As Obaseki raises the stake ahead Edo 2020

Ahead the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party’s strategic ward-to-ward campaign in the 192 electoral wards across the 18 local government areas of the state has continued to yield its desired result. The party had painstakingly visited all the 64 wards in the northern senatorial district of the state before commencing the same exercise in the central senatorial district preaching the Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) manifesto of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration and the next stage of development in the second term campaign. Strategically, in most of the wards visited, Governor Obaseki commissioned some state-sponsored projects in fulfilment of his 2016 campaign promises, while some new projects were flagged off.

But the opposition All Progressives Congress, which only flagged off its campaign on August 8 seemed to have realised that its strategic campaign of moving from one big town to another in the local government areas is weak. The exercise, according to pundits, has little or no impact as the people are finding it difficult to understand the SIMPLE agenda of empty promises. No wonder the Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum and a chieftain of the APC, Salihu Lukman, recently faulted the party’s campaign approach ahead of the election. Lukman had lamented that everybody in the APC was being blackmailed to accept the way the Edo 2020 governorship campaign was being organised as the best way to win the election under the control of a former national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

“This is wrong and in the long run it will be injurious to the electoral viability of the party. The issue of Edo election and its management therefore needs to be reviewed by our party. Unfortunately, given the way that the Edo State governorship campaign has become a tool of blackmail in the hands of Comrade Oshiomhole, even internal party consultations to roll out initiatives towards moving the party forward seems to be slow,” he lamented.

Feelers from the APC indicated that having realised their huge mistake after nearly one month of the campaign, the party is thinking of embarking on a late hour ward-to-ward campaign. However, in one of the PDP campaigns, Governor Obaseki said the ward-to-ward campaign was designed for assessing the needs of Edo people at the community level to bring more impactful projects closer to the people. Obaseki, who spoke to party faithful during his re-election rally in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area, said that the campaign provided an opportunity to ascertain the impact of government’s projects in the last three years. He said: “I will give you good roads, schools, hospitals, clean water, and steady electricity, among others. I came to ascertain how much of these things you need. We are going from ward-to-ward to meet with our people and see for ourselves the things that we have done and those that we need to do, to develop the communities.” He assured voters that his administration would not fail in fulfilling all his electioneering promises aimed at improving the living standards of the people.

Addressing PDP supporters in wards 1 and 4 in Ibhore, Esan Central LGA, Obaseki noted that his government had in the last three years and eight months pursued reforms and policies to better the lives of the people, promising sustained developmental strides re-elected. It was another moment of unveiling new projects as the governor, who inspected ongoing Ibhore gully erosion work in the area, said the first phase of the project is done, while work on the second phase will commence soonest. “During my first electioneering, I promised that I would construct the drainage and now the first phase is over. I said I will construct roads eaten up by erosion and I have done that. Some politicians will come here and make promises without keeping them. Don’t vote for such politicians. We have also modernised our educational system which makes it one of the best in Nigeria now. I gave you modern schools that have doors and windows that cannot be vandalised. I know you don’t have water, which is as a result of lack of electricity, but I will ensure Benin Electricity Distribution Company provides you with light,” he stated. Obaseki also commissioned the Idumogo-Uzebu-Iduomon link road and Ekekhen Township Road in Igueben LGA as part of efforts by the administration to boost socio-economic activities and improve the livelihood of residents in the area.

Many other projects were also commissioned in the North and Central senatorial districts during the campaign and it is believed that Obaseki’s ward-toward campaign is an indication that the governor is ready to surpass what he did in the first term of his administration. For instance, analysts believe that it is a big plus for the PDP campaign for the governor to be commissioning and noting new projects that would be done in his second term when he gets the people’s mandate on September 19. According to an Ekpoma-based analyst, Osas Ogunbor, “The idea of campaigning based on promises is over in Edo State as what you have done in the past will speak for you. Governor Obaseki has fulfilled some of the promises he made in his first term that is why he has the courage to be approaching the people ward-for-ward seeking re-election. But the candidate of the opposition party cannot point to what he did for the people even when he had the opportunity in the past.

We should stick with the man that has proven track records than to risk voting for someone without records of achievements.”

 

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