By Osarobo Igbinomwanhia
“Great things happen nationally when topmost leadership is goaded and supported from below”. — John Gardner
That quote from the famous American novelist and literary critic, John Gardner captures the essence of Esan people in Edo Central Senatorial District of Edo State to support their leaders in their bid to get an Edo State Governor of Esan extraction come 2024.
In modern day statecraft, it is trite that a community that lacks leadership must lack clear direction and effective decision making, leading to ineffective use of resources and missed opportunities for growth and development.
Lack of leadership in a community will also result in low levels of community engagement and participation, reduce the pool of ideas and resources available for development initiatives.
I am afraid that reactions trailing the pruning of the governorship aspirants by the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo Central Senatorial District is tending to signify that the party in that district lacks leadership.
However, a cursory look at the events preceeding the pruning exercise revels that the Edo Central Senatorial District leaders of APC had set up a committee to engage their party members in the other Senatorial Districts to cede the 2024 gubernatorial ticket of the party to them. The other Senatorial Districts had urged them to go and prune the list as a way of underscoring their seriousness.
The APC in Edo Central then set up a committee to interface with all the aspirants from the zone and make recommendations to the Senatorial caucus of the party.
The committee met and recommended six aspirants to the Senatorial caucus. They’re Hon. Festus Ebea, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Col. Dr David Imuse, Mr. Victor Eboigbe, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor and Hon. Thomas Okosun.
The caucus met and in their wisdom decided to chose the first three on the list, namely Hon. Festus Ebea, Senator Monday Okpebholo and Col. Dr David Imuse.
However, the decision of the leaders did not go down well with the supporters of the aspirants who did not make the list.
They are flooding the social media with all manner of amorphous list purporting to be emanating from the pruning exercise.
This development is very unhealthy for the much vaunted desire of the Esan people to have an Edo State Governor of Esan extraction in 2024. It is also subtly confirming speculations that some governorship aspirants from Esanland sponsored by some aspirants from other Senatorial Districts to surreptitiously work against the realisation of the governorship bid of Edo Central Senatorial District.
I’ve carefully summarised what awaits a community that lacks leadership and Esan people can not exonerate themselves from the consequences of lack of leadership, unless they retrace their steps and respect the decision of their leaders.
I appeal to those who lost out in the pruning exercise to sheath their sword in the realisation that all of them cannot contest the election as the APC will only present one candidate. They should also realise that whoever emerges the preferred aspirant from Edo Central will have to face other APC aspirants from other Senatorial Districts in the primary election.
For the love of Esanland, those aspirants who did not make the list should rein in their social media handlers to refrain from discrediting the pruning process. Infact, those social media platforms should be brought down.
They should, and must refrain from pouring abusive epithets on their leaders for pruning the list que behind any of thee three that has been selected for now.
Those selected should bring the negotiating skills required of the Governor of a state to bear in convincing the other aspirants to join them in their bid to govern the state. They should reach out to them, convince them why they should pull down their campaign structures and collapse it into their structure which is formidable.
All those who are aspiring to become Governor of Edo State from Edo Central Senatorial District, are all prima facie qualified to be Governor of Edo State. However, only one person will be Governor and he will emerge from either of the political parties.