Fall of a Godfather

Tony Anenih

With the victory of Johnson Oghuma, the Action Congress (AC) candidate in the just- concluded Etsako Central constituency re-run election, Comrade Oshiomhole’s political machine may have put an end to Chief Tony Anenih’s godfatherism in the state
By Walid Ogunseri, Benin City
We are ready for a political war in Estako central re-run election, which we will win. We cannot be in opposition to the federal government. Why do we want to be in minority in the House of Assembly in Edo? If you are a leader of an organisation for years, it is presumed that you know every nook and cranny of the country and you know their problems. Now, you came back to be the governor of Edo state but it is taking you almost 18 months to know what our problems are.
“That man should not be given a chance to continue. If it will take 12 months, 18 months, two years only to plant flowers at the Ring Road, then there is something seriously wrong”.
That was the first salvo fired by Chief Tony Anenih, former chairman of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) Board of Trustees (BOT). It went off during the flag -off of the party’s campaign at Ogbonna, soon after the re-run election to fill the vacant seat for the Estako Central constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly was fixed for Saturday, Febuary 23, 2009 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The return fire from Comrade Adams Oshiomhole governor of Edo State under the platform of the Action Congress (AC), reverberated with the fury of an angry lion. The governor gave his reply while flagging-off the Ekperi/Anegbette Road construction, which coincided with the flag -off of the AC campaign at Fugar, headquarter of Estako Central Local Government Council.
Oshiomhole: “We are aware that the election will be very tough and that is why we are preparing very well, because we know that the PDP will unleash their fury on us to avenge their defeat in Akoko Edo election. But interestingly, while they have big-time politicians who are experts in rigging business, we have the people, the real voters. We know they have people like Oghiadomhe, Dan Orbih and others from that locality, but our back bones are the registered voters.
“We know they will fight like wounded horse, but what they don’t know is that God is fighting for us and he will punish them for what they did to the people of this state. My duty on that day is to ensure one man one vote, one woman one vote, one boy one vote, one girl one vote. I know that the re-run election is between me and Anenih and this re-run election would afford the people of Anegbette the opportunity to reward Mike Akhigbe who awarded the long- abandoned road, and punish Anenih who cancelled the road contract while he was the Minister of Works and Housing. Anegbette people were victims of Chief Tony Anenih. I am the Chief Security Officer of the state. I can restrict Anenih’s movement. I can arrest him if he becomes a security threat to the state, or even jail him. We are re-doing this election because the Court of Appeal has found out that Chief Anenih and Osunbor cheated on April 14, 2007. They have dismissed them as election cheats; they have been convicted by court of law for electoral fraud. We will do everything possible to dismantle their rigging machine. There is nothing they can do about it. We will guarantee one man one vote,” Oshiomhole said.
Following the challenge by the Action Congress (AC) candidate, Johnson Oghuma, of the election of Christian Omogbai of the PDP in the April 14, 2007 polls, the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City on Monday, December 14, 2009 declared the Estako central constituency seat in the House of Assembly occupied by Omogbai vacant and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election to fill the position within 48 days.
Obviously, the PDP and the AC were desperate to win the re-run in Etsako central which turned out be a test of might between Governor Oshiomhole and Anenih in a battle to determine which party would control the state House of Assembly.
For the state chapter of the PDP, anything short of victory in the poll would spell doom for the party in the state . Having been defeated at the November 11, 2008 Appeal court judgement which sacked Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, the only consolation left for the party has been the position of the Speaker of the House of Assembly manned by Rt. Hon Zakawanu Garuba.
Since the coming of Oshiomhole as governor of the state , the PDP has been recording a steady decline of lawmakers in its fold. The figure moved from 16 to its current 12, while AC increased from eight to 11 and a win for AC in the election will not only redefine the leadership structure in the House, bringing membership to an equilibrium of 12 members apiece, thus brightening the chances of the AC to produce the speaker, as well as force the PDP to relinquish majority of principal officers positions, such as majority leader and chief whip to the AC.
