Gov Obaseki: A two-term victor over Ize-Iyamu, The inside story

By Eben Enasco reporting from Benin City

No one genuinely wants to suffer defeat twice with the same results in absolute contests.

Quite often, the trauma of the experience is magnified owing to the all-possessing and
preoccupying nature of life and time expended.

But Governor Godwin Obaseki, created history in the polity of Edo State, having put two in quick succession, past helpless Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in Both 2016, and 2020, State Gubernatorial Elections.

First, it was in All Progressive Congress, APC, where Obaseki emerged the candidate of the Party and won the election.

The Edo State gubernatorial election was held on 28 September 2016, to determine the Governor
of the State.

The election was originally scheduled for 10 September, however two days before, on 8 September it was postponed due to security concerns.

Professor Kayode Shoremeken, who was the Edo State returning officer, INEC, declared that, APC candidate, Godwin Obaseki polled 319, 483 votes to defeat the Candidate of the People Democratic Party, PDP, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who Polled, 253,173 Votes.

Four years later, Obaseki secured 307,955 of the total votes against,223, 619 votes Polled by the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Pastor Ize-Iyamu.

By estimations, 84,336 more votes separated the ‘Victor’, Obaseki and the ‘Loser’, Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu with the difference in margins for a two times defeat in Four years.

Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu was seen by many before the election as more Politically Superior with
nobody amongst the Political class giving Obaseki a chance but Faith.

With two clear cut defeats in the trot for the Governor, Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu would have been condemned to the pulpit in his new abode to recover from the maximum crush from the incumbent Governor.

However, while his supporters self-assured at a point that they were going to win the contest in court like Uzodima, A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja dismissed the alleged certificate forgery suit filed against governor Obaseki which further placed vulnerability within them.

In his judgement, Justice Ahmed Mohammed held that the plaintiffs relied on the photocopied document presented by Governor Obaseki without getting in touch with the university to verify the authenticity of the said certificate.

Recall that, Governor Godwin Obaseki contested and won the governorship election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, in a bid to extend his stay in office by another four years.

But the Victory was later contested in court by the APC and Edobor who filed a suit alleging that Governor Obaseki presented a forged certificate to seek re-election in the Edo State governorship election held on September 19, 2021.

The context that political defeat at the poll was experienced capturing the essence of their feelings was like phases of death.

They have lost with anger, sadness, and now they have come to accept that a defeat is Liberal.

The only thing different is that they do not have to walk into a funeral home, peek into the box and say, ‘Well, Obaseki is a Superior guy.’”

The analogy to death is meant to focus on the enormous regrets occasioned by the loss.

For all of them who fought and contested the Victory in Court, Political resurrection is not entirely.

Although they have socialized into this subculture, they should become convinced that they would become better at doing what they are supposed to do by Congratulating the Governor for defeating the head and the root.