Charity, as they say begins at home, but for Chief Tony Anenih, it should now begin abroad. After all, a few months ago he exerted his influence of fixing PDP primary (s)election of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as PDP gubernatorial candidate in Anambra State.
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You will recall that on that occasion the Uromi born Chief who is schooled in the act of politics threatened to change his name from Anenih to Anene; an Igbo name, which if properly translated would mean: let’s watch! The logic was to rub it on the highly republican Anambra people who were still seething in anger over Soludo’s imposition.
Soludo’s imposition was so damning that the Vice-President, Mr. Goodluck Jonathan have had to wail at the back page of Thisday newspaper’s Missile space of November 14, 2009 thus: “Mr. President felt so sad that our own party, PDP, couldn’t conduct primaries in Anambra State_We are quite sad because we believe that PDP being the ruling party should lead by example.
The PDP, like a house built with spittle which collapses under the morning dew has manifestly caved in to the forces of nature and found itself disgracefully depleted by and by. It has been losing a chunk of her following to other political parties by the reasons of its high-handedness, arrogance of power, autocracy, and deceitful party leadership, prated on the imperious lordship of a few godfathers. Their patronage is evidence in their ability to single-handedly select the highest bidder for political office.
The people of Etsako Central have demonstrated, in full freedom, that Mr. “Fix it is no longer a force to reckon with in the emerging political evolution in Edo State. The re-run election was the needed precursor that made the bold statement that the strength of the mass of our people is the weakness of the godfather, and that the strength of the godfather has been the weakness of the people all along.
But more worrisome is the height with which these ruinous cabals have been held and patronized over the years; unknown to the people that the deification of mere mortal as Anenih is absolutely at the heart of our fragile efforts for Electoral Reform; more also our feeble quest for liberated democratic space.
Edo State, pathetically, has suffered a great deal from gross imposition, judging by the poor representations which led to the pillaging of resources over the years.
While the valiant people of Etsako Central are celebrating their escape from endured political, social and economy distress; savouring the ultimate triumph of liberty, Dan Orbih, the factional chairman of PDP is double speaking, gnashing his teeth and nursing his wounds. In one breathe, Orbih collaborated the stance of INEC, AIG Felix Ogaudu, PDP candidate, Chris Umogbai and Independent Election Monitors and journalists as the fairest and freest election in recent times, both in Edo and the nation at large.
Do you blame a group of self-collected thugs whose only understanding of politics is brigandage of monumental proportion? This is one election the PDP will live to remember. Their plans and games fell on its face.
They also advocated for the deployment of 3000 Mobile anti-riot Police men, all of which they got. But their major undoing was that they could not also import the electorate to vote for them! Their strategies worked against them. The Mobile Police they brought from Abuja and other neighbouring states did their job. They kept PDP thugs out of circulation. The Police, for the first time, applied decorum and utmost neutrality common only among the British Bobby.
The people hated PDP with disdain. PDP’s eight years of the locust under Chief Lucky Igbinedion and 18 months of Prof. Osarhemen Osunbor’s illegal residency at the State House was worse than unleashing technology muster, bulldozer on the state. They ran the state aground on the auspices of the now rested godfather.
Granted that no matter how you deodorized horse that the stench remains, but we shall say, never again like the children of Israel by the River side of Babylon. Never again shall we be enticed by the uselessness of arrogant lot who see the appropriation of the people’s civic right as given! Never again shall we genuflect at the patronage altar of a leaser being for our political salvation!! The muster has fallen to rise no more.
• Akhabue Okogie a
Social commentator
Lives in Uromi.
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