state ahead of the battle between the forces within the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria controlled government of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and those of the opposition parties in the state.Among the opposition parties to watch in the epic battle to unseat the incumbent governor are the Chief Tony Anenih led Peoples Democratic Party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Labour Party (LP). No doubt it is going to be a grueling war of wits, money, ego, strategy, force for force and test for power. But apart from what is seen as a handful of opposition parties, there is strong indication from the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) that all the other opposition parties will form a common front with the a water tight resistance to ensure that the ruling party does not get a breathing space in the test for political might. Already the heavy weights are scheming with feverish preparations to give the incumbent governor a run for the battle for the Osadebay Avenue. However the presumed alliance of the opposition parties, according to our investigation, is on the heels of the bitter lessons and experiences the opposition parties had in the hands of the ACN led government during the April 2011 general elections in the state. There is at the moment a ground swell of activities which is causing serious concerns among the camps of both the ruling government and other political parties. To the Chief Tony Anenih led the exalted seat it is a must win. But Oshiomhole and his foot soldiers will not allow the golden opportunity slip off their hands this time while it will be a make or mar action to prove a point for the Chief Anenih, General Godwin Abbe and those of Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mike Ogiadomhe 'all of the PDP--not to be intimidated again. In fact, it is for Oshiomhole to prove to the world without this time any resort to legal assistance that he indeed won the 2007 governorship polls in the state despite holding the key to the apparatus of government. It is quite evident therefore that this is a ripe battle ground for the Oshiomhole and Anenih to prove their mettle once again in the bid to determine who controls the Heart Beat state. Instructively, the forces within the presidency and the opposition PDP are believed to be leaving no stone unturned ahead of the election to reclaim the state it regrettably lost in deep error in 2007 internal squabble that till today left it with much sour points. No doubt Edo state is central to Aso Rock in the nation's political calculus considering the caliber of men behind President Goodluck Jonathan presidency and it will amount to a major political slap should the opposition party fail again this time to retrace its path and prove a point, at least, that it had once held sway in the governance of the state. Indeed it is not going to be a child's play on both sides in the battle as the crescendo of spy game has shot up feverishly while consultations and strategies keep at high ebbs. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies will no doubt have a swell time at keeping the forces in check when the real grueling war commences. It beholds therefore on the bodies to give out their best at protecting the rights and interests of the people who are the owners of government and governance. On the other hand what should be of major focus is the ability of the electorate to freely choose who fair and peaceful manner without any form of harassment and intimidation by the powers that be with the various camps in the contest. How far this expectation will be met remains a question that only ACN, PDP, CPC and other allies will provide the answers to. As time ticks fast the various aspirants of the PDP, CPC and others with measured resolute have taken up the courage and armed with the support of perceived political investors and core stakeholders with vested interest have lined up for the contest. All the capital corners of the ancient capital town and urban centers of the state have been defaced with various posters of the real and pretending aspirants. Both the PDP and Oshiomhole's emissaries in their determination to sell the actors at the center of the 2012 project to the people at the grassroots with messages of hope, truth and half truths as well as empty ones are working round the clock to make the business a good deal. In any case it is strongly believed that the opposition parties, particularly the PDP members are stopping at nothing to ensure that the project is worth the struggle. All in all there is strong indication that Oshiomhole himself will not sail through the slippery water game without having a deep scratch.returning back to the PDP fold. The cases of the former Senate Chief Whip Chief Roland Owie, Pharmacist Matthew Urhoghide, former Editor in Chief of Insider Magazine Osa Director and others key stakeholders in the party in the three senatorial districts of the state are instructive. It is most laughable and ridiculous that someaggrieved ACN members at the moment have the history of leaving a ruling party to the opposition camp. Again the sour taste and saddening story of leaving the PDP for the ruling party has also become the political puzzle some key henchmen behind Oshiomhole's success story in the governance of the state are working out its chiasmic theory over intractable differences within the structure of the ruling party. Investigations revealed