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2023: Edo As A Bridge Builder, Gateway To North, South And The Unusual Conflicts ~ OsazuwaAkonedo
May 18, 2022
2023: Edo As A Bridge Builder, Gateway To North, South And The Unusual Conflicts ~ OsazuwaAkonedo ###JeffersonUwoghiren ##GodwinObaseki #2023Election #AdamsOshiomhole #EdoState #OsazuwaAkonedo #SamuelOgbemudia #TomIkimi #TonyAnenih https://osazuwaakonedo.news/2023-edo-as-a-bridge-builder-gateway-to-north-south-and-the-unusual-conflicts/17/05/2022/ By Jefferson Uwoghiren
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0:00
by jefferson a wachiran
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dash
0:03
political conflicts and disagreement in
0:05
edo state have always been worrisome and
0:07
divisive but its intensity and
0:09
consequences haven't been this
0:10
polarizing and devastating as recent
0:13
developments
0:14
any attempt to trace the history of
0:16
these conflicts will result in a major
0:18
seminar work outside the scope of this
0:20
brief write-up
0:21
during the babangida years edo
0:23
politicians positioned themselves as
0:25
bridge builders and gateway to north and
0:27
south with chief tony and i of the sdp
0:30
and chief tom i can meet both icons from
0:32
edocentral simultaneously leading the
0:35
two dominant political parties
0:37
with so much to gain from cooperation
0:39
rather than competing they strode the
0:41
political landscape with some much
0:43
political arrogance and annoyance
0:46
back home the beanies flaunting its
0:48
famed majority demanded exclusive
0:50
executive leadership of the political
0:52
parties
0:53
the nrc a rampart gathering of the old
0:56
npn projected chief lucky igbomedian
0:58
while the sdp assembled war horses of
1:01
upn and tapped feisty top civil servant
1:04
chief jono yaegoon as its flag bearer in
1:06
the 1991 general election
1:09
the two political debutants awash with
1:11
solid war chests turned ostate into a
1:14
battleground of antithetical
1:15
progressives
1:17
chief oh yagoon won the election but his
1:19
government was short-lived and abruptly
1:21
shoved aside by the military moderators
1:23
of the transition to civil rule that was
1:25
designed to keep the military in power
1:28
the subsequent five registered political
1:30
parties organized for this purpose were
1:32
difficult to tell apart with
1:34
organizational notoriety funding and
1:36
objectives
1:38
in spite of the garrison command
1:39
structures of the military-inspired
1:41
political parties professional
1:43
politicians and o state found outlets
1:45
for their unending rivalries and resumed
1:47
their unfinished political wars
1:50
chief tom i comey of the nrc found jobs
1:52
foreign affairs minister and spokesman
1:54
of military rules
1:56
he quickly rallied general esso of
1:58
bamutia former governor and minister to
2:00
form the uncp a dominant political party
2:03
that won all the seats in the 15th of
2:05
march 1997 local government election
2:09
chief tom ikemy's political rival chief
2:12
tony ananiah also sought and found
2:14
shelter and leadership in the
2:15
not-too-popular dpn with remnant of his
2:17
sdp folks
2:19
it's very instructive to note that these
2:21
acclaimed democrats found comfort and
2:23
satisfaction in a political process that
2:25
resolved electoral conflicts by the
2:27
tossing of a coinus when general
2:28
jeremiah useni overruled nikon's
2:31
decision to conduct by-election in three
2:33
area councils in abuja and declared that
2:35
tossing of coins was cost-effective in
2:37
divine politics
2:39
embarrassed by the desecrated divisive
2:41
politics of the military after the death
2:43
of general abaca these leaders sought
2:45
accommodation and unity in the
2:47
transition programme of general abdul
2:49
salami abbakar using two novel political
2:52
platforms the edo mass movement emm and
2:55
edo people's congress epc
2:58
general asso famous emm was the dominant
3:01
partner in the merger in unity talks
3:02
with chief tony ananize led epc with
3:05
prince clifford uica officiating as the
3:07
broker
3:09
general so of the moodia and his allies
3:11
of the defunct uncp approached the
3:13
negotiations with the seriousness
3:15
required by assembling coteries of old
3:17
