IT is now apparent that Governor Adams Oshiomhole's achievements are not worth much in the burgeoning politicking that presages the July 14 governorship election in Edo State. Otherwise, he would not be running helter-skelter shopping for and procuring black market endorsements with public funds at the detriment of our collective patrimony.
Before the commencement of campaigns for the forthcoming governorship poll, Oshiomhole had, in his characteristic swagger, declared that his achievements would campaign for him. He had even waxed figurative when he said the caterpillars and/or tractors would bear testimony of the construction work he has done.
He had carried on with a strut that had tended to convince innocent watchers of the political development in Edo State that the governorship election would be a one-horse race: between Oshiomhole and Oshiomhole. But all these, like a pack of cards, have collapsed in the face of the Comrade-Governor. It would not have been so if he had run Edo State on the platforms of equity, transparency and accountability.
Whereas, Oshiomhole was heralded by an eminent journalist and son of Edo State, Nosa Igiebor, in his seminal opinion in Tell of June 13, 2005 entitled: "After Igbinedion, What Next?" After assessing the capacities of those jostling to succeed Igbinedion, Igiebor had posited thus: "But there is one non- aspirant whose formidable credentials would make him an effective governor. Adams Oshiomhole, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress and an illustrious ambassador of the state. I do not know if the 'people's president' has any political ambition, and I do not have his mandate to make a case for his candidacy. Nonetheless, Oshiomhole as governor of Edo State is an eminently sensible and attractive proposition, and one that every Edo indigene should seriously consider.
"He has served well and he continues to serve Nigeria well. Presently, he would be needed to serve his people. As a social activist and the most outstanding labour leader since Pa Michael Imoudu, his antecedents are well known. And he commands a deep moral authority that would always impel him to stand with and fight for the people. Even more significantly, his status and reputation earned through hard work and an unshakeable belief in the nobility of defending the interests of the people transcends ethnic, religious and social divide.
"There is another compelling reason why his governorship would be hugely beneficial-the need to arrest the state's spiral into a state of relative backwardness in the past two decades. He can certainly provide the kind of leadership suffused with a vision and an acute sense of purpose that has made Duke and a few other governors successful.
Furthermore, his connections locally and globally and his demonstrable ability to bond with people from all social strata and communicate and mobilize effectively would help to attract serious investors and investments to the state. And this is most important: He would not abuse his mandate and betray the trust of the people as many politicians do today".
The Igiebor proposition was informed by the non-
performance of the Lucky Igbinedion administration, which was in the saddle from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007. As far back as June 2005, Igiebor had, understandably, reached a number of conclusions. Read him: "Many Edo people dismiss the Igbinedion government as an embarrassing failure while not a few put it down as a monumental tragedy for the state. Such assessments may seem very harsh but they are grounded on the fact that there are very little concrete achievements the government can boast of in six years...". He had also declared: "By 2007, Edo State would have had eight wasted years of lack of any discernible development, and it would be at the most critical juncture of its evolution as a state. By then, it could no longer afford the luxury of having a governor who would be hostage to his own interest and that of a select group".
Igiebor was very right about his assessment of the Igbinedion years. It is on record that as governor, Igbinedion did so little for the state in terms of infrastructure development. But time has proved Igiebor wrong on his prophetic proposition(s) about an Oshiomhole governorship.
This is the misfortune of investing so much hope and trust in leadership that ends up disappointingly. This is the tragedy of governance in Edo. It has become a culture of monumental waste, misappropriation and sheer maladministration.
Mr. JOHN AINOFENOKHAI, a political analyst, wrote from Anambra State.
Vanguard Nigeria