Society Gists

Palpable tension engulfed Benin City monday as leaders and governors of the nation’s two main political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), prepared to storm the Edo State capital today for the final campaigns to support their respective candidates in the gubernatorial election scheduled for Saturday.

Although both parties would hold their rallies at pole ends of the capital city, residents expressed fears of possible clashes between the stalwarts of the parties that are the main contenders for the coveted post in the state.

But heavy presence of armed security operatives in the ancient city that is expecting President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who would be leading the mop up push for Godwin Obaseki, the APC nominee for the post being vacated by the incumbent Adams Oshiomhole, gave some assurances of security monday.

The APC’s concluding rally holds at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
Ahead of the president’s visit, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State; the Deputy National Chairman of APC, Chief Segun Oni; the National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso; and other senior officials of the party were on the Arik Airline flight that landed at Benin City Airport yesterday at 4pm. Some senior officials of Edo State government were on ground to receive them and later drove them to Edo State Government House.

Speaking with journalists yesterday in Benin City, the state Chairman of the APC, Anselm Ojezua, said the party was prepared for the rally, adding that the National Campaign Council for the APC governorship candidate, Obaseki, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and his team were already in Benin to ensure a smooth rally.

He said all logistics to ensure free movement of the visitors and party supporters across the state had also been perfected.

The Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium venue of the rally wore a new look monday. When journalists visited the stadium, soldiers, officials of the Department of State Services (DSS), riot policemen and other security agencies had taken over the stadium and all the major roads leading in and out of the stadium area.

The Airport, Golf course road, and the Edaiken Uselu Palace where the president and his entourage would visit had also been taken over by soldiers and other security agencies.
The Edo State PDP on its part, will also host all PDP governors and some national leaders of the party who would be in the state capital to canvass votes for their candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

The party’s governors and the national leaders, according to a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) who spoke with THISDAY, would hold a town hall meeting with Edo PDP leaders, as part of their operation and execution strategy to wrap up their campaign.

The Director-General of the Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu Campaign Organisation, Senator Mathew Urohinde, told THISDAY yesterday that it was too late in the day for APC, saying President Buhari is coming for a “rally of defeat”.’

According to him, “I just told the APC leaders that they are coming to Benin City for a rally of defeat. Edo people have made up their minds and they will massively vote for PDP on Saturday.’’

Also in a statement monday, the Ize-Iyamu campaign organisation welcomed President Buhari to Benin City; but said his visit “would not make any difference as the good people of Edo have made up their minds to take their destiny in their own hands by sensibly picking the best candidate, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, that can move the state beyond where it is now.”

It said: “The people remain strong and focused in the on-going efforts to bring about a new state that will deliver socio-economic, healthcare, employment, skill acquisitions and other deliverable services to the people. And there is no better prepared candidate for the position in any of the political parties than Pastor Ize-Iyamu.’’

The organisation said its candidate’s public service records were so glowing not to be noticed by the people, noting that they dwarf the eight years sojourn of his main contender, Obaseki.
According to the organisation, “Having served in the past as Chief of Staff to the Edo State government and later the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ize-Iyamu had piloted the engine of governance and would therefore need no induction course to swing into action from day one, just as no one can bamboozle him to derail governance as can be done to a typical green horn like Godwin Obaseki.”