Promises and Edo governorship elections

Oshiomhole

 

"Wait for me. I would be travelling to Sokoto by next year, when I return, I will provide you with a good Kolanut, so spew out this one you are chewing now and hang around till when I return”. 

Oh, what did you just say? 

“I said leave this your certainty for the uncertainty I am offering to you because it’s going to come big”.

Serious! You mean if I jump down from this pinnacle, I won’t sustain any fracture and I would inherit the earth?

“O yes o. Besides, I won’t demolish any house even when it is on right of way or moat. I will abolish school fees and rebuild all our schools in one year. Students in Ambrose Alli University would no longer pay school fees and most importantly, I would abolish all forms of taxes if voted into office as the Governor of this state.

“That’s not all; I will also share my security vote with market women and the youths. Through this, they would be employed”.

O yeeh. Are you saying you will build skyscraper in all the villages including my village? Sir, you need to convince me please because I don’t understand how you are going to do it.

“Oh, don’t worry. You aren’t seen anything yet. I will provide food for everybody in this state. There would be no hunger anymore. No more power failure and all the roads in Edo state would be tarred in my first 100 days in office.

“Let me assure you, when elected, all armed robbers would vanish from Edo state. In fact, all kidnappers would be born again.

“As for contracts, I will award all to youths and women so that they can be empowered. I would not wait for the federal government counterpart funding to build our schools rather, I will use my salary. I am here on a selfless service; gratis”.

Sir, I can’t believe what you are saying because your party was in government for 10 years and nothing was done. You need to clear my doubts Sir.

“O yes. That was then. We have a new party now. All those bad people in my party before have all left to join the government party. So, don’t worry. We will perform this time around”.

But the old man who is your leader now was the leader of the same old party you are now condemning? Did he also decamp to join the government party? Sir, kindly let me know what has changed.

Secondly, there is nobody remaining in your party again. Are you not worried? I am apprehensive for you Sir because, it’s going to be difficult to come and join you in an empty house and one threatening to collapse on your head.

Thirdly, those who decamped said only one man dictates the tune in your new party and that there is no internal democracy in your party. I am really concerned for you Sir.

“Ok. Don’t worry about all those. As for winning the election, it’s a done deal. We have discussed that in Abuja. I have given the Governor a red card. I have also asked him to start packing from Government House. The arrangement we are putting together at the Presidency, coupled with that of my party is capable of capturing the state and removing the governor who is tarring roads that leads to nowhere”.

Are you saying you really don’t need us to vote? What about all roads, the schools, hospitals, water, free health care, Comrade Buses and the Benin Water Storm erosion control that the governor is already doing? Are all these projects not going to count on the Election Day? Most importantly, most of the things you are promising to do have been done already. So what else? Why do you think Edo people would prefer promises and rhetoric to certainty?

There is no doubt that the voters in Edo state will need to make a choice as to which party of the three fielding candidates deserves their vote come July 14, 2012 gubernatorial election. To be able to make informed choices, therefore, the parties, through their candidates, must put before them the major planks on which they intend to carry out their campaigns.

 What, in the main, will Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) tell Edo voters to be able to earn their votes and mandate? It would appear to me that in the battle for the governorship of the state come July 14, 2012, the major contenders have adopted stratagem they consider winning points.

The ruling ACN of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has christened its campaign “Voter mobilization” exercise by which it intends to carry out massive voter education anchored on the “One Man, One Vote” mantra. The party intends to showcase its many achievements in the last three and half years it has governed the state. 

According to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, the campaign will centre on the integrity of his administration in the area of delivery of democracy dividends to the people of the state. Promises made in the 2007 governorship election campaigns have largely been delivered.

His party, the ACN, intends to point to the many roads constructed, reconstructed or rehabilitated; urban renewal drive powered through environment beautification; the Benin Water storm  project designed to eliminate flooding in more than 50 per cent of the city;  the many schools built, rehabilitated or reconstructed; the many water projects spread across the state; the many new electrification projects and transformers procured and distributed to various communities; the transformation of the transport sector with the acquisition of the Comrade Buses and staff complement for the management of traffic; the many new health centres and facilities, including the new ultra-modern Central Hospital Complex nearing completion in Benin City.

There are reservations just as many doubt, if PDP’s candidate, an obscured military retiree, Charles Airhiavbere, is a man of mission and vision. In all fairness to Airhiavbere, he wants to provide good and free education and create job. But this is already in place. Airhiavbere promised that if voted in as governor, there would be free medical facilities for pregnant women, free post natal medical facilities, free medical facilities for children, free education for children, up to senior secondary school, among others. But under Oshiomhole, the people Edo are already enjoying these facilities and incentives.

Airhiavbere also promised that he would not tax the people, if he has his way. This is curious. Nowhere in the world would a government succeed in providing the basic needs of the people without taxes in the face of dwindling federal allocation where each state need to create alternative means of survival.

The election is between these two persons. The above, are their campaign issues. The people of Edo state, in a democracy, would through the ballot, determine who should govern them if there is, however, a level playing field. The Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies must put on their thinking cap to make sure no one single individual rubbish their image.

Comrade Mike Ozaveshe, a political analyst and public affairs commentator, writes from Edo State.