By Simon Ebegbulem

BENIN— The Iyasele of Esan land and chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, is the most powerful living political leader in the present day Edo state.

Anenih

Though, there are other persons of influence in the state such as two- time former governor of the old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia and Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Anenih has created a niche for himself when it comes to the politics of his home state.

He was instrumental to the emergence of former governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion in 1999. He fell out with Igbinedion during the second term of his administration and vowed to wrestle power from him.

His war with Igbinedion factionalized the PDP in the state but he was able to make Prof. Osarhiemen Osunbor governor in 2007.

However, at the moment, the PDP in his native state is in tatters, particularly with the emergence of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as governor, first under the platform of the Action Congress AC, later Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and now, All Progressives Congress, APC, after forging alliance with other parties. It was the infighting in the PDP that provided the cannon fodder for Oshiomhole’s conquest.

From 1999 till date, there is no decision by the PDP in Edo state that will see the light of the day without getting the endorsement of the man known as Mr. Fix it. It is popularly said that though Anenih is from Edo Central senatorial district, that is the Esan area, but he can fix a councillor, who has shown loyalty to his leadership in South and North, the other two senatorial districts in the state hassle-free.

 Oshiomhole’s confession

During the early days of Governor Oshiomhole in office, he buttressed the fact thus: “When I was in the NLC as President, then I use to interact with Anenih a lot because of my fight with the government. I recall that each time our people in Edo wanted to hold a Local Government election, some of my close friends and brothers from Edo North will come and appeal to me to talk to Anenih to either make them chairman or councillor.

“But I use to ask them how can that be possible because the man is not from our side, he is from the Central,  they will tell me that it does not work like that, that without going to Uromi to prostrate you cannot get even the position of a ward leader in your area.

“And I asked them, are you not going to vote, if the leaders of our area decide on candidates, how is he going to change it? They will always lecture me that I do not understand the chief, that without him, nothing will be possible and that I should go and beg on their behalf,” he said.

As a matter of fact, Oshiomhole tested his own bitter pills in the hands of Anenih during his first few months in office when he had to go to Abuja with the state budget to get approval from the ‘leader’.

Oshiomhole was handicapped then because the PDP dominated the state House of Assembly. He had to stoop low to conquer. The father and son relationship went sour after Anenih openly scolded Oshiomhole. The comrade governor went on all-out attack thereafter and succeeded in deposing the PDP leadership in the House.

How he outfoxed Obasanjo

A special uniqueness of Anenih is that he is known to be a long distance runner in politics unlike many politicians, who easily give up when hard times faced them. When he was removed as BoT chair by Obasanjo, he recoiled for a while, strategizing on how to hit back.

Propitiously for him, he got his pound of flesh during the Jonathan presidency when he was assisted by other influential persons   to arm-twist Obasanjo to resign as BoT chairman. He sprang back a second time.

…don’t treat rebels gladly  

He is known to reward loyalty, but hardly forgives when you betray his trust. Today in Edo state, there are people who have suffered politically and are still suffering because they were not loyal.

People like the current Secretary to the Edo State Government,  Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, former governor of the state, Prof. Osarhiemen Osunbor, Senator Domingo Obende, Senator Yisa Braimoh, Senator Ehigie Uzamere, Lucky Igbinedion and many others, had all experienced the angst of Chief Anenih.

Despite the attempt to stop other aspirants from contesting the PDP 2007 governorship primaries against the “anointed” Prof Osunbor at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, Ihonvbere defied Anenih’s instruction by going to the stadium to run for the primaries. Anenih never forgave him, particularly after Ihonvbere hauled over the coals on him for purportedly skewing the primaries in favour of Osunbor.

Though Ihonvbere later worked for the emergence of Osunbor, Anenih made sure that even with Ihonvbere’s influence at the presidential villa, Abuja; he was not made a minister or given any appointment that matched his sacrifice in the party. Ihonvbere’s glaring marginalization in the PDP led to his exit from the party to the APC today.

Apostle of no vacancy

Anenih accused both Osunbor and Igbinedion of forming parallel PDP structures in the state and might not have forgiven them till date. The moment you are not loyal to him as governor of Edo state, the soft- spoken leader would tell you that there is vacancy in Osadebey Avenue, which is the seat of power in the state, but once you are loyal, he will equally tell others that there is no vacancy in Osadebey Avenue.

How Igbiendion survived

Ex-governor, Igbinedion, was able to clinch his second term ticket because he played the game with the ‘leader,’ but moved to the trenches to battle him politically during the tail end of his administration.

How Oshiomhole displaced his structure

But with the coming of Oshiomhole, Anenih can only boast of influence within his PDP in Edo state and not the entire state any more. Oshiomhole, who watched Anenih from afar while he was NLC president, came to dig out the political structure of the ‘leader’ through his war against godfatherism in the state.

Anenih tested defeats in the hands of Oshiomhole in all the elections held since 2007 in the state, but has been able to hold grip on his senatorial district. Though Oshiomhole won his re-election in the entire 18 local government areas of the state, including Anenih’s domain, the PDP leader still has control over the senatorial and House of Representatives seats in Edo Central.

Never- say- die spirit

Anenih may not be finding it cool due to the influence of Oshiomhole in the current politics of the state, but anybody that knows him, recognizes that the leader never gives up. For him, 2016 is just tomorrow and he is unquestionably waiting long-sufferingly and strategizing on how to pay Oshiomhole back by re-installing a PDP governor in the state.

As BOT chairman of the PDP, his influence in national politics is still soaring and sure, he will have the wherewithal to battle the APC in his home state come 2015 and 2016.