By Tony Momoh
GONE are the days when it was claimed that pictures do not lie. Even in my time as a sub-editor in the Daily Times, and that was at the height of the Action Group crisis in the early 60s, pictures lied.
There was this photograph of a rally of the party which the Premier of the Western Region, Chief Ladoke Akintola, had formed to confront Awolowo’s Action Group of which Akintola had been a frontline leader. What was being proved by the photograph I had to publish was that Akintola’s NNDP had mass following in the West.
There he was, the highly-acclaimed orator, telling it to the people of his region in an open field, why they should desert the Action Group.
Well the chief sub-editor, Mac Alabi (God bless his soul, he passed on recently) asked for the picture before it was cropped. That means removing areas you did not need for the space allotted to the picture. His eagle eyes spotted what we, the trainee subeditors, would never have seen. At the corner of the field was a goal post and someone holding a football!
So the crowd that had been captured as party men at a political rally was in fact a football crowd in a football field! Oh yes, we were being done in with a photo trick!
So when recently I read in the papers that there was going to be an Action Congress rally in Benin City and the PDP warned all and sundry that thugs would be imported into that arena and that the police should stop what might degenerate to a breakdown of law and order, I called my sister-in-law Safu who is a woman leader and told her what I had read in the papers.
She said not to worry, that I should watch out for what even the PDP itself would not believe could happen. I laughed when she told me the old crap about pictures not lying.
I was even not much impressed when I met Tom Ikimi at Abuja three days before the rally and he told me that the rally would witness the death and burial of the godfather. If you do not know, I should tell you that the godfather under reference is Chief Tony Anenih.
He is also known as the Leader. Between 1999 and 2003, he called all the shots in the politics of the South-South. When before the 2003 elections he told everybody that there was no vacancy in Aso Rock or any of the government houses in the South-South, many did not know what magic wand he had to make his predictions come true. But don’t ask me how he did it.
The truth of the matter is that all those endorsed by Tony Anenih, even where they lost nominations at the primaries, found themselves in power! His pronouncements about what will come in 2011 are gaining grounds, but his home state was struck by a political tsunami last Saturday, October 31, when the Action Congress held the much advertised rally at Ogbe Stadium. My reading of that outing is more than many people are telling me.
I saw with my own eyes, watching Channels TV which was one of the stations that carried the event live, many well-known PDP leaders from all the 18 local government areas of Edo State moving into AC! The roll call was unbelievable – chairmen of councils; present and former leaders of the party from the three senatorial districts; loud and active women leaders of the party from Edo North and Central senatorial districts!
I ask who must have been the brain behind this massive disenchantment with the PDP in Edo State? Definitely not Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, the Oba of Benin whom people are crediting with the massive move of Edo South from the PDP.
The story is that Comrade Governor Oshiomhole had been sending to the Oba his correct entitlement of deductions from the allocations of local governments in Edo South, what the former administrations had manipulated. The Oba’s heart had then been won, and he had asked his people to support the governor!
This cannot be true for the simple reason that the Omo N’Oba is not a politician and no one should drag him into politics, the rotten and dirty politics of Edo State.
We outside Edo South have always pleaded that if there is anyone who will restore the pride of Benin City to its pre-colonial status when European explorers in the 15th century said the city compared with the best in Europe of the time because of its buildings and roads, that person would be an Edo son outside Edo South. I expected Senator Osunbor to have undertaken that task if he had been retained but that chore is left to Governor Oshiomhole.
The difference between Oshiomhole and previous administrations, however, is that if what we of Edo stock in Lagos saw when he briefed us on his agenda is translated into action, then in the next two years, we will be singing the type of songs Lagosians are singing today in praise of Raji Fashola.
Edo State does not have the volume of funds Lagos accesses through heavy taxation, but we did see where we are in Edo State and where the governor wants us to be at the end of the day.
And the emphasis on giving us a befitting capital should be a first port of call. Every other area will have to be attended to later, but first things first. All this boils to one thing – that the Benin monarch should not be dragged into the politics of the mass defection from PDP.
If he can call some shots in Benin Kingdom, what of Afenmai and what of Esanland where even people from Chief Anenih’s Uromi abandoned the PDP ship?
The two other causes people are touting for the defections can be looked at as our now familiar two sides of the same coin – the side of discipline that results in order, and the side of indiscipline that can only breed chaos. Chief Anenih seems to be more comfortable assessing his success on the outcome of his lone-ranging. And he has unbelievable energy for sustaining the lone-ranger role.
He does not seem to bother about what others may think of the decisions he makes and how they were arrived at. Bones may be broken, but the Leader’s routeing must not be questioned! Many have lost their places and clout within the PDP since 1999 when he got into the good books of Obasanjo.
