THE two gladiators in the political battle for the soul of Edo State have left no one in doubt about how high the stakes are. They have exchanged bitter and biting verbal jabs, in a manner so dramatic that observers have been gasping for breath, while awaiting the mother of all electoral contests, come July 14, 2012.The battle for Edo, which has pitched Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the governor, against former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), and acclaimed Mr. Fix It of Nigerian politics, Chief Tony Anenih, is already living up to its hype.Oshiomhole, who swept through the Edo political scene like a hurricane in 2007, only to wait it out at the courts before securing his mandate in November 2008, needs a second term of four years. However, the battle-tested mobiliser, would have to remain on his toes in the coming weeks. He has been campaigning on what his aides say is a bouquet of sterling achievements, that have made the difference in the lives of the ordinary folks in the State.All the achievements and acumen aside, the PDP machine, which has remained restless, and is still reeling from its loss of the state, is forcefully seeking ways to reinvent itself and win back the governorship. As such, the election comes across as a final referendum on Anenih's storied place in the politics of Edo State.'The leader,' as Anenih is fondly called, has remained on the scene since 1983, when he served, and effected a quit notice on the then Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) incumbent governor, Ambrose Alli. Samuel Ogbemudia was the beneficiary of that onslaught.Anenih cemented his invincible status as the enforcer of his own predictions by helping the then Social Democratic Party (SDP's) John Odigie-Oyegun to a convincing rout of Lucky Igbinedion of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1992.On the return to a democratic dispensation in 1999, Anenih helped propel Igbinedion, who was at the receiving end of his deft political stratagems in the SDP-NRC days, to the government house.This winning streak assisted to consolidate Anenih's position as a formidable political leader within Edo State, and more importantly at the national level. As such, in the early years following Nigeria's return to a democratic dispensation in 1999, Anenih became synonymous with an ability to solve knotty political situations.He thus naturally emerged as one of the linchpins in the political machine of the imperial Presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo. Alongside the likes of Ahmadu Ali, Anenih pulled the strings, and for some years, held sway at the Ministry of Works. Those were years when many Nigerians lamented over the impassable state of federal roads in the country, in spite of hundreds of billions of Naira that were reportedly voted for fixing the highways.However, it would be recalled that the beginning of the decline in Anenih's unwieldy influence at the federal level started during the infamous campaign for a Third Term for former President Obasanjo. To the consternation of the latter, it had somehow emerged that the former BoT Chair, who was supposed to be the arrowhead in 'fixing' tenure elongation for Obasanjo by doing the job on recalcitrant legislators, had seemingly been dealing from both ends of the divide.There was thus a nexus between Anenih's loss of his seat as PDP BoT Chairman to the coup-like machination of Obasanjo in 2007, and the implied allegation of treachery over the failed Third Term bid.The quick onslaught against him by Obasanjo notwithstanding, Anenih still found a way to retain his stranglehold over the PDP in Edo, but not for long, as a counterweight had emerged. It came in the form of Oshiomhole, who, fresh from his two terms as president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had his eyes trained on the government house in Benin City.To make matters worse, Anenih's handpicked PDP flagbearer, Osierhemen Osunbor, was unable to match Hurricane Oshiomhole, such that the declaration of Osunbor as winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission could not stand the scrutiny of judicial inquiry.In November 2008, Oshiomhole retrieved the brazenly stolen mandate, and for the first time since 1983, Anenih was forced to switch into a defensive mode. His political estate was crumbling very fast, and this was manifestly evident in the unending bickering that engulfed the PDP.Although he has continued to peddle influence in some sort of diminished way at the federal level, the reality was abundantly clear that Anenih was in the incongruous and unusual position of being on the back foot.In the 2011 general elections, his blushes were merely saved, as he found himself in a tooth-and-nail struggle to defend his senatorial district, the last frontier in his disappearing political estate. This, he managed to do successfully. Save for this last ditch defending, the 'leader' would have been demystified in his own backyard by the rampaging Oshiomhole-ACN machine in Edo.So come July 14, Anenih will be looking to execute a quick counter-offensive, a blitz with the aim of recovering all lost grounds. There is no doubt that to justify his exalted toga as 'the leader,' he will have to secure more political space in the electoral war. The only way to advertise this relevance