As Okpebholo’s Visit to Uyo Ruffles Feathers in Edo

The recent visit of Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, to Akwa Ibom State, where he met with the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has stirred a wave of political undercurrents in Edo State, Wale Igbintade writes 

The visit by the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, in Akwa Ibom State recently was meant to be an innocuous one, but the political undercurrents have .set tongues wagging.

 Though Okpebholo explained that he was in the state to seek Akpabio’s guidance and learn from his leadership experience, those privy to the details of the visit insist that the governor was in the state to express his profound gratitude for the special role the senate president played in his emergence as governor in the September 21 election.

The governor said: “Seeing the development in Akwa Ibom State, I have come to learn from my leader, seek his advice, and draw from his wealth of experience.”

Akpabio, who was in a buoyant mood when he received the governor at his residence in Uyo, praised him for his self-effacement and resilience and bragged about All Progressives Congess (APC) winning more states in the South-south region. He praised the governor, describing him as a leader chosen by God to transform the state’s history.

The senate president referred to Okpebholo as a man of few words but great action, highlighting his commitment to the welfare of ordinary citizens.

He stated, “Your excellency, every leadership comes from God, and God chooses whom He pleases. It pleases Him at this time to choose you and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to lead the Edo people at a time like this. You are a man of few words but full of action. Edo people have not misplaced their votes in choosing you. You have the heart of the common man, and I am confident that your leadership will bring development and transformation to your state.”

At the dinner he later hosted for the governor at Sheraton Hotel, Ikot Ekpene, the Senate President commended the progress made by Okpebholo’s administration in just one month, emphasising that it has renewed the hope of Edo people and demonstrated the government’s readiness to bring progress to the state. Reflecting on Edo’s significance, he thanked its people for electing the APC candidate.

“Edo State is one of the states in the South-south, and this region is a minority area in Nigeria. There is always a need to connect with the federal government to contribute to nation-building. Most of the resources that have sustained the country for decades come from this area, yet representation at the national level has often been lacking, except during Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency.”

He continued, “Under the APC administration, we realised the need to shift the political balance to ensure our people have a stronger voice at the national level. When I moved to the APC, it was to bring the South-south region closer to the centre of governance.”

Akpabio expressed optimism about APC’s future in the South-south region, predicting that the party would secure more states and drive significant development in the area.

However, Okpebholo’s visit is reverberating differently in Edo State, as many believe that the 2027 political season is unfolding in a rather dramatic way, and setting off discussions about Akpabio’s second term bid as Senate President and a possible challenge from Senator Oshiomhole.

Unknown to many, Senator Akpabio is the main reason Okpebholo is governor today. On February 17, 2024, Dennis Idahosa, a member of the House of Representatives was declared winner of the Edo State APC governorship primary.

Backed by Senator Oshiomhole, Idahosa polled 40,483 votes, beating other candidates. But it was a very controversial nomination process. Although the result was disputed by all other contestants, Idahosa’s main political weakness was that he is from Edo South Senatorial District, the same district the outgoing governor, Godwin Obaseki, comes from. 

And that’s where Akpabio, ever so quick to identify opportunities, came in. The Senate President reckoned that since the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, is from Edo Central, which was favoured by the zoning arrangement, and the APC and Labour Party’s candidates are from Edo South, the chance of the PDP retaining victory was very high. The Senate President reasoned that APC’s chance would be brighter if the party fielded a candidate from Edo Central. But what could be done at this stage since a primary had already been held?

Since President Bola Tinubu was away on a foreign trip, Akpabio rushed to the Presidential Villa to discuss the dilemma with Vice President Kashim Shettima. He briefed the vice president on the need to replace Idahosa with a candidate from Edo Central.

It was believed that the vice president listened attentively to Akpabio but was not willing to go with Akpabio’s recommendation, apparently because he did not want to offend Oshiomhole.

Undaunted, Akpabio then got on the phone and spoke to President Tinubu who was in Ethiopia. He marshalled the merits of replacing Idahosa from Edo South with another candidate from Edo Central because of the zoning arrangement and the fact that Idahosa is from the same zone as the existing governor.

“The president was convinced by Akpabio’s arguments, but on the condition that Akpabio must see to the victory of APC in the election’’, a well-placed source told this writer. 

Akpabio assured the president that he would pull all stops to clinch victory. The president was said to have called the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and instructed him to organise another primary. 

Many believe that Akpabio is concerned with the Edo election because of self-preservation. It is speculated that if Senator Oshiomhole returns to the Senate in 2027, he is likely to challenge Akpabio for the Senate President position.

In Akpabio’s calculation, it was politically expedient to whittle down Oshiomhole’s influence by denying him the opportunity to produce the governor.

APC leaders who attended the dinner Akpabio held for the Edo governor, include a former presidential adviser, Senator Ita Enang; NDDC’s Executive Director of Projects, Mr. Victor Antai; Director of Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Ezekiel Nya-Etok; Director in NNPCL, Mrs. Eunice Thomas, and Minister of State Petroleum (Gas), Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo.

Whether Okpebloho’s trip to Akwa Ibom State was genuinely an innocuous one or to ruffle someone’s feathers will be revealed in the coming months.