Besides, the constituency in question has been a traditional stronghold of the PDP, until recently when thousands of party members defected to the AC including the council chairman, Hon. Joseph Ayegbeni Oke. The constituency parades notable PDP leaders that inclue Mike Oghiadomhe, deputy chief of staff to the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan; the state chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih and Rear Admiral Mike Akhigbe (Rtd).
With the importance attached to the re-run election, there were accusations and counter-accusations by both parties, of purported plans to flood Etsako with arms and ammunitions preparatory to rigging of the election. Also, a huge financial war chest was said to have been spent by both parties to recruit Ijaw militants, members of the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), and some political thugs who were to dress in mobile police and army uniforms to cause mayhem and hijack ballot boxes.
Although the election was between Omogbai of the PDP and Oghuma of the AC, the personality clash between Oshiomhole and Anenih overshadowed the two candidates.
Since Saturday, January 9, 2010, the gladiators, notably among who were Anenih, Orbih, state chairman of the PDP Ogiadomhe, and Osunbor of the PDP on one side and Oshiomhole with party leaders of the Action Congress on the other, engaged in tirades and intense electioneering campaigns. The attack on each other was largely predatory and confusing.
For instance, a week before the election, the governor had raised an alarm over the withdrawal of soldiers from the state’s Joint Task Force by the Minister of Defence, General Godwin Abbe, a PDP chieftain from Edo state. Oshiomhole said this action was a conspiracy between Anenih and Ogiadomhe to rig the polls, adding that Abbe’s action was to pave way for PDP to move in arms to Etsako Central Local Government Area. “We are aware that it has been difficult for PDP to move in arms into Etsako central due to the heavy presence of soldiers after they boasted to bring in militants to unleash mayhem during the election,” Oshiomhole said.
But the PDP in a response rather applauded the withdrawal of soldiers. “The Federal Government has thought it wise to withdraw the soldiers from the Joint Task Force constituted by Governor Oshiomhole. That Mr. Adams Oshiomhole is crying over the withdrawal of soldiers goes to show that he is indeed the one with secret plans of using soldiers to rig the election,” Orbih had said.
According to him, “the governor lacked the grassroots support and has only engrossed himself in show manship in the last one year by planting fast-dying flowers.”
“We will never allow what happened in Akoko-Edo to repeat itself, where government officials had a field day carrying away ballot boxes,” the PDP boss said.
The Source gathered that Anenih did not take issues concerning the election lightly because he did not want what happened in Akoko-Edo re-run election to repeat itself.
It was learnt that the seasoned politician is yet to recover from the shame of defeat inflicted on him by Oshiomhole, who has made him a laughing stock in Edo politics.
The Source’s investigation reveal that the former PDP BOT chairman had sleepless nights over the January 23, re-run election, to the extent that he had to map out strategies to win the election for his party at all cost.   
For instance, Anenih had to summon all his experience as a political godfather and national leader of various political platforms since 1983 has conferred on him. He allowed Oshiomhole do at the complaining, while PDP leaders in the state did the responding, appearing in the process to being the victims.
Interestingly, in the twilight to the election, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Deji Shojebi, was redeployed. No reason was given for the action. Also, An Assistant Inspector- General of Police (AIG), Mr. Felix Ogbuadu, was drafted in to lead a team of 4,000 policemen redeployed from other states of the federation to Etsako Central to ensure that the election was peaceful.
Oshiomhole and the AC complained of INEC and other federal agencies. The party accused INEC of associating and playing the role of a consultant to the PDP.
TheAC in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Reti Uzu, said “Now the PDP in collaboration with the federal agencies are currently issuing new voter cards to violent thugs from neigbouring PDP- controlled states” and complained of moneybags buying permanent voter cards from unsuspected residents in the various ward.
But many observers observed that though Oshiomhole appeared panicky in his attack on the PDP during his campaigns, he boasted the singular credit of coming out with tangible, targeted, people-oriented projects.
For leaders and people of communities such as Anegbette, Udochie, Idaba, Ekperi whom he visited during his campaign – and anchored on his principle of one person one vote which he said is sacrosanct–it was joyous moments and a master-stroke political move.