and imply that he is not actually ripe for banishment into political retirement, would be to make a good showing in the election. That would have to be nothing short of evicting the incumbent governor from his position.Anenih's CV speaks of a rugged political operative-in-chief, who made known his intentions to send an incumbent governor packing, and made good his threat. Nonetheless, it is pertinent to note that the combustible nature of exchanges between Oshiomhole and Anenih had not always been the case, since the duo struck contacts with each other. Perhaps, cognizant of the place Anenih occupies in the Edo politics, immediately he came on board, the Governor actually extended a hand of cooperation to the strongman. In what may have been an attempt to pacify the Uromi chief or simply 'give unto Caesar' what belongs to him, Oshiomhole appointed two Anenih nominees as commissioners.Just when the governor might have been thinking he had gotten Anenih's acquiescence or perhaps his support, the latter stung him with a widely publicised critique in which he admonished the governor that there was a marked difference between labour activism and governance. The implication was that Anenih came just short of calling Oshiomhole a rabble rouser, on account of his (Oshiomhole's) populist theatrics. The sharp-tongued Comrade came out firing on all cylinders in response. He summarised Anenih's current place in Edo politics by designating him a 'political vegetable,' which had withered, on account of having no more relevance in the political equation of the state. At an ACN convention in December 2009, the Edo helmsman also boasted about how the PDP 'rigging machine' had been demobilised.Recently too, Oshiomhole justified his verbal attacks on Anenih whom he accused of being responsible for the delayed take off of his administration's programmes, thus hindering his performance for one year when the then PDP-led State Assembly refused to pass the 2009 budget.He said: 'Anenih was a man who was not elected, but approved my first budget. He deleted money meant for the purchase of buses, building of schools and other infrastructural development from the budget. If I didn't fight then my God has fought for me. It is the hand of God that is working in the state,' he said.Thus far, the Oshiomhole-Anenih fight is precipitating fearful realities in the state, with allegations and counter-allegations of worrisome dimensions flying all over the place. The casualties of this political brawl have been ordinary people. First, three innocent journalists lost their lives in the governor's convoy when a truck rammed into it during a journey back to Benin from Auchi in April. This was quickly followed by the brutal killing of Olaitan Oyerinde, the governor's principal private secretary in May. In spite of these, both sides have continued to brawl.For those interested in issues-based politics, the current atmosphere in Edo doesn't look like one that would produce any meaningful, abuse-free debate about the future of the people. Thus while Oshiomhole is wooing voters with what he has done in the last three and half years, not much is being heard from the PDP candidate, General Charles Airhavbere.From the way things stand, a recent observer of the political scene in Edo State may find himself concluding that Anenih is the candidate of the PDP, since he has appropriated the spotlight, leaving little for the candidate himself. This speaks volumes about how the July 14 contest has become a survival battle, first for the man seeking a second term to consolidate his record, and much more for the one seeking not to be sent into the wilderness of political retirement, after over 30 years in the game.'Mudslinging And Blame GameBy Seye OlumideWHILE the ruling party the Action Congress of Nigeria accuses the PDP of perfecting plans to cause violence during the poll, the PDP alleges that Oshiomhole is employing blackmail.Traditional rulers in the state, concerned that the election could take a more violent turn if something is not done to avert it are making spirited efforts to appeal to politicians to abide by the rules and disengage from acts that could set the state on fire.Oshiomole is harping on his achievements within the last four years to secure the second term. He said his party is going to engage in issue-oriented campaigns and not to run individuals or other parties down. But the PDP candidate, Charles Airhiavbere said that Oshiomhole has done nothing to deserve second term.One of the reasons PDP is desperate about winning Edo is because of its strategic location between the Southwest and the Southsouth states. There are plans by the PDP leadership to storm the state for a grand rally. A committee headed by Vice President Namadi Sambo is said to be working out details for the Edo project, which another PDP chieftain from Osun State, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said is critical to the party's survival.It was rumored that the presidency might fund the Edo project heavily to oust ACN. President Goodluck Jonathan is said to be interested in restoring the lost glory of the party in the state.To the ACN, the entire arrangement is sounding funny and meaningless. It says PDP has lost relevance in the state and cannot return to power.
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