The Edo State gubernatorial election has come and gone. All of us must almost spontaneously thank God for the smooth exercise despite our familiarly peculiar election hiccups here and there in the election period. In fact, the election had all the well known traits of our country’s elections. But something nefariously significant did not happen: the mindless killings and murders of voters from different voting blocks and boundaries of Edo electoral map. We must spontaneously thank God for this without qualms for God was really divinely benevolent to the wonderful people of Edo State. If you disagree with me and say that God’s Hands did not give protective welfare to Edo people and inhabitants pre- and post-Edo gubernatorial election, I cannot but counter you by stimulating you here and now to do a transition to an earlier gubernatorial election in either Rivers State or Bayelsa State. We need not over-state this faultless point. We need not over-stimulate you to injure your sensibilities by urging you to return to the orgies and tragedies and rhythms of electoral violence in both Rivers and Bayelsa of blood. Well before the Edo gubernatorial election Adams Oshiomhole’s popularity had seriously diminished in several parts of Edo State. There was no question about this. (And there is still no question about this in your present moment of reading this). Similarly, in several parts of Edo State Adams Oshiomhole’s stature as a champion of progress and development remained (and still remains) intact. And many persons there are who will go to any length to argue always in favour of their Comrade Governor. The respective positions taken (or un-taken) are in accordance with the manners of our country and age.
The gubernatorial election was basically contested in line with the facts that the respective voters recorded on the pages of their beliefs and analytical convictions. The authority on their points may be found in the register of INEC on the gubernatorial election.
Now let me state other pertinent matters relating to the Edo gubernatorial election.
Several friends who belong to the two frontline parties of APC and PDP in Edo State respectively reached out to me to make bright remarks on their parties, their manifestoes and prospective candidates (ever before the gubernatorial candidates emerged). I politely declined to do so. I did not want any mango romance with either party because I desire always to see In and Out as a column that is akin to a world of toil and care that readers should see as one that they can liken among lightsome hearts of our country’s writing and journalism. In other words, my readers should always dwell on this column on their mirthful spirits even when they see me striking at the foibles of their mentors and heroes. I must always endeavour to have a philosophic romance with objectivity and what comes to me as truth as I perceive it.
Now on Monday, June 6, 2016 I prophesy the next governor of Edo State. At the time I did so, I was not in the shores of our country. Also, at the time the writing entitled “The next governor of Edo is …” appeared Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the in-coming governor, had not even earned or won his party’s gubernatorial nomination. Let me render an aspect of the spiritual intimation I tendered then: “Announce my announcement And let those doubt who will doubt:
They chase shallows who Enter the ring with the anointed
And are on his side not:
They are on the brink Of triumph that collapses.”
These were some of the words, which were part of the spiritually perplexing intimation of the Master in charge of the Golden Temple of Wisdom of Northern Tibet strangely revealed to me in far away Florida, U.S.A. where I was at that material time. The intimation, the revelation was so authoritative to my bewildered sensibility and imagination.
Now the phosphorence of prophecy has materialized. Nothing can change the destiny of the divinely anointed Mr. Godwin Obaseki. Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s time has not yet come. Let nobody tell or persuade him otherwise. The odour of innocence or of holier-than-thou attitude from the breeze of the PDP in Edo (or PDP national) is a dubious one. All the tales of rigging that have been alleged to characterize the Edo gubernatorial election are glucosically and romantically laughable and dubious. Rigging in elections is normal in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world. I am not saying it is right to rig elections. But let me ask squarely: In the just ended Edo gubernatorial election, was it only the APC that rigged as the dubious odour pertaining to this subject oozes, blossoms forth from the mouth of the opposing frontline party? In the garden of the defeated there may be no flowers that blossom or that smile mirthfully amid flourishing green vegetation, so fresh and dewy and so invigorating, but the magic of hope will bring splendour to the wilderness of the defeated at the appointed time.
Thus I must end with this divine intimation: Osagie Ize-Iyamu should accept what has been that has been. He should be nicely longanimous now. Time, energy and money in any tribunal or court of law will fail him. Everything will amount to a dubious odour of defeat that won’t erase the divine fragrance of the gubernatorial victory of the triumphant anointed. I aver this in the holy name of God, in the holy name of God that made it impossible for violence and killings to rule Edo when voters went to do their duty to their state and our country.
and then