The electorate in Etsako Central was therefore to impress support for the governor during the tense campaigns. With the campaigns steered into the murky terrains of name-calling and muscle- flexing the people wondered if their participation in genuine electoral process was not going to be aborted again.
However, on the election date, the electorate, many of whom have never voted in the locality before, showed their appreciation when about 13,367 registered voters, out of the 29,171 voters in the register of the constituency voted. The turnout of voters was very impressive as heavy security presence was noticed in strategic locations, including a detachment of 25 units of mobile policemen to ensure safety of voters. The voters came out en masse to vote and were friendly with the security operatives. The police maintained neutrality at the several road blocks and polling units and contrary to expectations, there was no single violent situation to warrant the police to fire a single bullet.
Notably, the Edo State Government, particularly Governor Oshiomhole, provided a level ground for all the contestants and interest groups in the re-run. From the result of the re-run election, the Action Congress (AC) candidate Johnson Egwekhide Oghuma emerged the winner of the January 23 Etsako Central election. To emerge winner, he polled a total of 7, 884 votes out of 13,367 votes. Omogbai of the PDP polled a total of 3,712 votes. The Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) candidate” Mr. Festus Enakhire scored six votes and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate had only one vote, while 2,146 votes were void.
According to the electoral officer for the election, Glenn Okechukwu Okomado, who announced the result at St. John’s College , Fugar, a total of 29,171 voters registered for the election.
The election was conducted in 78 polling units spread across the 10 wards that made up Etsako Central Constituency.
By this victory, the PDP now has 12 members including the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, while the AC now has 12 members. According to some political analysts, it is now clear that the PDP will relinquish major positions” including those of the speaker, majority leader, and Chief Whip now that the party has lost the re-run election and based on the simple fact that the AC is the ruling party in the state.  
Surprisingly on Monday, January 25, 2010, the state chapter of the PDP accepted the results of the re-run election.
The Chairman of the party, Orbih in a release stated that the party accepted the result “inspite of the widespread electoral malpractices which were perpetrated by Governor Adams Oshiomhole, his battalion of thugs and litany of Edo State Government officials as they paraded the polling centers,” adding that “the position of the Edo State PDP in the just- concluded election is one event in the long -term project of wresting power from the Oshiomhole-led Acton Congress government in Edo State.”
The former Chief of Staff and chieftain of the PDP in the state , Admiral Mike Akhigbe on his part commended the voting process adopted at the re-run election.
According to Akhigbe, the people of Etsako Central are very happy to be allowed to cast their votes for the first time, because in the past voting was done in the homes of some politicians in the area.
 Speaking to The Source at Osagbe Primary School, Fuguar, where he voted, Akhigbe said the political leaders in the state across political party lines have resolved to rid the state of election riggers.
The PDP leader noted that he is a loyal party man. The PDP being led by Chief Tony Anenih is no more relevant in the politics of Edo State , pointing out that as a result any candidate he supports will not be voted for by the people of Afemailand.
The state Commissioner for Information and National Orientation Abdul Oroh disclosed that the people are rejoicing that they were allowed to cast their votes, adding that the integrity of the electoral process must be respected always.”
Contributing to the issue, through an advertorial, Charles Idahosa, Political Adviser to the Edo State Government, stated that before now, “Edo State and her people have been groaning under the suffocating political grip of a clan of greedy political adventurers under the leadership of Chief Tony Anenih.”
According to Idahosa, “successive administrations, particularly that of Chief Odigie Oyegun, Chief Lucky Igbinedion and most recently, that of Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbor, will not be in a hurry to forget their confrontations with the political behemoth and his parasitic band of loyalists and hangers-on.”
In the release titled “It is finished,” Idahosa boasted: “With the last re-run election, the verdict on the proud and egoistic leader was loud and clear! His crash-down is brutal and total!”
With the defeat of PDP in Etsako Central, it is now clear that Chief Anenih’s godfatherism has finally come to an end– but whether he will retire from active politics as some observers say, only time shall tell.