AS time approaches for Edo governorship election slated for the second quarter of next year, intrigues and scheming have intensified, especially in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the State that lost out to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, at the Appeal Court after the 2007 general election. Before that election, PDP in Edo State was a united family with Chief Tony Anenih as the leader.

From 1999-2007, the party was in control of all elective seats or positions in the state. Anenih proved to everyone that he knows the politics of the state more than any other person. He also applied his knowledge thus to help the then President of the country, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to secure a second term in office in 2003 against all odds, especially from his running mate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Edo State remained the stronghold of the party until something went wrong prior to the 2007 election.

As usual, President Obasanjo in his vindictive and dictatorial style destroyed Edo PDP in 2007 when he imposed Prof. Osereheimen Osunbor on the party as its governorship candidate against the wishes of majority of the party members in the State. Before then, it was alleged that Anenih and Obasanjo were having political differences over the chairmanship position of the Board of Trustees, BOT, of the party which Obasanjo wanted to occupy permanently at the end of his second term in office as President.

Apparently to get even with Anenih for daring him in this respect, Obasanjo was said to have hijacked the party structure in the state, factionalized it and imposed Osunbor as governorship candidate of the party. But demonstrating that the party belongs to them, party members in the state had strongly turned their back on Osunbor and his godfather Obasanjo during the election.

It was a development that led to Osunbor’s eventual loss of that election, even though INEC, working in collaboration with the Presidency had initially declared him winner. He was later removed from office by the Appeal Court which declared that he did not win the election. That was how the PDP lost grip of the state.

Ahead of the party governorship primaries, many are already jostling for the ticket. Among them are the pretenders and contenders, but only time will tell who among them is acceptable to the people; the one who has the capacity to wrestle power from the incumbent governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and to transform Edo State.

Among those who have already indicated interest in the race for the ticket are Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon, Prof. Osunbor and Major-General Charles Airhiavbere (rtd).

Imansuagbon studied law at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi-Awolowo University of Ile-Ife, Osun State. Upon graduation, he went into private legal practice and was among the first set of lawyers that started practice in Abuja immediately it was made the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, of Nigeria.

As a focused and visionary man with quest for success, he diversified into properties, education and others. And it was not long before he made a success of his new ventures in spite of many challenges. Today, he has more or less become a household name in Nigeria without relying on government patronage.

He is seen by many as a philanthropist par excellence as he has touched the lives of the less-privileged at the grassroot with his various scholarship programmes and donations across the country.

His foray into the murky water of Nigerian politics started with the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, a party he singlehandedly nurtured from the scratch in the state with his hard-earned money before he was shortchanged by the national leadership of the party which handed over the party’s 2007 governorship ticket to Comrade Oshiomhole.

Despite pressures and promises on him to remain in the party after Oshiomhole’s victory, Imansuangbon being a man of honour and principle quit ACN with his followers for the PDP, at a time majority of the PDP members in the State, especially the major stakeholders had abandoned the party because of their loss of the governorship seat to ACN.

Since he joined PDP, he has mobilised and rallied support for the party in the State which resulted into grassroot acceptance for it. Imansuangbon joined hands with Anenih to revive the party in the state and their efforts paid off during the last general election as the party won majority of the seats in Edo Central senatorial zone where he, Anenih and Osunbor come from. He is the youngest among the aspirants and has high integrity and pedigree.

Many people in the State saw his defection to the PDP as a good omen for the party because he is an asset, considering his antecedents in the society. Many believe that in a free and fair primary, he is the man to beat.

Senator Osunbor, on the other hand, was an outstanding academic before Anenih brought him into politics in 1998. He has a first class honour in law from the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus in 1975.

It was within Anenih’s political structure that he cut his political teeth. He represented Edo Central senatorial zone for eight years in the upper chamber before he was imposed on the party as the governorship candidate of the party in 2007, a development that created crisis in the party and caused it the governorship seat in the state.

Many believe that he betrayed Anenih his first godfather and other party members when he aligned with Obasanjo to create crisis in the party in a desperate bid to actualize his governorship ambition in 2007. Since his removal from office as governor by the Court of Appeal in 2008, he is believed to have abandoned the party as nothing was heard from him until now.

At a time, it seemed he went into political oblivion only to resurface to jostle for the party governorship ticket. He is seen by many party members as someone who has benefitted immensely from the party since 1999, but has not given much back. Besides, age seems not to be on his side, as the youths who are in majority in the party are already clamouring for the emergence of a younger and vibrant person that can match Comrade Oshiomhole in all areas in the election. His closeness to Obasanjo and alleged differences with Anenih might be another hurdle for him to cross.

Major-General Airhiavbere retired from the Nigeria Army in July this year and jumped into the governorship race. He has no political structures on ground and has not contributed much to the party. He could be best described as a greenhorn in the game of politics having no record of political activities or engagements before now.

From past experiences, many Nigerians believe that retired army officers or people with military backgrounds do not make good leaders in a democratic setting, because of their dictatorial orientation and training.

Though many believe that he is relying on the sentiments of hailing from the Edo South zone to join the race. But the argument has been punctured by majority of the people who argued that the issue of the zone should not come into consideration, but the best candidate that can wrestle power from Oshiomhole and bring good governance to the people.

Mr. JOHN ALEGEREION, a political analyst, wrote from Auchi, Edo State.