By Sir Ralph Okhiria
There are four major personalities that contributed to the growth of democracy in Nigeria through their actions in the just concluded governorship election in Edo State.
They include President Muhammadu Buhari, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu and Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.
President Buhari provided the enabling environment for the electoral act to thrive over illegalities. It was alleged that midway into the declaration of the election results, INEC officials intentionally halted further announcement of the remaining four out of the 18 local government areas in the state but the president insisted that INEC must obey the wishes of the Edo people.
The Reliance investigation revealed that INEC wanted to fully confirm from the president whether he would permit a repeat of what happened in Ekiti and Osun states where the two governorship elections were declared inconclusive. However the president urged INEC to do the right thing.
Also the INEC chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, together with the high echelon of the Commission, spiritedly provided a level playing field for all the 14 governorship contestants.
Since the inception of this present democracy, the Edo gubernatorial election is about the freest, fairest and most credible. The election was conducted professionally with timely arrival of voting materials even as the card readers performed optimally.
However the commission nearly marred and dented its good performance when it abruptly suspended declaration of results of some local government areas of the state.
Another hero of the state governorship election is the IGP Mr. Muhammed Adamu. He organized a near water tight security for the election. With over 31,000 police officers including one deputy inspector general of police, assistant inspector generals of police, commissioners of police among others.
“This massive deployment is not only to deter misguided political actors that might be bent on threatening the elections through acts of thuggery or other conducts that violate the provisions of the Election Act, but to also serve as a strong warning that the government is determined to bring such characters to justice should they advance their ignoble, undemocratic and unpatriotic intents” the IGP said.
True to his words, due to the massive deployment of policemen with hardware and air support the election which many believed will be taken over by gangsters was surprisingly violence free and peaceful.
Governor Godwin Obaseki is next on the list of the heroes of democracy. In 2016 Mr. Obaseki was practically imposed on the people of the state by the then outgoing governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Obaseki, introduced to the people as a renowned technocrat, soon after inauguration quickly learned the art of high politicking and soon became a master of the game.
Little wonder when he was undemocratically dropped from contesting the 2020 governorship primary of the APC even as a sitting Governor, he wasted no time in seeking succour in the PDP.
Unlike the former governor of Lagos State Mr. Ambode who chickened out when he was rejected by Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu, Obaseki fought vigorously and his doggedness paid off when he miraculously got the PDP ticket to contest the impending governorship election.
Inside the PDP, Obaseki brought his political prowess to bare by galvanizing and blending both the old PDP members and the former APC members that followed him into the PDP together for the raging political battle in state.
By winning the state governorship election with wide margin, Obaseki has made history and thus registered his name in the political book of Giants Killers in the country.
He will henceforth be referred to as the one who fought godfatherism and prevailed. Other politicians will definitely learn from his noble experience.
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