EDO GOV RACE: Oshiomhole has right to pick his successor — Odion

IMMEDIATE past Commissioner for Information in Edo State, Mr. Louis Odion in this interview addresses the key issues marking the build up to the forthcoming governorship election in the state, emphasising that it is Governor Oshiomhole’s right to be concerned about who succeeds him.

By Charles Kumolu

How do you think the issue of zoning and pedigree of aspirants would shape the governorship election?

I have read some comments lately in the newspapers where some people said Oshiomhole should not be a godfather in this election because of their belief that Oshiomhole prefers one of his aides to succeed him. Those raising issues on it are misreading the lessons of history. It will be strange if after serving Edo for seven years, Oshiomhole does not take interest in who succeeds him. Having built something, it will be very strange to look away and say you don’t care about whoever comes to take over. I would say that those behind the hue and cry over that are not being fair to him. Even in the media, newspapers are known to endorse candidates not to talk of someone who is leaving office. Oshiomhole as a governor is entitled to have a favourite, if only to preserve his own legacy. If a prodigal son takes over in Edo State it will not take him one month to destroy all that Oshiomhole has done in eight years.

Hope you are aware that there is no legal framework giving him the right to choose a successor?

Oshiomhole that we have seen in the last seven years is not a guy who will manipulate the electoral process. Don’t forget that in the state APC primaries we had in 2014 and early 2015 many of those close to him who contested lost. His Chief of Staff, my friend and brother, Patrick Obahiqgbon, contested the senatorial primaries and lost. He is very close to Comrade and I will be surprised if Comrade did not offer him support.

Song and dance of godfatherism

Loius Odion

By support I mean endorsement but he lost. Oshiomhole did not rig the primaries for him or anyone. And that was Oshiomhole’s style. He will not put his personal reputation on the line to rig or manipulate the electoral process.

Therefore, for those who are currently making a song and dance of godfatherism, I think they are crying wolf where there is none.

I want to believe these are PDP agents. It is nothing but distraction. I think the real issue at this point is focus more on finding someone who is credible and someone who will ensure that the solid foundation Oshiomhole has put in place is built on. If among those presently vying for the office, Obaseki turns out to be the most knowledgeable, I don’t think genuine Edo man or woman would care less who bought form for him or where he comes from or the son of who he is.

Those raising dust now are people who are weaned on PDP values, who probably defected to APC only for the sake of power.

Another argument against the alleged endorsement of Obaseki is that he is not a core APC person; there are also those raising questions on his actual place of origin. What do you make of that?

When I also got involved in Edo in 2011 as Commissioner, mischief-makers also raised such idiotic arguments. They also said that I am not an Edo indigene. They said I am actually from Akure. At some point, they took out half page advert in a local newspaper and said   I should resign and apologise to Edo people for taking their generosity for granted. Such idle talks should not be dignified with response.

Saying that Obaseki is not a Benin person is the biggest joke of the century. The name Obaseki is rooted in Benin history. His elder brother (Gauis Obaseki) was the Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. By bringing such issues, they want to distract the people of Edo State from the real issue which is about merit and pedigree.

The people of Edo Central are also craving for the ticket?

The argument of those who say that it should be the turn of Esan man to be governor is persuasive.   But unfortunately, I think Edo has gone beyond ethnic politics today. By that I mean a situation where someone comes out to say that what will entitle him to be governor is where he comes from. People no longer vote based on ethnic sentiments.

In the last governorship election, Oshiomhole defeated a Benin man in Edo South. Benin people voted against their own son!

And if you also go back to history, you will see the stark ironies. In terms of patronage, the Esan Central had benefited more in terms of federal patronage in the last 16 years. That is because there are people like Chief Tony Anenih, now commonly called expired godfather, who had access to power at the federal level.

But how has that impacted on the living conditions in Esan land? Anenih was a Minister of Works and had the opportunity of nominating Minsters of Works for eight years but the road leading to his community in Uromi was tarred by Oshiomhole. So, how can someone like that now come out and say that the next governor must be an Esan man?

You worked with a principal, who is known to be a man of many parts. To a lot of people he comes across as a slave driver and someone with an overbearing influence. How was it like working with him?

If you said Oshiomhole is not fun to work with, I will agree. Before I accepted the offer, some of my friends who have had experience with Oshiomhole said I would not spend up to one month working with him. They said the man I was going to work for is a difficult man. Some said that it was as if I was going to a slave camp.

They said Edo State, with its meager resources, cannot sustain the kind of lifestyle I was used to in Lagos. But I told them that my own humble understanding of someone being difficult is that the person is industrious. And I told them well, I am not a lazy man myself.

Hedonistic governor

So, I thought we would be able to operate on the same frequency. But the average guy will find Oshiomhoke difficult to work with in the sense that he wants results and is always in a hurry.

But overall, I would say that at the point he came to Edo, the state needed someone like Oshiomhole to change the narrative from a hedonistic governor and governor do-nothing to a governor with social conscience and performance.

The good news for me was the fact that the Comrade Governor saw me as someone who came to assist him to deliver in the area of information management and not a sycophant or a hungry jobber. He knew I was doing well in journalism before he made me a Commissioner.