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Though the race for who becomes the governor of Edo State has been concluded with the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki securing convincing votes to defeat his counterpart, Ize-Iyamu.
Obaseki polled a total of 307,955 votes to defeat Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who got 223,619 votes.
Politics being a game of numbers, permutations, actions and reactions have dealt a great blow on some political figures while elevating the stature of others at the same time.
To capture the political narratives surrounding the just concluded Edo governorship election, TheNewsGuru (TNG) has compiled the biggest political losers and winners…
THE LOSERS
1. Ize-Iyamu:: Described as the major pawn of other political giants in All Progressives Congress (APC), Ize-Iyamu who is the governorship flagbearer of the APC is one of the politicians that is publicly hit by the blows of loss in the just concluded election in Edo State.
2. Adams Oshiomhole: As far as Edo politics is concerned, Oshiomhole is the biggest political loser of the day. Apart from being forced out of office as the Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), the second opportunity for Oshio-Baba as his fondly called by his supporters is to save his face, by ensuring his political sweetheart turned rival, Godwin Obaseki doesn’t get a second term in office. Unfortunately, Obaseki won.
This new feat will be a big game-changer that will set the trajectory of how politics is played in Edo. In this new order, Oshiomhole might only be left with the option to observe politics from the backseats. Oshiomhole’s fall from a one-time powerful controller of politics at the national level to becoming a politically irrelevant figure is a shocking turnaround.
3. Bola Tinubu
Former Governor of Lagos State and national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is the mega loser of the day. It is no longer a secret that Tinubu is plotting a huge political relevance ahead of his 2023 presidential bid. As a supposed champion of politics in South West, Lagos to be specific, Tinubu’s major move is to awaken allies in other regions in Nigeria, hence his hobnobbing with Oshiomhole of Edo (South-South).
Now that APC has lost Edo to PDP, Tinubu has been sent back to his drawing boards to restrategise for a task and political ambition appearing more mountainous than ever.
Recall Tinubu wanted Edo badly, that he posted a live video where he condemned PDP’s Obaseki and urged Edo people to reject him on the day of the election, the reverse seems to be the case here.
4. APC
Having lost the Edo governorship election, APC is now officially out of the South-South region, and with only one presence in Southeast (Imo State), one can say the party is losing its national grip and outlook.
Winners:
1. Godwin Obaseki:
Godwin Obaseki is the man to celebrate for his courage and political sagacity amid the stormy journey that got him reelected as the governor of Edo State. The feud between Obaseki and his erstwhile master, Oshiomhole was so fierce he (Obaseki) was disqualified from the APC governorship primary for alleged inconsistencies in his academic credentials, a plot scripted by Mr Oshiomhole.
Ultimately, Mr Obaseki defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he renewed his mandate and he won his reelection bid while stripping Oshiomhole of political relevance.
In the span of the crisis between the duo, and by extension within the APC, there were intrigues, litigations, threats, among others smaller battles that this new success will erase the dirty linen for Obaseki but vanquished Oshiomhole has no choice but to wear his torn garments without repairs.
2. Abubakar Atiku:
For a heavyweight politician like Abubakar Atiku, the emergence of Godwin Obaseki as a second-time governor of Edo State tells more about 2023 than the control of the state.
Atiku who is one of the frontline candidates who is positioning himself to rule Nigeria come 2023 did not only facilitated Obaseki’s move to the PDP but also did all to ensure the victory that is being celebrated today. Recall, the former vice president activated about 150 independent support groups in Edo in support of PDP’s flag bearer in the election.
This is definitely a big win for Atiku.
3. PDP:
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has consolidated its structure in South-South region with Obaseki ceding victory to his new party at the detriment of his estranged political family, APC.
4. Electorate: Despite the federal might exerted by the Nigerian government, Edo people through their resilient support for Obaseki has shown that power really belongs to the voting class. Obaseki’s victory no doubt strengthens Nigeria’s democratic destination at a time the electorate are losing hope in democratic tenets.