Chief Mike Oghiadhome to replace Tony Anenih as PDP power broker in Edo state

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Published on Tuesday, 17 July 2012 10:26

Written by Comrade AremuforYouths

Edo State 2012 Guber Election Matters Arising - Change is the pervasive feeling in the Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after what has already been conceded as an emphatic loss to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State.

Oshiomole dancing with Oba's Chiefs. Benin has never been united like this. 

And the first beneficiary of that change, NYDC can confirm, is Chief Mike Oghiadhome, chief of staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, who is being stationed to emerge as the new leader of the mediocre party in the central southern state.

Oghiadhome, an indigene of Edo North — same Senatorial zone as due-to-be-returned Governor Adams Oshiomhole — is a two-time deputy governor of the state whose experience of state politics the PDP would be banking on to upend the ACN in 2016. His emergence is likely to bring down the curtain on state leadership career of Chief Tony Anenih, who has earned himself the epithet, Mr. Fix It, in PDP circles but has failed to fix the party to the state’s seat of power at the second consecutive time of asking.

The former chairman of the ruling party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) lost his constituency, Uzenema-Arue, Uromi, in Esan North East Local Government Area, hitherto considered a PDP bastion, to the ACN by 1004 votes to ACN’s 3,480 votes.

Most harrowingly, governorship candidate of the PDP, Retired General Charles Airhiarvbere also lost his ward, Garrick Memorial School, Oredo, to the ACN, scoring 33 votes against ACN’s 270 in Unit 21, 38 votes to ACN’s 360, 32 votes to ACN’s 254 in Unit 19, and 65 votes to ACN’s 351 in Unit 18. Summarily, Airhiarvbere scored 168 votes in his ward while ACN recorded a whopping 1,275 votes.

According to a presidency source, Anenih has, by the humiliating result of Saturday’s election, lost his leadership position to Ogiadomhe, who is seen as more charismatic, dynamic and likeable. I think we have seen the last of Anenih, the source told NYDC. He has been defeated yet again in his ward. What this means is that he has lost his leadership position with the PDP in Edo and even at the national level to a more dynamic and charismatic leader like Ogiadomhe who has continued to win his ward.

He lamented PDP’s heavy reliance on Anenih to wrestle the state from the grip of ACN, which eventually backfired, adding that although Anenih has played frontline roles in reconciliations at the party’s national stage, Saturday’s unexpectedly resounding loss marked the end of his Edo PDP reign.

Let's Praise INEC.

It'll be vacuous and ruthless to celebrate this free and fair election in edo state without, atleast, giving thanks to the person who made it happen. No matter what, we are still aware of how it use to be during the time of Ewu means Dangerous in yoruba language, our votes never was irrelevant and nothing happened, not even d law courts could save us that time, but the emergence of JEGA has seen that confidence in our electioneering sector rejuvenated. If u praise someone for one good deed, there's every good tendency that he'll do a greater one. Thank you Jega.

A number of individuals and institutions deserve encomium for the way in which the gubernatorial election in Edo State was conducted. The first praise goes to Prof. Jega and his team for doing a sterling job. He and his team are gradually restoring confidence and credibility in the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

The President, Dr. Goodluck has shown in a quiet way that he will not allow state power to be subverted for the benefit of his party. It takes moral courage to resist the vultures in his party who think the sole purpose of government is power. He is to be congratulated. The police and the army have behaved creditably by not molesting any of the opposing groups during the election process. Unlike the Ekiti election, election observers were able to observe and report on the conduct of the election.

Above all, we have the electorates who have rewarded the winning party with re-election because of its demonstrable record of achievement. It proves that a different country is possible. Moving forward, the winning party must now bring the various development initiatives to fruition. It must try also to entrench accountability and transparency. It must learn to trust the people more, knowing that it would be supported if it is doing the right things.

Oshiomhole being acredited to vote

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