and flexibly determined friends that
3:19
required walking sticks constant doses
3:21
of amlodipine and colonnuts to steady
3:23
them during meetings
3:25
chief tony ananiye and his group as
3:27
junior partners in the merger
3:28
negotiations on the other hand assembled
3:31
a team of young and ambitious political
3:33
scientists hard-boiled negotiators and
3:35
coffee-sipping ideologues
3:38
it was a meeting of ancient versus
3:40
modern military leader versus political
3:42
leader decisiveness versus
3:44
inquisitiveness conviction versus
3:46
uncertainty advocate versus integrate
3:49
ambiguity versus curiosity strategies
3:51
versus alliterativeness
3:54
it was a strategic mismatch and the
3:55
beginning of a new era in edo politics
3:58
as the emm group chose executive
4:00
positions across board in the planned
4:02
people democratic party pdp powerful
4:05
forces have tipped the form government
4:08
chief tony ananai and his group the epc
4:10
readily accepted party leadership and
4:12
position in the proposed pdp
4:15
leaders of the two groups joyfully
4:17
sealed the merger deal and privately
4:19
celebrated the deaf deception embedded
4:21
in the agreement
4:22
the agreement expressly provided that
4:24
general of bamudi's group emm to the
4:27
exclusion of any other group was to
4:29
bring and produce all the executive
4:30
positions in the planned elections which
4:33
included the governorship senate house
4:35
of representative house of assemblies
4:38
local government chairman commissioners
4:40
and counselors the agreement also
4:43
provided that chief tony anony's group
4:45
to the exclusion of any other group was
4:47
to produce and fill the all leadership
4:49
and party positions in the proposed pdp
4:51
which included ward chairmen and
4:53
executives up to national party
4:55
positions
4:56
the agreement also provided for
4:58
exclusive powers to choose and nominate
5:00
candidate for any position at federal
5:02
executive council federal boards
5:04
ambassadors etc
5:06
with this position frontline aspirants
5:09
and ursula candidates and friends of the
5:11
military like chief samarita and
5:13
ambassador abdulaziz garupa lost out to
5:15
new persons willing to pay for the
5:17
gubernatorial and senatorial positions
5:20
which explain why honorable rs owie was
5:22
forced to step down from the
5:24
gubernatorial race and directed to
5:25
accept senatorial seat in edo south
5:28
in all the local government councils the
5:30
agreement was rigorously implemented
5:33
in a rideau local government area the
5:35
state capital honorable samson easemwade
5:38
the chairman exclusively assembled the
5:40
twelve wards chairman who were
5:42
answerable only to chief tony ananai and
5:44
prince solomon aguil
5:46
similarly the beneficiaries of all the
5:48
executive positions were answerable to
5:50
the general of moody's group exclusively
5:54
the consequences of this mismatch did
5:56
not unravel till few months later but to
5:58
discerning students of edo politics
6:00
chief tony anony's group have played a
6:02
fast one on the big but being glorious
6:04
emm group
6:06
they applied the 22nd law of power as a
6:09
spouse by robert greene which postulates
6:11
that when confronted by stronger
6:13
opposition use surrender to transform
6:15
weakness into power
6:17
with their grip on the party structures
6:19
from the wards to national level chief
6:21
tony anony's group moved quickly to
6:23
consolidate and extend the reaches of
6:25
the penny guest house agreement by using
6:27
party structures to determine the
6:29
emergence of candidates for executive
6:31
positions in the 2003 general elections
6:34
in edo south general s o o familia could
6:37
not save his friend senator roland owie
6:40
the incumbent senator or help him get a
6:42
second term
6:43
mrs daisy ahana ray d'anjuma with the
6:46
help of chief tony ann and i crushed all
6:48
opposition
6:49
space and forum would not permit an
6:51
elaborate spotlight on the senatorial
6:53
affairs suffice to say that it was a
6:55
deliberate coup to decimate strong base
6:57
of general esso o famous lieutenants and
7:00
take over the leadership of the party in
7:02
edo south and shift the headquarter of
7:04
edo state politics to urami
7:06
not surprising it was a seismic