With various alignments being worked out now, he seems to be on the side of Yar’Adua who may not now fully appreciate the danger that the continued absence of internal democracy in the party poses to him as an individual; and also to the party as a democratic organisation.
Those who must work with the Uromi chief are no longer ready to accept impositions, and that is the other side of the coin in the PDP saga in Edo State.
But who should be fingered in this scenario? I looked at the audience at Ogbemudia Stadium and saw in all the moves, the hand of General (Dr) Samuel Osaigbovbo Ogbemudia, the man with whom Chief Anenih is supposed to have been running the PDP in Edo State, but who seems to have been undermined and humiliated. In my study of Ogbemudia for more than 20 years, he is not a man to be ignored in Edo State politics without dire consequences.
I hear he, with some other leaders of the party, was to have picked the chairman of the PDP in the State, but that Anenih upstaged him, held a rally and announced my friend Dan Orbih as chairman instead of Gen Abu (rtd) that the Ogbemudia group wanted and the national party executive was supposed to have endorsed! So in reaction to the Anenih rally in Benin the previous week, another by AC was organised and Adams Oshiomhole excelled in drumming home the death of godfatherism in Edo politics.
I heard loud and clear the voice of Adam Jacob Oshiomhole, but saw clearly on television the ruthless hand of Samuel Esau Ogbemudia! The battle lines are drawn.Yes, they are.
GOD, GOD FATHERISM
Many had the defination of God given them by persons with limited or sex up idea about God. Christianity jewish origin points us to a God who takes over other people lands and redistribute is his own. This God we are meant to understand is the creator of all things. But he apparently must have gone to sleep, when mankind started worshipping other Gods.
That erroneous concept of god fatherism is what our own political god fathers are into, the take from whoever and give to their own “children or beloved”. Our own Mr Fix it is a classical example, today Soludu is still been considered PDP flagbearer because he is among the “elect”.
If Adams can stop this spirit in Edo, then we are one god father less, lets pray for more to fall.
We want an Edo State where majority of the people will stop living below the stipulated international poverty line. Governor Oshiomhole should divert his energy towards solving the problems of Edo State instead of being busy making speeches. With good planning and sacrifice on the part of the executive, the people of Edo State can have a better life. Anenih should be left to God. As humans we cannot take the place of God.
Take it or leave it, Anenih is a spent force. Tony Anenih may remain a powerhouse to bootlickers and sycophants like ataga and soludo but to intelligent and discerning minds he is a worn-out fuse.
His days of political robbery is over. The entire citizenry of the south south are tired of him, even God is tired and has discarded him. mark my word!
I wish my dear Edo State good luck. Oshiomhole should remember, that, a well brought up child does not point to an elder if he want to see good old days.
It is a pity the difficulty one stands to get through in tracing who writes what on this opinion sheet. Else, I would have suggested that the immediate past writer be arrested for his careless talk.
If he feeds from Tony Anenih, let him remain and die with him, all his praise as to how Anenih predicted and got positions for Governors and President, how did Anenih and the PDP predictions and manipulation gave Edo any respite. At least we are beinging to see Oshomoles’s beautification, The PDP, neither beautified Edo state, nor improved economically, infrastructurally, or otherwise.
I beg I don tire, God will deny Anenih and that writer any opportunity to come back to reckonning in Edo State.
Chief Tony Anenih, former chairman of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BOT) and the Political Lion of the tribe of Uromi is unarguably, one of the best political prophets to have come from Edo State and indeed Nigeria, in recent times. His political predictions have been known not only to have been so accurate but to have come to pass. One of such prophesies was his accurate predictions in 2003, that there was no vacancy in Aso rock and the South South and recently he predicted that Professor Charles Soludo, will pick the gubernatorial ticket of Anambra State even if it means changing his name from Chief Tony Anenih to Chief Tony ‘Anene’, to support the former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), if he needed his services, he promised to avail his services free of charge. The word of Anenih is gradually coming to pass again in Anambra State politics. He has been able to arm twist the people of Anambra State including Chief Chris Uba and Andy Uba, the self styled Governor-in-waiting of Anambra State to hand over the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP’s) ticket for the 2010 gubernatorial election to Soludo. No wonder, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State threatened to banish him to Anambra State to retire to political oblivion if he, Oshiomhole has his way. A prophet, they say is without honour in his own town because the people knowing him will term him a false or fake prophet. The leader as he is known has fought so many political battles ranging from installing party delegates to Presidents of the nation and some whose elections were annulled, where he earned the title Mr. Fix It, some political associates in the past, has described him as their own political god, who transformed them from a zero level to become political heroes today. A former minister and now a serving Senator once described the face of Anenih as the face of God, he knows and which he will first of all pray to for blessings, when he wakes up from his sleep. The task of returning former President Olusegun Obasanjo to power in 2003 was rested squarely in his arms, teaching PDP leaders how to win elections and set up reconciliation committees later. Obasanjo attempted to retire him prematurely, from politics, when Obasanjo jokingly said that the hair of the leader is all grey now if not for hair dye and should now be referred to as an ‘Elder’ instead of ‘Leader’ as he is fondly called because Obasanjo was interested in becoming the chairman of the party’s BOT, having seen the enormous powers wielded by Anenih, when he Obasanjo, was President and Commander -in- Chief, he then tactically as a greek gift forced the Elder into retirement and pave his own way as the new leader of PDP and chairman of BOT. He told Anenih to move the motion, which will endorse Obasanjo as the new chairman of the BOT, Mr. Fix It, did not take the joke lightly for the humiliation but he was forced to smile because of Baba’s legendary weapons of mss destruction and Stick and carrot, used in cutting opponents to size. Mr. Fix It, who like Obasanjo never forgives a wrong, waited patiently for Obasanjo to quit power before he came back to serve his vengeance cold as he wanted Obasanjo dethroned as chairman from the PDP’ board of trustees.
