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On September 3, 2010, ThisDay hit the newsstands with a headline that read thus: ‘Politics of Godfatherism is dead in Edo’. That headline emanated from an interview conducted by Jaiyeola Andrews with an official of the Adams Oshiomhole administration in Edo state who was in ‘celebratory’ mood because, as they said, the governor has dethroned Chief Tony Anenih (now deceased), touted as the Godfather of Edo politics at the time. For Oshiomhole, demystifying Anenih was a feat t be celebrated. He celebrated it to high heaven and pretended to have liberated Edo state. He said so!
On February 11, 2015, Oshiomhole spoke in an interview with some journalists in Abuja. The Nation captured his views on godfatherism in Edo. He was asked a simple question thus: “Before now, Edo was seen as a state where godfatherism reigned supreme. But, little is heard of it now. What happened?”
Hear Oshiomhole: “Well, there is no magic. The truth is that, a lot of the personalities that the media celebrates, our media sometimes just take statements from the surface. You never really rigorously interrogate some of your assumptions. There are concepts that we use so freely without problematizing those concepts. For example when you say Mr. Fix it, what does that mean in Nigeria political dictionary? What was it that he fixed? The media celebrates electoral fraud; pure and simple! A man loses election and someone has the capacity to manipulate the books using various state institutions to declare a winner a loser and declare a loser a winner and then they say he has fixed it. That is calling a spade by another name. Those are the people that have the history of electoral fraud and they have to be so described because the ordinary meaning of “fix” is that something is in tatters, disorganized and somebody with special skills, know how or knowledge is able to make an order out of something that is disorganized. But that is not what you refer to when you say Mr. Fix it. Someone wins primaries as he is celebrating the loser is announced as the winner and you say Mr. Fix has fixed it again.”
Unknown to the people, what Oshiomhole sought to do, in essence, was to dethrone Anenih, rubbish his credentials as a political leader and then enthrone himself as replacement and from thence, impose himself on the people as the sole determinant of who gets what, when, why and how. That is the only meaning of the celebratory dance, by Oshiomhole, of the defeat of godfatherism post 2010. He has exhibited that ever since.
Fast forward to 2010. Oshiomhole has fallen out with his handpicked successor, Godwin Obaseki. Their fight has been dirty; very dirty! It has claimed lives of some who stood in-between. In the process, their conspiracy is exposed. But what exactly is the issue? From the outside, it is about holding on to the reins of power in the state. For insiders, it’s a different reality.
Hear Obaseki: “Comrade Oshiomhole came to me, asking that we join forces to fight and bring an end to the practice of godfatherism in the state. The partnership helped us in changing the narrative of development in the state. This led me into politics. I am into politics to better the lives of Edo people. We believed Oshiomhole and followed him to fight godfatherism. He said godfatherism is not good but today he is saying godfatherism is good. He said let the people lead but today he wants to lead the people, against their interest. He said with the resources available in the state, the people have no business being poor, and that the bad leadership style adopted in the past was responsible for poverty. Any politics that doesn’t benefit the majority of the people is bad politics. The resources we have in the state is to be used for the benefits of the people of Edo State, not a few politicians”. He spoke of January 2, 2020.
The most disturbing exposure made by Obaseki is captured in the following words: “The resources we have in the state is to be used for the benefits of the people of Edo State, not a few politicians”. For Edo people, and all lovers of the good in Nigeria, this exactly is the crux of the matter. The fight is actually one a newfound godfather is waging to retain a commanding voice over the resources of Edo state. That is what all the godfathers want. Fact from what Obaseki said above puts Oshiomhole in negative lights. They present him as a man who would not mind decimating lives and political institutions just to have his way. This is without recourse to allegation that he left Edo state heavily in debt. Erstwhile governor of the State, Lucky Igbinedion, had said that whoever succeeds Oshiomhole would be confronted by the reality of an empty treasury; And in an article titled ‘How Oshiomhole Mortgaged Edo’s Future’ published by ThisDay on February 8, 2016, Solomon Ibharuneafe, alleged that Oshiomhole left a debt of about N200b for his successor.
However, in fighting Obaseki over, as alleged, “resources we have in the state…” Oshiomhole exhibits a trait that is not unfamiliar. Recall that the Senate had in August 2015, few weeks after the APC government came into power, approved a World Bank loan of $75m for Edo state. In celebrating the ‘feat’, Oshiomhole verbally lashed immediate past Minister of Finance and Coordinator of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, without restrain. He did not spare her is venomous tongue including accusing her of fraud in the alleged arms deal scandal. Why? The minister frustrated every attempt he made to take the loan.
Tired of his insults, Okonjo-Iweala was forced to let the cat out of the bag. In a response by her media assistance, Paul Nwabuikwu, she forced Oshiomhole into perpetual silence when she said that: “As recently confirmed by the Debt Management Office, professional analysis showed that Oshiomhole’s loan request which was based on using low interest World Bank loan to offset high interest commercial loans would have left Edo state with a heavy debt burden and the state would have found it very difficult to pay back”. She further stated that: “It has become a pattern of behaviour that each time Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is internationally recognized, Governor Oshiomhole and his cohorts embark on a cynical and devious ploy of trying to pull her down locally.”
Is it therefore possible that Oshiomhole abhors being outshone? Is he disturbed that Obaseki is doing well for Edo state? Oshiomhole, like all others, ought to accept the reality that power is ephemeral. He ought to accept fact that his time as Edo governor expired in 2016. It is more in his interest, and that of greater good of Edo, to look elsewhere and allow Obaseki run his time. He should be humble enough to learn some lessons from his predecessor, Lucky Igbinedion, who never interfered, or harassed him in anyway all through his time in office. At least, that is a precedence he ought to copy.
