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Tony Osauzo, Benin
With about a year and eight months left out of his four-year constitutionally-prescribed tenure, moves are already on by supporters of the governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, urging him to seek a second term of office.
Few weeks ago, campaign materials started appearing in Benin, the state capital. One of them is a diary/jotter with Obaseki’s photograph printed on it with the inscription “4 plus 4,” meaning the governor will do a second term in office.
Meanwhile, the Oredo local government chapter of the party in a statement on Sunday, endorsed Obaseki for a second term of office, just as a leader of the APC in Edo North Senatorial District, Senator Domingo Obende, has called on the party in the state to ensure Obaseki gets a second term to enable him complete the works he had started.
Obende who represented Edo North in the Senate from 2011 to 2015, said with the performances of Obaseki in the last two years, “there is no vacancy in Osadebey Avenue and to whom much is given much is expected.
“Governor Godwin Obaseki has given his all to us and I believe that is not the finality of his capacity. The only good thing that can happen to us in Edo State is for him to come back for the second term so that he can download all his investment experiences and the opportunities so that Edo State can be better for it,” he said.
Senator Obende said Obaseki had demonstrated the positive sides of continuity as he has been able to take the state successfully from where the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole left it to a new level.
He dismissed fears in some quarters that Obaseki might not get the support of Oshiomhole and some party leaders for his second term.
“It is because Comrade Adams Oshiomhole loves good things, that was why he brought Godwin Obaseki to us in the first instance.
“Comrade Oshiomhole was governor for eight years; I am very convinced that he is not going to be averse to Godwin going for the second term, more so that Obaseki is doing very well. He has been able to sustain his legacies which are not common in this part of the world.
“Without any reservations, I am personally endorsing GGO for a second term in office and would appreciate if all necessary synergy is put in place to actualise this God-given development opportunities for Edo State in order to move on to the next level of value addition,” Sen. Obende said.
Recall that the Oredo Ward 1 had a few weeks ago, announced the suspension of Gen. Charles Airhiavbere from the All Progressives Congress (APC) over alleged anti-party activities one of which the leadership of the party in the ward said was withholding agents’ tags and canvassing support for the PDP.
But Airhiavbere who denied the allegations while reacting to his suspension, said their purpose of coming up with such frivolity was to thwart his governorship ambition in the state.
“Definitely, it has to do with the 2019 governorship election in the state. That must be a sinister movement against those perceived to be a threat.
“It is a case of let us take down the heavyweights; let us take them down now. That is politics, but that is not democracy. But, if we are practising democracy, let us practise it right,” he said.
Our correspondent gathered that although INEC is yet to release the timetable for the state’s governorship election, very soon other governorship aspirants on the platform of the APC will declare their intention ahead of the state’s 2020 governorship election.
