Tony Erah’s misinformed Incitations Against Edo Central
By Aiyidubie Igbinoba
We have watched in utter consternation how the public space has recently been inaudated with misinformed and infantile vituperative misgivings of one Tony Erah over the upcoming Edo 2024 Governorship election.
It is no longer news to any discerning mind, except Tony Erah who is not capable of understanding that the next governor of Edo state is favoured to come from the Edo Central senatorial district of the state by all state actors with a view to continue to foster the existing good neighborliness and peaceful coexistence for which the entire Edo State is known.
Edo like other states has three senatorial districts and it is on good record that no particular district of our great Edo State or other state for that matter is actually capable of winning Governorship election single handedly without the collaboration of other two districts and this synergy of symbiotic relationship has been the order of our elections since the advent of our democratic dispensation.
It is disheartening to know that there are still people in this era of time like Erah, who do not understand; because he refused to grow up to know that nothing is given but fought for in politics even though he tried futilely to disguise his actual disgusting intentions of his disdain for the Esan race by illogically trying to weave his hatred around Monday Okpebholo ‘s aspiration, which of course he has constitutional rights to aspire for.
No discerning mind can be deceived by Erah’s thinly veiled illogical diatribe that tends to cry more than the bereaved, but which loudly screamed his actual disgusting jaundiced hatred for the Esan race in his needless and repugnant outburst on the civilized interview on Arise Television by Ohonbamu.
No one is left in doubt as to what Tony Erah’s true misinformed intentions are when he asked in his first outburst against Esan people if Ohunbanmu ” isn’t aware that there happened recently a crowded gathering of leaders and members of Edo Central APC, under Chief Musa Shehu Isiwele, an Edo Central APC stalwart, who called on Prince Agba (PCA), the immediate past Minister for Budget and National Planning, to run for the same position, hence they resolved to vote him enmasse”?
From the above statement, Tony Erha successfully exposed his only clandestine moves which is to garner support for the dwindling profile of his paymaster who pays his transport fares from Abuja every time he is stranded in his incessant sojourn in vain and unrewarding pursuit of bootlicking endeavours in Abuja.
Let no Esan politician or anybody for that matter be misled to believe that Tony Erha is fighting any imposition of any candidate. He is struggling to sustain his meal ticket which comes from Clem Agba each time exploits of this nature is done in furtherance of massaging the ego of his paymaster.
You will recall that when Agba was the Minister of Finance and Budgeting, Tony Erha relocated like a house boy of sort to Abuja to be close enough to pick from the spoil of the Minister’s table and has suddenly fully relocated back to Benin as the tenure of the Minister elapses.
One would be tempted to ask me to address the real issue and leave Tony Erha alone as far as this matter is concerned but come to think of it really, there is no matter here other than Tony Erha is a selfish individual who is a persona non grata as far as this Edo 2024 election is concerned. He is an enemy of Edo State who is only interested in what comes into his pocket through the benevolent dispositions of Agba.
If he feels the yearning of the Esan people to have a stint in governance after 24 years is “metaphoric” but that power should immediately go back to Agba from Edo North, then something fundamental is wrong with his precepts.
Why should it be Clem Agba if at all he doesn’t see anything wrong with his cocoon like illogicality standing on its nose.? Why not Azemhen Azena or any other person from Edo North. What makes Clem Agba the next of kin that must inherit the “family patrimonial” legacy? Is it because of the regular largesee from the benevolent benefactor? Tony Erha should supply us with answers.
To me as a Bini person, Erha is an enemy of Edo state who doesn’t desire the peaceful coexistence of the inhabitants of the three senatorial districts. Edo state operates a tripod of an unwritten agreement which allows each district to produce a governor at a time following a rotational patern and it is only normal that Edo Central at this time is appealing to the consciences of opinion moulders to allow the Central produce the next governor and this appeal is resonating well as there is almost a concsensus in that direction.
Every society is blessed with people who come in their generation with solutions to the problems of that generation and they play their parts to help their generation and through their words or actions that generation is advanced. So also the society have their fair share of renegades whose actions like bulls in china shop destroys inherited legacies and put their societies backwards.
If the likes of the former governor of Edo state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole who did brilliantly well as two term governor of Edo state and now a Senator at the upper Chambers and so many other notable personalities from the other districts outside of Edo Central see the wisdom in supporting Edo Central to produce the next governor but one Musa Shehu Isiwele, an alleged motor boy is agitating against the wise counsel of learned individuals in the state, it only goes to show the beauty of democracy where every one has his right to expression which the likes of Tony Erha tries futilely to suppress while Ohunbanmu tries to exercise his.
Few days ago, the Edo North Senatorial District Elders Forum of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) affirmed their belief in the principle of zoning/rotation of the Office of Governor as enshrined in the 1999 PDP Constitution (as amended).
This was disclosed in a communique issued at the forum’s meeting held on Sunday, 19th November, at the residence of Chief (Dr) Mike Oghiadomhe, former Deputy Governor of Edo State to examine the current political dynamics in the state with particular reference to the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State.
The forum noted with concern the seeming tension arising from the 2024 Edo governorship election and appealed to all stakeholders across the three senatorial districts for calm.
If all these well meaning Edo elder statesmen, opinion moulders and other notable politicians all agreed and are canvassing for the rotational symmetry that has engendered peace, stability and harmony in our state, but Only backward, lowbrow bumpkins are hung up on sentiment to de-legitimize valid criticism that they can’t confront with the force of intellect, then non should take Tony Erha and his Isiwele any more serious as Erha has not been able to defend his position with evidence, logic and reason, but only futilely attempted to launch unprovoked ad hominem verbal assaults on Senator Monday Okpebholo, aka Akpakomiza and Honourable Unhumbamu and on the entire Esan people.
That we are what we think can deeply be accentuated by gleaning a little from Ehra’s background and his community. From what I gather about his penchant for personal gratification, his self acclaimed activism begins and ends in his self gratifications hence he hasn’t been able to attract attention to his village but only to himself hence his village, Orhua in Uhumwode local government till this moment has no access road, no electricity and lack other social amenities and other dividends of democracy because they are converted to stomach infrastructure by individuals like Tony Erha.
Like the dilemma of a ghost, who is neither here nor there, Tony Erha speaks Esan language and says he is Bini. This is the kind of divide and rule politics that has stifled development in our state which so much solicit stomach infrastructure well above the encouragement of developing institutions and public services that benefit the generality.