that some of the political actors are begrudging the Comrade Governor over hard line posture in the award of most contracts that ordinarily to them would served as political patronage to them and at the same time have lost favour with a feeling of being starved of fatty meals as was the case during their days in the PDP. Another frightening plot is that it has dawned on governor Oshiomhole with a belated knowledge that some of the party members made a smart switch over with the intent to plunder and since they cannot have a leeway are now out to cause chaos in the fold before the make a return to God knows which party. It is not ruled out that part of this evil scheme informed the momentous in-fighting over who replaces the deputy governor of the state, Dr. Pius Odubu next year. It is touted that the cold war between Pastor Ize Iyamu the former Secretary to the state government under embattled ex-governor Lucky Igbinedion and Odubu is not disputable. Pastor Ize Iyamu among others were the eggheads that in the heat of the crisis in the PDP over the control of the party structure between governor Igbinedion and Chief Anenih that used the Grace Group political platform to launch the Action Congress (AC) party and handed over the then PDP structure to Oshiomhole a hard nut to crack for the former NLC president to realize his ambition under the PDP. It holds therefore that the incumbent governor is between the river and deep blue sea should he fail to have the ears of Ize Iyamu. At the center of the disagreement is the alleged inabilityof the second citizen of the state to provide dividends of democracy, loyalty to the Orhionmwon people considered as among the populous area in the south senatorial zone of the state from where the two (Dr. Odubu and Pastor Iyamu) come from. The class war is stirring much heat and serious signs of uncertainties. A former lawmaker that represented the area in the state house of assembly, Etiosa Ogbeiwi any attempt by Oshiomhole to field the deputy governor will spell a mass defection of members of the ruling party. According to him 'What we are saying is that no amount of force, no amount of might, no amount of money that will make the people of Orhionmwon to support Odubu for a second term.' He added I want you to understand that the political consciousness, political sensitization, political awareness has dawned on the consciousness and sensibility of the people of Orhionmwon today. Oshiomhole should be careful not to pick Odubu as his running mate, otherwise, the entire people of Urhonigbe and by extension Orhionmwon local government area will leave this party (ACN) for Odubu. So, in other words, I want to quickly, very objectively and transparently debunk that insinuation that the people of Orhionmwon are backing Odubu.' Again, there is much suspicion that Oshiomhole walk across the tight rope may spell doom for him if the political pendulum swings through in the agitation by people in the south senatorial district to have the governorship shifted to the area going by the strategy of schemers within the PDP. More so that plot is what the Benin Political Coalition, the Benin Forum and other ethno-political groups of Benin extraction are working out its theory. It is unarguable that the south controls the highest population in the political equation of the state with seven local government areas. The area remains dominant in securing whatever is believed to be contentious when it becomes obvious and with the highly revered Oba of Benin whose word is sacrosanct, the people have no choice. That indeed is what the PDP is banking on but it will be Trojan walk if ever it's workable because His Royal Majesty Omo N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Erediuwa who doubles as the chairman of the state council of traditional rulers had since endorsed Oshiomhole's second term bid. It will therefore require a hard work on the psyche of the monarch to shift his ground. But the PDP and others are hell bent to teach the Peoples Governor the hard political lesson for what they believe is the governor's promise and fail to the people. To the opposition Oshiomhole has not done enough on issues of development to justify the huge internally generated revenue (IGR) in addition to the monthly allocation from the federation that accrue to the state irrespective of what the government has been able to do since the past three years that are on the ground at the moment. Part of the bitter criticisms is that apart from the few newly constructed short distant roads; there are at least horrendous impressions of over 250 impassable link roads littered across Benin metropolis which daily confront the large population in the ancient city Among the devastated roads that have posed serious headache to pedestrians are Second East Circular road, Upper Adesuwa road within the government reservation area (GRA), Adolor road on Ugbowo-Lagos road, particularly Tomline axis, Osakpamwan road running through Uwasota by Ojo junction down to Uselu Shell, the worn out Canaan street off Textile Mill road and Uwa street between First and Second East Circular roads, just to mention a few. While attention has been shifted to reelection issues the people are hopelessmet disturbed about the possible return of their ugly past toadd to the woes of intractable flooding and erosion menace that characterize the state in recent time. Also the people have not turned their eyes away from the much publicized billion