7:08
political coup as chief tony annan i
7:11
became the clock and calendar of edo
7:13
state politics and national leader of
7:15
the pdp
7:16
without shooting a single bullet chief
7:19
tony and i captured general esso of
7:21
bermuda and his political capital held
7:23
his few remaining supporters hostages
7:26
until they capitulated and accepted his
7:28
leadership
7:29
immediately thereafter chief tony and i
7:32
stopped coming to benin to attend
7:34
political meetings even when he
7:36
conveniently landed in benin airport
7:38
all major meetings were held at his
7:40
urami country home and nova hotel urami
7:43
had permanent rooms for many influential
7:45
benin leaders at their own expenses
7:48
major political meetings in edo south
7:50
were held only with the permissions of
7:52
chief tony ann and i and any without his
7:54
permissions were deemed rebellious and
7:56
details of such meetings were leaked to
7:58
him by benin leaders desperate for
8:00
political appointments which only him
8:02
could guarantee and provide
8:04
from 2002 till his death in october 2018
8:08
chief tony and i never allowed any
8:10
negotiation that threatened his
8:11
leadership hold on the pdp in edo state
8:14
not even when he was forced to see the
8:16
governorship ticket to professor osirim
8:18
and osunbury in 2007 which is the key
8:20
basis of his disagreement with professor
8:22
o'sunburn's short-lived government
8:25
unlike general esso of moody's group
8:27
position chief tony and i realized early
8:30
in his political odyssey that whoever
8:32
controls the party and government
8:34
controls the government
8:36
while edo south leaders were after the
8:37
temporary gains of executive positions
8:40
chief tony and i group were
8:41
strategically waiting outside the
8:43
corridor of power to seize and control
8:45
government
8:46
how did a police officer defeat a
8:48
military general with all the years of
8:50
training in ladel hearts art of strategy
8:53
what is the fallout of this political
8:54
gambit in edo south politics
8:57
general so of bermuda before he became
8:59
military governor of midwest region was
9:02
for many years a notable instructor in
9:04
the nigeria army before his retirement
9:06
in 1975.
9:09
he was infused with the big man theory
9:10
of command and control which requires
9:13
officers to make good decisions quickly
9:15
and ensured compliance
9:17
chief tony ananiye on the other hand was
9:19
a graduate of the college of ambiguity
9:21
where people were trained to see that
9:22
there are multiple ways to look at a
9:24
problem or situation
9:26
mitigating ambiguity means suspending
9:28
judgment and decision making until more
9:31
facts are known or more interpretation
9:33
or perceptive are articulated
9:35
in effect a leader must keep from making
9:37
a decision until the best decision or at
9:39
least a better decision is found
9:42
tolerating ambiguity requires patience
9:44
and being comfortable with the anxiety
9:46
and uncertainty of not knowing what is
9:48
to be done
9:49
lack of this still often leads to what
9:51
is known as rush to judgment
9:53
all these chief tony ann and i deployed
9:55
against a general and a good man stomped
9:57
and swapped by political lieutenants who
9:59
were not only local visionaries but were
10:02
blinded by private privations
10:04
unfortunately politics in nigeria is
10:07
fueled and propelled by immediate
10:08
personal gains masked and shrouded in
10:11
tribal sentiments
10:12
but in the case of chief tony ananiye
10:15
his politics was fueled by political and
10:17
economic domination of his environment
10:19
which explains why he was ready to
10:21
remain in opposition in edo state during
10:23
governor of sunburst short stay in
10:25
government house then seed political
10:27
power
10:28
in 2007 with the opposition by general
10:31
esso of moody's decimated chief tony and
10:34
i found his replacement in senator
10:36
ozarima no sunbur who quickly attracted
10:38
the displaced remnants of over moody's
10:40
troops
10:41
the target of the renewed conflict was
10:43
total in complete control of the pdp in
10:45
edo state
10:47
consequently parallel state congresses
10:49
were conducted in the state with
10:51
governor o'sunburn camping his troops at
