IduwiniVoice Editorial.

As March 18, the date for the re-scheduled governorship and state assembly elections draws near, there is palpable apprehension in the air all over the country. States where Labour Party, (LP) and the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) recorded tremendous success at the presidential and National Assembly elections are all in heightened political atmosphere, with the major political parties holding their breaths in their hands.

The anxiety, which is based on the possibility of a repeat of LP and NNPP’s feat at the February 25 presidential polls, has thrown the major parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, into a panic mood.

Sunday Vanguard went to town and observed that should the voting pattern witnessed at the presidential polls play out next Saturday, the outcome may not be favourable to the leading parties and their candidates.

However, banking on its February 25 performance, the vexation of the alleged rigging and the explicit directive by the face of the movement and party, His Excellency, Peter Gregory Obi for his party men to vote LP candidates across board, LP is optimistic on having an eventful outing, come March 18.

Though the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, lost the election, he won majority of votes in 12 states including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and all southern PDP home states. The LP, powered by the Obidient Movement, is aiming to win at least 12 or more governorship seats to prove that indeed their party won the presidential elections, come March 18.

Sen. Bola Tinubu of APC was declared winner of the presidential elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on March 1, 2023, with a 8.79 million vote counts. Obi came third with 6.1 million votes behind Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who polled 6.9 million as the runner-up, has since challenged the election results in court, alleging voter manipulation, suppression, disenfranchisement and rigging.

Mere Euphoria.

The former Anambra State governor, who was taunted as social media president, with many including Atiku, Tinubu and Kwankwaso believing that he had no structure to win a local government area outside his Anambra state, however, proved critics wrong and shook the entire electoral space across the country.

The states LP won Abia, Anambra, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, FCT, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba states have since seen a boost in the electoral value of their various governorship candidates across the country.

Obi’s win in Delta State, the home state of the PDP vice-presidential candidate, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, who is the incumbent governor, was spectacular.

The Labour Party also won six (6) senatorial seats and thirty-four (34) in the House of Representatives, HoR, making it the third most popular party in the 10th National Assembly.

Anxiety

The Obidient shockwaves have since swollen across the nation, distorting all political calculations in buildup to the 2023 general elections.

Expectedly, the LP presidential result has provided a springboard for the governorship candidates on its platform, with Obidients assuring them of another victory.

In a chat with Sunday Vanguard, National Legal Adviser of LP, Akingbade Oyelekan, said the party would repeat the feat of February 25 on March 18.

“I want to emphatically say that LP is taking Lagos on March 18, 2023. I want to let you know that what LP scored in Lagos was more than one million despite the harassment and intimidation.

“We are not targeting Lagos alone. The entire South-East is already in our bag. Rivers State is in our pocket. We have also made inroads into North Central. I’m talking about Benue, Plateau, and Nassarawa. We will also win Taraba, Bornu and Kaduna states.’’ he said.

This have generated a lot of fears in some state chapters of APC and PDP over the growing popularity of the Obidient Movement.

LAGOS:

For instance, in Lagos, the LP governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has seen his popularity grow beyond expectation. From a distant third position in the ranking, he has emerged as one of the frontrunners. The LP candidate is believed to be banking on the massive popularity of Obidient Movement in the state.

This latest dynamics appear to have made APC leadership embark on massive campaigns across strategic areas. As part of strategies to gain confidence, Governor Sanwo-Olu has set machinery in motion to interact with Igbo and other tribes.

The governor’s meeting with an amalgamation of Igbo traders across 58 major markets in the state is clearly a last minute kick to woe more voters. He also interacted with others at the popular Computer Market.

By now, it is no longer news that, the Igbos and non-yorubas in Lagos constitutes a strategic voting bloc, capable of determining the direction of the electoral pendulum, come March 18.

However, both the governor and the state chapter of APC has expressed confident of victory.

The party’s spokesperson, Sola Oladejo, said APC isn’t perturbed by Afenifere’s endorsement of Rhodes-Viviour, saying Sanwo-Olu boasts of landmark achievements capable of earning him victory.