naira Airport road project that almost cost the state of tears and blood during the hey days of the former speaker of the state house of assembly, Zakwanubn Garuba. That road as we read through is in a sorry state of abandonment with deadly potholes due to what motorists say is a deliberate act of the contractor to put the people in pain with low quality job. It is believed that the road will give the ruling government a pride for its words but far from it as residents of the area groan once it rains. In addition the high incidence of tax policy of the Oshiomhole, its burden and the attendant controversies that surrounded the payment of N18, 000 minimum wage is giving the workers in the state sleepless nights. Added to the plethora of anomalies is the perceived official high handedness of the state government. Recently Oshiomhole ordered a team of armed mobile policemen to arrest, handcuff and ensure the prosecution of the state chairman of the taskforce on demolition of illegal structures, street trading and traffic obstruction, Major Lawrence Loye (rtd) over alleged demolition of buildings belonging to the two time ex-governor of the Mid-Western region and Bendel state, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia and that of Senator Owie who are all chieftains of the PDP. The action had elicited bitter condemnation by members of the public because of the wide media publicity it attracted. Major Loye was later granted bail through the intervention of a team of lawyers hired by the PDP who stormed the magistrate court in Benin. He later resigned his position. The retired army Major in a letter to Governor Oshiomhole insisted that all the actions carried out by the body was on the mandate of the governor. He said the decision to throw in the towel after much controversy that followed the activities of the taskforce in parts of the ancient capital town of Benin City was 'consequent upon the inhuman, barbarous and embarrassing treatment that was meted out on him by the state chief executive. In his resignation letter sent to the governor dated 7th October 2011 and copied to the Secretary to the state government and the commissioner in charge of the ministry of Environment and Public Utilities he was 'still very convinced that the demolition team of the taskforce carried out a legitimate operation as mandated by Your Excellency and the supervisory ministry of environment and public utilities.' No doubt appreciable efforts have been put in place to stem the tide but no development can come to any state or nation where the security of lives and property of residents are not safe. Edo state has for the past three years lost touch with investors willing to assist in the development dream of the state and accept urgent steps is taken to curb the menace the future may be bleak for the nodal state in the South-South geo-political zone of the country. It is quite doubtful is the present administration will come out strong in the wake of all these ugly pointers as the people decide its fate along with other next year. While the eager and thirsty aspirants jostling for the hot and exalted seat of the state roll out their campaigns with main focus on the weak points of the Oshiomhole led government, the people are keenly watching to decide who should get what when the actual battle come to be. At the moment several aspirants among who are a retired Army General Charles Arhiavbere (Edo South), Professor Oserheimen Osunbor (Edo Central), Barrister Kenneth Imansungbon, Jacob Idinye (Edo North) have lined up their arsenals to meet Oshiomhole (Edo North) in the political ring. It is well noted here that Prof. Osunbor in the race is soberly out for a revenge mission and has taken measures to mend fences with aggrieved foes. The former governor's aspiration and political machinery are being oiled by a new political group under the aegis of Edo Restoration Project 2012 with a strong believe that the choice of Osunbor would add more value to the party considering the great achievements of the then government in the state. Interestingly one plot by the PDP as a core contender to make the long awaited dream come through is the ongoing realignment within the fold in the state chapter. Members of the party at the recent state congress held in the ancient capital town had reelected its present chairman Chief Dan Osi Orbih for another four years. Chief Orbih has the onerous task to galvanize the party for the epic battle. Orbih with a team of new members of the state executive council (SEC) is expected at this auspicious moment give no folktale excuse for any slight misgiving having lost majorly in the past reruns polls held in the state and the near all important April 2011 elections except with a struggling breakthrough in the central senatorial district, considered as Chief Anenih's political stronghold. While he and his team will not do it alone bearing in mind that most of what today constitutes the kitchen cabinet members of the ACN controlled government of Adams Oshiomhole are all decampees from the PDP. Although it is apparent that majority of the defectors are plotting a return back to the party having realized after leaving due to the PDP's seeming path at the crossroads to true reconciliation that all that glitters are not gold in the ruling party. Majority of those that left the PDP were of the hope that they will be providedautomatic chop, chop platform but
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