By Lanre Oloyede
Global Affairs Analyst, Chief Jackson Lekan-Ojo, has blamed the defeat suffered by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, in the just concluded Edo state gubernatorial election on the hostilities of the outgoing governor Godwin Obaseki with prominent and influential political figures in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the election.
Mr Okpebholo scored 291,667 votes against Mr Ighodalo’s 247,274. The candidate of the Labour Party, Olumude Akpata, came third with 22,763 votes.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, the international security expert noted that the governor lost his political capital and relevance that could have helped PDP and Mr. Ighodalo win the September 21 election by fighting with the who is whom both within his party and the entire state including the highly revered traditional ruler, Oba of Benin.
Recall that Obaseki had been having a running with Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, insisting there will be no going back on the ban on Okaigheles (youth leaders) in Benin Kingdom’s seven local government areas of Edo South.
The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, noted that though all the political parties that participated in the election were involved in rigging but the APC succeeded in outsmarting and outrigging the PDP and other parties simply because Mr Obaseki became a target of political destruction as a result of the enimity he had made with political gladiators in the state who were on a revenge mission.
He opined that even though the election was rigged, that wouldn’t have been possible if the governor had courted the support of the people of the state and retained the backing of PDP bigwigs in the state.
“With the circumstances surrounding the environment itself, the body language of the people may not have allowed election to be rigged. If every powerful person in Edo state that belonged to the PDP before, there are some non-political figure but very Influential, if all these people were together backing the ruling party in the state, definitely it would have been difficult for any political party or INEC to rig the election in Edo state.
“But in a situation whereby governor Obaseki fought will the powerful and Influential figures in the state, it made it easy. In Edo North and Central , he fought with a lot of them.
“He became a major enemy and political figure people were plotting to destroy him politically. It was that enmity he created for himself that Ighodalo suffered. He also made the PDP in the state to be vulnerable to be rigged out.
“Yes there were rigging in the election, all political parties in the election were involved in rigging but they were out rigged by the APC. PDP was easily out rigged because Obaseki became a target of political destruction in the state,” the global affairs analyst stated.
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