Eligible voters of 1.700,000 armed with their Permanent voters card, PVCs will file out to the 192 political units, across the entire state to decide who emerges their governor in the heated and tensed build up to the D-day.
Obviously, the contest is a two horse race between the incumbent governor of Edo state and the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and his arch rival in 2016, Pastor Osagie Ize- Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC.
As it stands, there are 14 political parties, expected to scramble for the total number of registered voters with PVCs which stand at 1, 700,000 million. While 483, 796 are yet to collect their permanent voters cards from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC office in Benin
Meanwhile, Edo South senatorial district which controls over 55 percent of the entire voting population has 1, 281,414 registered voters, according to YIAGA Africa, quoting INEC figures. In the senatorial district, 78.1 per cent of the PVCs have been collected.
Conversely, Edo North has 564, 122 registered voters with 84 per cent of the PVCs collected, while Edo Central, with a total registered voters of 364, 998; out of which 74.4 have been collected
Barring last minutes campaigns, candidates of the main parties are however optimistic of victory in the tension soaked build up to tommorrow’s election.
Prior to the D-Day, a combined team of fierce looking security operatives drawn from the anti-riot mobile, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, (NSCDC) and Soldiers had engaged in a show of force tagged “Operation Show of Force” along major roads in the state capital ahead of the election.
The move was to alert residents of the state of the heavy presence of security personnel and their readiness for the epic governorship election.
As at the last count no fewer than 70 patrol vehicles loaded with personnel heavily armed from the various security agencies and commands across the country paraded strategic major roads and streets in Benin City
Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor told newsmen during the exercise that the exercise was the inter agencies’ commitment to ensure that the election was peaceful.
He said it was also to ensure that the election was violence free, fair, free and credible. He urged voters to come out en masse on Saturday and vote for the candidate of their choice assuring them that their lives and property would be protected.
Some of the security agencies that participated in the exercise include the Nigerian Army, Police Mobile Force, Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Customs Service, and the Directorate of State Services (DSS).
Others were the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Air force, Federal Road Safety Corps, the Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The exercise commenced from the police command Headquarters Benin through Sapele road, Country home on Sapele road and Ugbo road on Government Reservation Areas in the ancient capital city.
Other routes covered were the GRA, Adesuwa road, Ihama road and the entire stretch of the Airport road, Akenzua road, Ehaekpen Street, TV road, Five junction, Uselu-Lagos road, Upper Mission road and the ring road.
However, despite security arrangement and assurance from the various heads of security outfits for the governorship election, Yiaga Africa, after a careful study of situation and build up to the election revealed that two-thirds of LGAs were classified as hotspots and flashpoints of violence due to the frequency of violence, arms proliferation and a spike in ‘cult group’ activities in those LGA’s.
Yiaga Africa specifically report that 13 of the 18 local government areas where violence are prevalent includes, Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan West abd Akoko-Edo in Edo North senatorial district.
In Edo South senatorial district, Oredo, Orhionwon, Egor, Ovia North East and Ikpoba-Okha LGA’s in Edo Central.
In Edo Central senatorial district, Esan Central, Esan North East and Esan West. Voters in identified council may be discouraged from coming out because of violence and insecurity in the areas.
The Big Battle
There is no gainsaying that tension and speculation are at fever pitch in Edo state. The outcome of the Edo governorship election is seen in political circles as a prelude to political permutation and realignment ahead of 2023.
In the two horse race, Obaseki is again meeting his main challenger in 2016, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu will be banking on his scorecard and the structure and support he enjoys from his new party the PDP.
While Ize-Iyamu, who was PDP’s candidate in 2016, has found himself in APC, which he had left six years ago to pursue his governorship ambition.
Interestingly, both PDP and APC are quite conscious of the importance of the September 19 governorship election to the present political equation in the state, region and country, and their future prognoses, the reason the two parties have set up high-powered election committees to lead them to victory.
APC appointed the governor of Kano State, Abdulahi Ganduje, as the chairman of its election committee, while PDP chose Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to lead it in the quest for re-election.
What will make today’s election more interesting is that both contestants know each other in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. But what may likely swing the votes for either of the two remains the calibre of political heavyweights queuing behind them
Another factor is the voting population. Edo, like any other states of the federation, is made up of three senatorial districts. Edo South has 58 per cent of the state’s voting population, Edo Central has 16 per cent, and Edo North has 26 per cent. But this percentage sharing, unfortunately, may not apply as it currently stands. The factor of candidate’s advantage may play a key role in determining the voting pattern.
