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Jubilant residents of Benin.... yesterday
•Massive crowd accompanies governor to mass
• ACN supporters jubilate in Abakaliki
•Why I doubted INEC’s sincerity, by governor
Benin City, the Edo State capital, was yesterday the scene of a huge carnival. Residents and supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) defied the rain to celebrate the victory of the party in Saturday’s governorship poll.
Other parts of the state, especially Auchi, also erupted in jubilation.
The party secretariat on Airport Road was taken over by jubilant supporters who were singing and dancing.
Mr Johnson Okoduwa, one of the ACN supporters, said: “I do not know how to express my happiness. That is why I have chosen to come out, despite this rain, to celebrate.
“It has not been easy since the campaign started and up till now, God has done it for the people of Edo.
“God will not allow Edo to return to the dark days again. Are you not seeing the roads Oshio Baba has done for us?’’
According to him, even a blind man can walk all by himself through the major roads in Benin.
“As an Okada man, I have withdrawn my children from private to public school and the money I’m making is now enough for us to feed,”he added.
Miss Adesuwa Godwin said: “My sister, please allow me to finish dancing before I answer your question.
“You are supposed to be dancing instead of asking us questions. Are you not from Edo? If you are not, please join us to dance. We are all one.”
Some youths tore the banners of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Gen. Charles Arhiavbere.
As they danced round the city, waving broom sticks, part of which they gave to other road users, some of the youths said they collected PDP’s money but did not vote for its candidate.
At Hon. Rasaq Bello-Osagie’s off Jemide Street residence, another crowd of ACN loyalists was jubilating.
The House of Representatives member told our reporter that his party’s landslide victory was an affirmation that Edo people cannot be fooled.
He said: “Edo people have spoken with one voice. They have made it very clear that across the length and breath of the state, the developmental strides of the Comrade Governor cannot be thrown away and their massive vote for him was a thank you for the good work.
“I want to thank the good people of Edo State for supporting democracy and recognising merit. I believe that all the forces that have always subverted the process of free and fair election have collapsed.”
According to Rasaq, the most satisfying thing was the way the masses at the polling centres were sensitive and observant.
He said: “It shows the people were really ready to go the extra mile to make their vote counts and that, to me, is a wake-up call for election riggers. Election should get better across the country.”
Mr. Osazuwa Blessing said she was happy because the opposition did not succeed “in their ploy to rig the election”.
At Arhiavbere’s residence on Boundary Road, the gate was locked. His domestic staff were sober.
All was quiet at the residence of the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, a PDP chief.
Besides those dancing on the street, a massive crowd, including beggars and the physically-challenged , accompanied Oshiomhole and his Deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu, to St. Paul Catholic Church, Benin where a special thanksgiving was held.
The crowd joined Oshiomhole from the Government House to go through major streets dancing and sweeping the PDP away.
At the Kings Square, where Oshiomhole addressed the crowd, he promised to use the renewed mandate to do more.
Oshiomhole said the people spoke with one voice from Edo North through Edo Central to Edo South, adding that “Edo must move forward”.
He said the victory was given by God, adding that that was the reason he had to go to church to thank God.
In his homily, Rev. Peter Oshomah said the number of votes and the crowd that came to the church was an indication that the people really want Oshiomhole.
Rev. Oshomah said: “The challenges of the governor has increased becaue to whom much is given much is expected. The Catholic faithful will continue to pray for him for more wisdom and guidance as he enters his second term. What we are doing here today is thanking God for the gift he has given us in the person of the Comrade Governor.”
A special prayer was offered for Oshiomhole and his deputy.
Auchi residents trooped to the streets in jubilation, dancing and waving ACN’s flag.
Some of the residents stormed beer parlours offering free drinks and food to celebrate what some of them termed as a major milestone in the politics of the state.
ACN’s Deputy Chairman Alhaji Usman Shagadi described the victory as the people’s endorsement of the good work done by the governor.
He said: “I am delighted; Oshiomhole worked for the state and no amount of money could have persuaded the people to vote against him. This is our own way of compensating him for a job well done.”
The member representing Etsako Federal Constituency, Alhaji Abubakar Momoh, said the victory was “a battle well fought”.
He said the victory had put to an end the divisive politics of ethnicity in the state and prayed that the entire country would learn from the Edo election.
Momoh commended INEC for conducting one of the freest elections in the country, saying it should serve as a lesson for politicians to always put the peoples’ interest ahead of any other consideration.
Momoh said: “If every election will be conducted like this, Nigeria will be among the nations where credible elections are conducted.
“This also shows that any political office holder who does not perform will be voted out of office as people are more conscious of the performance of politicians while in office.”
There was spontaneous jubilation in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital yesterday following the declaration of Oshiomhole as the winner of the governorship election.
Members of the ACN in Ebonyi State and members of civil society groups converged at the Mile 50 junction, marching through Mgbukobe, Amike-Abba, Mile 50 road to Mile 4 Hospital. They sang victory songs.
They carried placards with inscriptions like, “Victory at last, Oshiomhole has done it again”, “Congratulation our Comrade Governor”, “Shame to PDP and her rigging machineries”, “ACN remains the people’s choice party” and “ACN will soon sweep away PDP in the Southeast and Southsouth” among others.
The governor, in a post-election interview on the African Independent Television (AIT), explained why he expressed doubt about INEC’s willingness to deliver free and fair poll.
He queried why INEC posted Ismael Igbani, whose past he questioned, to Edo State.
Oshiomhole said: "You should not allow a crime to be committed before you raise alarm. You should raise the alarm to prevent the crime.
"More than two months ago, I wrote to INEC about PDP's plan to make sure that voting materials would not get to Edo South, which has the largest population in Edo State. We had a meeting with Prof. Jega; but he said that we didn't have proof.
"Accreditation of voters started early by 8 a.m. in my village. In Edo Central, materials arrived early and voters were being accredited by 8 a.m. But in Benin City where INEC office is situated, election materials did not arrive at polling units at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 noon. When I asked INEC officials about the reason for the delay, they said that it was due to non-payment of dues to the NYSC ad hoc staff and also that they had problems with logistics.
"When I asked the REC about the issue, he directed me to his superior, Igbani, who is well-known. Igbani told me that he was only in Edo to perform in the capacity of a figurehead. How could an INEC official come to Edo to function as a figurehead during election? When I tried to speak with Jega about this matter, he said he wouldn't talk with any candidate."
When asked why he wanted enquiry into the poor management of the election, despite a landslide victory, Oshiomhole said: " Yes I have won inspite of all these. But note that we have about 1.2 million registered voters in Edo. Only about 600,000 voted."
SOURCE: 16 July 2012.
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