Edo 2024: Edo 2024: Anxiety mounts as Esan elders await implementation committee report await implementation committee report

Leaders of the pan-Esan socio-cultural organisation, Esan Okpa Initiative (EOI), and other stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the report of the Implementation Committee, led by revered Constitutional Law Professor, Michael Ikhariale, to resolve the thorny issue of pruning the load of Esans vying for the Edo State Governorship race in 2024.

Feelers indicate that the Committee, which is completing its report this weekend, may advocate consensus building as a “winning strategy” to coerce the candidates into line.

Last weekend, the 11-member Implementation Committee met with governorship aspirants from various parties in Benin City, the Edo State capital, to assess their suitability in order to ensure that Esan, which comprises the Edo Central Senatorial Zone, puts its best foot forward in the race for a successor to incumbent Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, whose term expires on November 12 next year.

Many of the candidates, including Prof Oserheimen Aigberaodion Osunbor, who served as Governor for 18 months, three other famous professors, five former Speakers of the Edo State House of Assembly, and others, have impressive and commendable credentials. However, Esan officials are concerned that the large number of hopefuls may stifle Edo Central’s hopes if they all go to primaries in their respective parties against fewer aspirants from the other two zones. “There is a legitimate expectation that the Governor’s position in Edo State is now for Esan people to lose,” Ikhariale says, “and quite frankly, there is a real possibility that we might just lose it if we do not put our house in order by quickly formulating a winning strategy.”

Although Ikhariale, who recently completed his term as Visiting Professor at America’s Ivy League, Harvard University, explained that their assignment was not to “screen out” any aspirants because that is the domain of political parties, the engagement was undoubtedly an attempt to sift the grain from the shaft and ensure that only formidable individuals with clout and influence reach the other two zones – Edo North and Edo South – are supported.

“Before I go any further, please allow me to clarify something important about today’s events. We are not here to “screen out” anyone, and we have no desire or motivation to do so. The screening of aspirants is the responsibility of the various political parties.

“What we invited you to is an interactive engagement in which we would assess each other’s relative strengths and weaknesses and then tell ourselves honestly about our levels of readiness in the Esan quest for the governorship position.”

“In the future, we anticipate that this engagement will be candid, dispassionate, and objectively based on a set of objective criteria.” The outcome of today’s discussion will be presented to the EOI leadership and other key stakeholders for consideration and action.

“We are all aware that whenever brothers engage in any discussion behind closed doors and emerge all smiling, it is usually an indication that they have deceived themselves.” Obviously, we at the EOI have no intention of doing such to ourselves or making anyone miserable.

“When one examines the current political landscape of Edo State, it is clear that there has never been a better opportunity in recent election cycles for Esanland to produce a Governor.” The State is divided into three senatorial districts, namely Edo North, Edo South, and Edo Central (Esanland). Only Edo Central has failed to produce a Governor in nearly two decades. The last time we had a Governor of Esan descent, his term was cut short just a few months after he took office.

“In the circumstances, EOI’s primary goal is to objectively reason with all the aspirants in order to build consensus around those aspirants who have realistic chances within their respective parties, and Esan people will support those aspirants while allowing the good people of Edo State to make their choice,” he contends.

Aside from Prof Ikhariale, who chairs the Esan Okpa Initiative’s Implementation Committee, with Chief Executive Officer, Novelpotta, Dr. Celey Okogun as secretary, other members include Prof Philomena Ejele, a Linguistics Scholar at the University of Port Harcourt, and Prof Oyaziwo Aluede, an Education Scholar at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. Acting Director General, Edo State Directorate of Quality Assurance, Dr. Roseline Etiti Okosun, a Political Development Expert, Dr. Ono’ohomen Ebhohimhen, and Engr. Francis Oriakhi, president, Esan Club 30 in Port Harcourt are also members of the committee. In the committee, Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Fidelis Arhedo and Mallam Abdulkadiri Mukhtar represent faith-based organisations, while Mr. Prosper Iyere and Mr. Alex Orukpe represent young organisations.

The interaction with the aspirants, who were largely members of the three major parties – the All Progressive Congress (APC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP), was hailed as “fruitful.” Other high-profile aspirants who attended the event included Edo State APC Chairman, Col David Imuse, former APC Chairman, Barr Anselm Ojezua, former Chairman, Esan North East Local Government, Hon John Yakubu, and former Edo State Government House Chaplain, Rev Fr Andrew Obinyan. Prof Sylvester Odion Akhaine, Prof Amb Martins Uhomoibhi, and Prof Osezua Ehiyamen are among the others.

Former Speakers of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Francis Okiye, Rt Hon Friday Itula, Rt Hon Bright Omokhodion, and former Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Festus Ebea, were also present. Although former Speaker Rt Hon Victor Edoro and former House of Representatives member Rt Hon Serguis Ogun expressed an interest in attending, they were unable to do so.

Only 17 of the 26 applicants who responded to the Implementation Committee’s invitation attended the engagement last weekend. Three applicants in the Diaspora sought a Zoom facility, which could not be accommodated immediately. Two others expressed apologies, and four hopefuls who had initially responded to the letter of invitation had not answered. Leaders of the Esan Okpa Initiative, led by its President, Rt Hon Mathew Egbadon, and other Esan elders met with aspirants of Edo Central extraction in Benin City last July as part of a plan to reduce the number of aspirants from the zone.43