“Lagosians will at the polls massively reject a candidate known not to identify with his purported heritage and needed historians to weave together some tales by moonlight to sell him to a people he cannot even speak their language.

At this time and age, it’s not sufficient to make the exploits of his progenitors his selling points to administer the fifth largest economy in Africa.” Sola said.

EDO:

In Edo where Obi also won the presidential election, both PDP and APC are unsettled by LP’s popularity. Though governorship election won’t take place in the state, House of Assembly poll would be held across the local government areas. Apart from the presidential elections, the LP won two of the seven House of Representatives seats and one senate position. Two NASS elections are billed to hold along side the state legislature election this Saturday.

Though PDP’s poor outing was largely attributed to the crisis between Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Dan Orbih-led faction, LP is now a household name in Edo. Both the APC and PDP are in a panic over a likely repeat of the presidential election outing by the LP.

RIVERS:

Like Edo, LP and its candidates are popular. Their popularity dwarfs the image of Governor Nyesom Wike, who was largely accused of rigging the presidential election in favour of APC.

The Wike-led faction of PDP seems threatened by the acceptability of LP in the state, which may have informed the controversial endorsement of its candidate, Siminalayi Fubara, by a section of LP.

The state chairman of LP, Deinye Pepple, had backed Fubara, leading to her suspension by the party leadership. The state executive committee was consequently dissolved with veteran movie star, Hilda Dokubo, reportedly appointed state chairman of the party. At the moment, there is confusion in Rivers LP over who it’s backing. Despite the crisis rocking the party, LP national leadership has called on Rivers residents to vote for its governorship candidate, Mrs Beatrice Itubo, to prove a point.

He said: “Let us prove a point. Rivers is Obidient. It will be easier for us to prove that we won the state in the presidential election.

“Do not be deceived by the PDAPC’s ploy that you should vote for them. It’s a ploy to make regaining our mandate more difficult. A vote for our governor is a vote for our mandate as represented by Peter Obi.”

Regardless of the situation, LP is set to give the PDP and APC a good run in the governorship and state assembly polls.

ANAMBRA:

In Anambra, Sunday Vanguard observed that the voting pattern would remain the same. People seem to be more determined to vote for LP, especially given what they described as the “stealing of Obi’s mandate.”

Apart from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, the incumbent’s party, APC and PDP were thrown into confusion by Obi’s outing at the presidential polls.

But Governor Chukwuma Soludo appears upbeat ahead of the exercise, saying Anambra people would elect APGA candidates.

Soludo also described the call by Obi for the electorate in Anambra to vote for candidates of LP as a landmine for him.

Obi had, during a meeting with LP House of Assembly candidates in Awka, said their winning would not pose any danger for the Anambra governor, assuring that they would work with him for the progress of the state.

Reacting to Obi’s call, Soludo, through his Press Secretary, Mr Christian Aburime, said the call was deceptive and inappropriate, adding that it would amount to laying landmines for the governor.

DELTA:

Delta State has seen the most dramatic of all the ‘Obidients Fever’ as both the APC and the PDP governorship candidates have openly proclaimed that they are ‘Obidient’.

Videos of the LP governorship candidate and some men tearing off Obi’s face from billboards and banners consisting of Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege and Peter Obi’s faces.

The PDP governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori have also been seen declaring that he is “Obidiently Sheriffied” in widely circulated video clips.

The PDP house of assembly candidate for Ika Northeast and daughter of incumbent governor Ifeanyi Okowa, has also been seen pleading with youths to vote for her, acknowledging that, she’s aware of the widespread disaffection and dismay across the state. She declared that she’s Obidient too.

There have also been reports of the governor and his appointed delegates growing around the state to disburse money to market women, civil servants, et al.

The season is rife, the atmosphere is charged, but can the Obidients repeat their outing in the presidential elections? Or the ‘mighty two’ have mastered the Obidients winning streak and will outmaneuver this raging formidable third-force?

Your comments please.