Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says the re-election of Governor Godwin Obaseki in Saturday’s governorship poll in Edo State signals the end of godfatherism in Nigeria.
Independent National Electoral Commission had on Sunday declared Obaseki, the incumbent governor of Edo and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner of the election.
He got 307,955 votes across 18 local government areas to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who polled 223,619 votes.
In his reaction to Obaseki’s victory in a statement posted on his official social media pages, Atiku said a new dawn had begun in Edo State, adding that “no victory could be sweeter than that this.
“There is a new dawn in Edo State, and the hard-won victory of Governor Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki is not just a victory, but a Declaration of Independence from the anti-democratic forces of godfatherism and militarism.
“No victory could be sweeter than this, and I heartily congratulate the Governor and the good people of Edo state for their resilience in the face of the forces arrayed against them.
“Edo has a rich history as the centre of Black civilisation, and to this, she is adding a new record as the bastion of Nigerian democracy. This double whammy of ancient and modern glories is a testament to a people who have for centuries set the pace as a beacon of light on the African continent.
“I most heartily congratulate the Peoples Democratic Party, who stood shoulder to shoulder, with the people of Edo and their Government, in good times and bad. We in the PDP have shown that we are not fair-weather friends to the good people of Edo. In good times, we will walk beside you. In bad times, we will be your loyal ‘comrade’. We will never be a turncoat. We will never abandon the principles we once espoused so that we can dine with our nemesis. Democracy has no nemesis. And this, the PDP has again proved.”
Atiku also thanked the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, for the “fatherly role he played as a neutral catalyst for peace.”
He noted, “That this election was, by and large, free from violence, is a testament of the long and effective shadow he casts over his domain”.
Atiku urged the people of Ondo to emulate those of Edo in the forthcoming October 10election by rejecting “the forces of despotism, nepotism, and interlopers.”
He said, “And to the good people of Ondo State, my message to you is that freedom from the oppressive grasp of godfathers and external forces that seek to dominate your will and eviscerate your treasury, is possible. Edo has done it. You can do it too!
“There is a new wind of democratic change now blowing all over Nigeria. The forces of despotism, nepotism, and interlopers cannot successfully withstand this force. Nigeria shall soon be totally free from these forces, from Kaura Namoda, to Lagos. The only power that will stand in Nigeria is people power, not the power of godfathers, or despots.”
The friction between Obaseki and former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, in the run-up to the election, had resulted in crisis in the state chapter of the party.
Obaseki defected to the PDP after the APC disqualified him from contesting in the party’s primary election, alleging that Oshiomhole was angry with him because he refused to be used in his (Oshiomhole’s) plan to become godfather in the state.
Having failed to settle the dispute, Oshiomhole threw his weight behind Ize-Iyamu and vowed to see to it that Obaseki was defeated at the poll.