The manner the All Progressives Congress won the governorship election held in Edo State on September 21, 2024 is a dummy of how the 2027 general elections would be.
A former Director of the National Orientation Agency in Enugu State, Dr Augustine Okolie, stated this on Tuesday while speaking on the outcome of the polls. According to him, the result, which saw the ruling PDP crash out, was in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to “give Edo people a governor”, and how APC would “capture democracy and its processes” at subsequent elections.
He however blamed Gov Godwin Obaseki for his inability to marry his technocracy and politics. Quoting him, “Gov Obaseki is the architect of his misfortune. First, he refused to sign a peace accord with other political parties. I have pity for him. FCT Minister Nyesome Wike claimed Obaseki came begging him to help PDP to win, which he (Wike) rejected. Obaseki is a fine technocrat but not a good politician. He fought Senator Adams Osiomhole; fought his deputy, Philip Shuaibu, and also fought the PDP structure in Edo State. He insisted on installing his candidate for the governorship election against all odds. He also fought the Oba of Benin. Politics is a game of numeracy.”
He warned Nigerians against complacency in voting, adding that it would not solve the nation’s problems. According to him, APC has failed Nigerians, and Nigerians refusing to vote would spell more doom.
Okolie said, “PDP said it is going to court. We already know the court. President Tinubu will not concede anything to any political party. Without feelings, he bought a presidential jet and built a yacht. What is more important to him is that it is his turn. It is a dangerous signal. Edo is a mini-Nigeria. APC has failed Nigeria. It is all about grabbing power without knowing what to do with it. Supreme Court is populated with justices APC appointed. INEC is still headed by the same man that failed during the 2023 general elections. Indeed, you can win the war, but you don’t win the peace. Tinubu has brought the formula he used to administer Lagos, which can’t work in Nigeria.”
Okolie said the proofs of APC’s failure are shown by the reactions and sufferings Nigerians undergo since the assumption of the regime of APC.
He said, “Under APC, there was the bad governance protest; there was the end-SARS protest. How can Wike influence the outcome of Edo election if he is not an APC man in PDP? Things have changed under APC. APC wants to get all the states come 2027. Nigerians must wake up against APC because there is still power in voting.”
He called for a judicial reform where the outcomes of elections should be decided by the electorate and not the judiciary. According to him, “The judiciary should only be mandated by the reforms to ask the contestants to return to the electorate for a re-contest if rigging is proven. The reforms should also ban the president from appointing the INEC chairman, as well as the chief justice of the federation.”