When Anenih, started the political onslaught against Obasanjo,, so many screaming headlines were flying on the pages of newspapers like “Anenih in Soup” “Anenih in Trouble” but the soft spoken politician, while addressing journalist said he shrugged of such sensational headlines and wondered which political pot is big enough to cook the political cat with nine lives in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa, where he plies his political trade, “No pot is big enough to cook me,” he said.
Presently, Anenih is at daggers drawn with Governor Oshiomhole, with each drawing political blood with their comments, Anenih had described Oshiomhole at a political rally held in Ewatto to admit a former AC candidate to PDP as a vibrating compressor that is blowing without having a cooling effect and Oshiomhole has promised to send Mr. Fix It as he is popularly known into political oblivion and wilderness, where he should spend his last days on earth but is that not wishful thinking? The leader will be wondering if there is any political wilderness big enough to accommodate him as a political landlord that has fought many political battles and he promised that even if it took him days, weeks, months or years, he is going to see to the exit of the comrade-governor. That is not a threat that should be taking lightly considering the accuracy of his political predictions, the Governor is only lucky that we have a President that has regards for rule of law if it was in the dark days of Obasanjo, the mace would have been taken to Uromi and the AC assembly men suspended and 2.00 am impeachment carried out to ease him out. Even if Mr. Fix It is down, he has not been fixed and nobody should jubilate over the premature political retirement of Anenih yet or judge the success of such exercises on the defection of political paper weights, such as the local government chairmen of former PDP executives particularly, the former deputy chairman of his senatorial district as the final nail driven into the Fixer’s political casket as those were the same people that were taking the political decisions with Anenih, they even know his Uromi house more than his immediate family, who rarely visited the house.
Anenih has reacted by withdrawing his political nominees from Oshiomhole’s government, a move similar to withdrawing ambassadors from a country, with severed ties.
The leader promised to retire if Oshiomhole emerged as the Governor of Edo State, through the ballot during the 2007, electioneering campaign, but Oshiomhole, however emerged as the Governor of the State through the judiciary, which restored his stolen mandate, with the two parties then agreeing to burry their political hatchet and work together to see their common enemy Professor Oseremen Osunbor, out of the way. Now that Osunbor is out and the comrade-Governor is seated comfortably, he feels it is time to remind the leader and fixer of his promise to quit the political scene for him to reign as there can never be two kings in a palace according to Governor Alao Akala of Oyo State.
Oshiomhole tested his new found might in the murky political waters of Akoko-Edo Local Government, where he led the AC to victory against the Anenih political PDP machine. He succeed in knocking the PDP engine and won a bye-election, which was held recently and it is time again to remind Mr. Fix It of his promises to quit the political scene for him as the labour leader number is hungry to takeover the soul of Edo State. Where will the leader retire to? Anambra State, Uromi, Edo State to enjoy his political retirement or where? The leader has no option but to fight back savagely to shift the goal post back to the status quo. Will the people allow him, when they meet in the next political WrestleMania, which will be the Local Government election soon? Hmm…, time will tell. Will the leader’s political reign spanning over 30 years now be over? The retirement age for a public officer is 35 years or more, the comrade-governor requires more than sweeping labour reforms and other acts to upstage the leader and finally force him into retirement because since Mr. Fix It left the police force, the only known game he has known ever after, is the dirty game of politics and this, he has played so well.
The two feuding parties should play by the rules and not fight dirty, when two elephants fight, the grass usually suffers. Edo State will be worse off for the many battles that will be fought in the days ahead. The State is yet to settle from the spate of robberies and kidnappings going on in the State, political tension added to those criminal activities, will overheat the polity. The father and son should settle their differences amicably or they should be called to order and let Edo people decide, who will govern then through a free fair and participatory democracy. Enough is enough.