10:53
obey stadium benin city where mr edward
10:56
satta was selected as state chairman
10:58
chief ananias faction took over nta
11:00
pavilion on tv road benin city with
11:03
chief dan orbee the selected one
11:06
surprisingly the national leadership of
11:08
the party recognized barr
11:10
edward sato's leadership of the party
11:13
a political civil war started in edo
11:15
state forcing the national leadership of
11:17
the pdp to dissolve the antagonistic
11:20
executives produced at oak bay stadium
11:22
and nta pavilion
11:24
the intervention of the national
11:26
leadership led to the harmonization of
11:27
party leadership between chief ananiai
11:30
group and senator azarimuno sunburst
11:32
group
11:33
negotiating from a very weak structural
11:35
position senator osunba's group lost as
11:38
late barrister samson ikeboff was chosen
11:40
as state chairman while the position of
11:42
deputy state chairman and state
11:44
secretary were given to senator osunba's
11:46
group
11:47
honorable clement benedo osaji the
11:50
deputy state chairman immediately got
11:52
swallowed by the subtle guiles of the
11:54
old war machines and pdp command and
11:56
control center was firmly returned and
11:58
re-established in urami
12:00
frustrated by the inflexibility of the
12:02
new leadership a lot of pdp members
12:04
moved over to the opposition apc teaming
12:07
up with the de-registered no man is god
12:09
group that left earlier to prop up fresh
12:11
rebellion under comrade adam's oshiomole
12:14
leadership
12:15
suddenly disaster happened
12:17
barrister ikabov the former commissioner
12:20
for justice and the stormy petrol of
12:22
anime died in a fiery motor accident
12:24
that claimed his son driver and a police
12:26
officer
12:28
with no opposition in sight chief dan
12:30
orby easily waltzed his way to the
12:32
chairmanship position of the party
12:34
for over ten years he held on to the
12:36
ideas of party supremacy under the
12:39
guidance of chief tony ananai and under
12:41
the most brutal and punishing state and
12:43
national embarrassments from the apc
12:46
his comical digs at comrade oshiomhole
12:48
amused his followers but not the
12:50
electorates who dented his records at
12:52
elections back to back
12:54
like a cat with nine lives he survived
12:56
all intrigues to remove him from office
12:58
or attempt whittled down his powers
13:01
with a solid support base in edo south
13:03
chief dan orby spoke hope and strength
13:05
into his followers and rightly standing
13:07
by them in the protection and substances
13:10
of their elective and party offices
13:12
it was a marriage forged in chief tony
13:14
anony's school of sweat tears and blood
13:18
in 2020 comrade adam zashio mull
13:21
orchestrated the ouster of governor
13:22
godwinski from the apc forcing the
13:25
governor to seek accommodation in pdp to
13:28
actualize his second term bid
13:30
unfortunately the governor was not
13:32
sufficiently informed of the cloak and
13:34
dagger grip of the party by the real
13:35
owners of the party
13:37
the whole political talk in marriage was
13:39
built on deceit and cemented in
13:41
subterfuge
13:42
governor godwinski wanted a platform
13:45
edo pdp wanted a return to power
13:48
exploiting the enormous goodwill of the
13:49
governor
13:51
the governor was made to believe that he
13:52
will automatically become the leader in
13:54
the new clock and calendar of the party
13:56
but a ruse
13:57
a deliberate ruse and political fraud
14:00
executed with the most sophisticated
14:01
hard-boiled graduates of chief tony
14:03
ananias school of ambiguity
14:06
the parallel congresses of the last few
14:08
days is unsurprising a reminder of the
14:10
governor of sunbur chief tony anony's
14:13
war and i am deeply concerned for
14:14
governor as he embarrassingly extricates
14:16
himself from the elaborate web of
14:18
intrigue merchants of power have weaved
14:20
around him
14:21
unfortunately these merchants are not
14:23
ready to sell nor lease power for now
14:26
at view's exclusive rights jefferson a
14:28
waghiran esquire is a benning-based
14:31
political analyst human rights lawyer
14:33
journalist and a former newspaper
14:35
reporter may 17 2022
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