC members from the assembly in 2019 and the fallout between the governor and Oshiomhole, which led the APC to deny Obaseki a ticket to a second term. Obaseki defected to the PDP, where he fulfilled his second-term ambition.

As expected, both sides fire volleys at each other as they are locked in a battle of words and wits.

The Edo State Governor's special adviser for media projects, Crusoe Osagie, said in a statement that Oshiomhole's decisions regarding the House of Assembly poll revealed his insidious plan (of Oshiomhole) to oust Governor Obaseki by impeachment.

Osagie said he was confident that the people of Edo, as they did in 2020, would once again rise up to defend the governor at the March 18 polls and vote overwhelmingly for the PDP by electing a House controlled by the PDP.

Osagie said, "Former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole's recent statement on Governor Godwin Obaseki's fate in the State Assembly polls of Edo exposes his insidious plan to oust the current governor by impeachment.

"We are however confident that, as happened in 2020 when the people of Edo stood by the governor despite the bullying and intimidation of Oshiomhole and his paymasters, the people of Edo will rise again to defend the governor at the polls on Saturday, March 18, vote overwhelmingly for the DPP, and elect a party-controlled House.

"Obaseki never placed his trust in any man or godfather. He trusted Go...