By Zibiri Mohammed
The former Governor of Edo State and the incoming Senator of Edo North Senatorial District, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has dismantled and crumbled the hitherto existing PDP Stronghold in Anwain and Jagbe clans in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
In a well marshalled electioneering campaign tour Tuesday, the former Governor led other APC candidates in the forthcoming general election to the area in a move that totally crumbled all the arrangements PDP had put in place to get sizeable amount of votes from the area politically referred as club 3.
In a two prong approach, Comrade Oshiomhole, his team of candidates and other APC stalwarts met with the traditional rulers in the various communities in both clans before meeting with the mammoth crowd of APC supporters, community leaders, women and youths that enthusiastically thronged the rally venues in all the communities the campaign berthed in the two wards of Anwain and Jagbe.
At the palace of His Royal Highness, Zaiki Idogiere, the Enojie of Ewora, where the campaign team met with the Community Heads of the various communities in Anwain clan, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole reminded the Traditional Rulers of how his love for Anwain people necessitated his approval for the need to reconstruct Anwain road. He explained that before he left office at the expiration of his tenure, he ensured that the survey, design, mobilization of funds and the award of the road construction project were done which was the reason Obaseki was able to flag off the road barely two months on assumption of office as the Governor.
He however lamented the extent of work and the poor quality of the job done so far. According to him, “You know me, you know the roads I constructed. Check the quality and compare with what they are doing in Anwain Road which has also taken more that 6years to get to as little as what they have done.” He maintained that the incumbent government departed from his vision and plans for Anwain and that is why the Government has virtually abandoned the road particularly since the Governor and his people defected ingloriously to PDP.
Comrade Oshiomhole therefore asked the Traditional Rulers to support and vote for APC candidates including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in order to return Anwain Clan to the path of development, growth and prosperity.
Also speaking at the palace, Ambassador Sunday Anamero Dekeri, APC candidate for House of Representatives, solicited the support of Anwain clan by voting for all APC candidates. He stated that he was shocked when he discovered recently, during his Award of Scholarship to Etsako Students, that there is no functional Secondary School in Anwain. He therefore promised that with him as Member of the National Assembly, representing Etsako Federal Constituency, all hands would be on deck to restore all that may have been lost by Anwain in the current dark days of PDP in the State. Anamero added that he has observed that Obaseki deviated from the plans to empower Anwain people in Agriculture. He therefore promised to re-awaken the dream by providing empowerment for the people to engage in Agricultural businesses.
For Hussein Lecky, he told the Traditional Rulers to see him as one who will utilize all available opportunities and complement the efforts of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Ambassador Sunday Anamero Dekeri as Senator and Reps. Member respectively to bring the desired dividends of democracy to the people of Anwain
The message of the trio was not different at the Royal Palace of Idegun, the Headquarters of Ward 8, Anwain Clan, where His Royal Highness, Zaiki Muftau Oare received Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and other candidates as true Ambassadors of Anwain clan. Zaiki Muftau Oare traced the genesis of the reconstruction of Anwain road to the meeting he and other Anwain Traditional Rulers conveyed with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole while the latter was still the Governor of Edo State where he accepted the need to reconstruct the road and actually commenced the process to do same. He noted that he does not have any doubt that Comrade Oshiomhole would certainly continue the development of Anwain from where he stopped. He therefore prayed fervently for the electoral victory of Comrade Oshiomhole and other APC candidates including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Anamero Dekeri and Hussein Lecky.
The campaign ground at Idegun was also agog as the people came out massively to listen to the message of Renewed Hope and the euphoria of Comrade Oshiomhole’s presence electrified the entire campaign arena and spread like a wild fire that was visible in the entire Anwain and Jagbe clans .
At the palace of His Royal Highness F. P. Ejekhine, the Traditional Ruler of Jagbe, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole explained to the people that it is sad that the development of Edo State literally stopped as soon as he left office. According to him, “…as a governor, I engaged in infrastructural development including but not limited to road construction. I had expected that the current government would continue from where I stopped which would have included the construction of Jagbe Road.” Continuing, the incoming Senator stated that one of the major reasons he is going to Senate is to continue the infrastructural development he started.
In a related development, Hon Gani Audu has proven to be firmly in control of the political structure of ward 7 and Agbede clan as the huge crowd of supporters that welcomed the APC campaign train was extremely massive . Speaking at the rally held at Agbede Palace ground, Hon Gani Audu noted that he would continue to mobilize the people of Agbede to vote for APC and ensure that the ward turns out votes for APC that would be higher than Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s ward.
Party stalwarts who accompanied APC candidates on the campaign train were Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, Edo State Deputy Chairman, Chief AbdulGaniyu Lawani ( De Jagaban), DG Edo North Senatorial Campaign, Hon Joseph Uguoke, DG Anamero Dekeri Campaign Organization, Mr Hussein Lecky, Etsako West Const.2, Assembly candidate, Barr. Kassim Otono, Hon Gani Audu, former Edo State Deputy Governorship Candidates, Hon Saheed Oshiomhole and Hon Aremiyau Mbakwe. Others are Hon Kingsley Ugabi, Barr. Ahmed Waziri, Prince Akeem Zibiri, Chief Frank Omon Arewa, FCA and a host of others.