By Isaac Asabor
Barrister Dele Igbinedion, a lawyer, an activist and a resident in Edo State who daily witnesses the plight of the people, is an aspirant who seek to run on the platform of the Labor Party (LP) in the upcoming gubernatorial election in the State. As gathered, his candidacy was prompted by the need to take Edo back from the worsening socioeconomic conditions of his people across the 18 local government areas in the State. Aptly, put the unprecedented state of affairs in Edo has spurred his interest in running to become the governor of the State.
Igbinedion who says he wants to transform the prevailing style of governance in the state to a people-oriented governance, and use its resources wisely to spur economic growth, said, “I got into this race because Edo needs a reset so that we can address the challenges it faces. He added, “As governor, I will bring a perspective that our state lacks having been living and working in the state since I started practicing law, unlike some other candidates that reside either in Abuja or in Lagos only to come home primarily one in every four years for the purpose of electioneering.
Given the fact that not a few political observers and Edolites; both at home and in the diaspora are disgruntled with the state of affairs in the state, Igbinedion’s aspiration to become the next governor of Edo could not have been pragmatic at a better political dispensation than now as the people are unarguably unhappy about the level of trickery been perpetrated by some Abuja-based and Lagos-based politicians who do not reside in the State but only visit home for political expediencies, particularly ahead of an election or during election to the detriment of the people.
In fact, most Edolites are also not happy about the way the youths have become toys for the deceitful political class to play with. Without any iota of exaggeration, the youths have become so frustrated, and they are beginning to realize that there is no hope in the government under the leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki. Given the foregoing appalling social economic situation that has been impeding good governance in the state, it is congratulatory that Igbinedion has thrown his hat into the ring to change the retrogressive ways and manners in which Edo is been governed. As he once said at a media parley with yours sincerely, “I am here to change the narrative of governance and to challenge the youths not to be relaxed about this, particularly as they are being trampled upon and have their collective destiny truncated. In fact, it is time for them to take their destinies in their own hands by massively voting for me to become the next governor.”
“Imagine youths been cuckolded during electioneering to cause violence somewhere, which is the height of human degradation. I was also motivated to contest in the upcoming election because I want to fix all sectors of Edo’s economy that have over the years been mismanaged with arrays of opportunity been bungled.”
Without any smidgeon of embroidery in this milieu, Edo State has come such a long way that it must not be allowed to be governed by naïve and clueless leaders any more so that it will not continue to lose its pace-setter status. Thus, among the array of gubernatorial aspirants that have so far thrown their hats into the ring ahead of the upcoming election, Igbinedion should be voted for as he is poised to handle the affairs of the State, and unarguably as he stands to be a forward-looking manager to be trusted. I opinionate this with all sense of responsibility and seriousness that Edolites should not in any way be carried away by promises been made by others in the race. The need to take back Edo State from the jackals is expedient as a dispassionate retrospection and introspection of the State would reveal that it has over the years been under the management of political plunderers. Given the appalling situation, it is not out of place for any aggrieved Edolite to stand on the rooftop and scream, “Enough is enough!” But we are not lawless, so the only way to go about it is to give Igbinedion the opportunity to become the governor of Edo State.
In fact, the situation Edo is at the moment faced with, and which is no doubt stifling its developmental stride in all ramifications is an aide-mémoire that finds expression in the celebrated author of Things Fall Apart, late Chinua Achebe’s magnum opus titled, “The Trouble with Nigeria” wherein he wrote about the critical role of leadership in nation building. In the book, Achebe correctly proposed that deficient leadership was the challenge of the Nigerian nation. Thus, expressing one’s view about Edo State from the perspective of the theme of the book, it is convenient to opine that by his reckoning that if the electorates get it right by voting for Igbinedion in the next gubernatorial election that everything else in the State would fall into place.
In other words, poverty, political crisis, underdevelopment, social malaise and other upheavals that have befallen Edo would recede once Igbinedion is voted for as he knows how it would be done when he becomes the governor of the State, come the next political dispensation. In fact, the need to take back Edo from the hands of bad leaders is beyond which ethnic group, which religion or which party any of the aspirants is affiliated to.
Recall that that he was a former member of the Edo State House of assembly, where he represented the Orhionmwon East Constituency in the House of Assembly. While in the House, he was the Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Industry. He was also the Chairman, Board of Directors of the government owned Edo Broadcasting Service, EBS, even as he has also functioned as the legal adviser and consultant to the Edo State House of Assembly, Secretary, and Law Review Committee of Edo State
Currently, Hon. Dele Igbinedion is a lawyer in private practice where he specializes in Human Rights Enforcement and litigation. He has successfully handled several high-profile cases, which has changed the way government relates to the rights and welfare of the people.
In fact, the need to make reference to Achebe’s book in this context cannot be farfetched as it reminds us of how bad things have become in the State, particularly when looked at from the perspective of the fact that the landscape across the entire 18 local government areas emblematically mirrors the hue of bungling been perpetrated by the ongoing administration.
Again, if we look at the history of Edo State in particular, we can prove the validity of Achebe’s well thought-out theory. For instance at the time Samuel Ogbemudia of blessed memory, when he was the governor of Edo State, the people enjoyed economic and social empowerment. The state also enjoyed unprecedented nationwide acclaim. Yet when his successors took occupancy of Osadebey Avenue, particularly by the incumbent governor and his team, the State dipped in fame and fortune, even as the land and its people dipped further in fame and in fortune.
We must discern some pattern at play here: it is the quality of a leader which determines the rise or fall of a society. So, no matter how richly endowed a society is, how it utilizes such resources would be determined by the vision, or lack of it, of its leaders. At this juncture, permit me to opine that Igbinedion is determined, has the vision and every virtues and leadership handiness that are needed to restore Edo to its due glory.
Therefore, as Edo State prepares to bid goodbye to Governor Obaseki who has failed in steering the Ship of State to developmental trajectory, the electorate must seriously work on getting a progressive and development-minded person, who is invariably Igbinedion, to succeed him. We must be careful not to vote a governor that will replicate the momentum of retrogressive governance been witnessed today.
There is no denying the fact that not a few calculating observers point to only one man in the race, who is invariably Igbinedion, who they believe can not only succeed Obaseki but also can raise the state to a far higher level.
You may be wondering why this writer is always rooting for Igbinedion’s candidacy. The motivation behind his support cannot be farfetched as there is no doubt that if Edo State has such a man standing on the trivet of personal integrity, sound educational credentials and unspotted record in public office, the state will be assured of a steward who can be trusted to deliver not only the dividends of democracy but also the benefits of the great resources of Edo state. He cannot be expected to be deficient intellectually, managerially, and politically. For a leader to be successful he must possess these qualities. They are the tools he would need to grasp with the challenges of running a complex and highly mobile state like Edo. Otherwise he would be at a loss when critical challenges emerge as Edo state strives not only to recover lost grounds but also to surpass what the previous leaders achieved.
