YAKUBU – FIT AND PROPER FOR SENATOR SEAT

By Austin Isikhuemen

The Edo Central Senatorial seat became vacant as a result of the resignation of former Senator, now His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on becoming Edo State Governor on November 12, 2024, in line with the statute. Edo Central, since then, has not had any representation in the upper chamber of the national assembly. INEC has since announced the timelines for the election to choose a new senator to take that position and give Esanland a voice at the table of national discourse, oversight and resource allocation.

It is crucial that the right person be chosen, not just to fill the political gap, but to represent the people of Edo Central visibly and vigorously with a view of defending the homeland, ensuring that Esan is not shortchanged by personal interest or a lack of altruistic capacity, in addition to contributing to the national objective of sound law making for the common good. Such a senator has to be one that considers the common good above personal aggrandizement. He must not be overwhelmed by rabble rousers that say all the beautiful things in senate plenary but does the opposite back home!

Such a one has to have demonstrated capacity and concern for the masses. He should have credible records of performance that are unassailable and known to market women, farmers, hunters, artisans across Esanland. He/she must have demonstrable accessibility to the high and mighty as well as the hoi polloi of whom the generality would be sure to have access and a listening ear which senatorial power and influence can not foreclose.

We desire a candidate who must be free of pride and prejudice and, though not expected to be a saint, should not have massive unsightly skeletons in his cupboard. He must be seen to have used electoral funds or public finances for purpose they are meant for without any hunhun and haha about past deployment of such resources – someone we can vouch for in terms of integrity. In local parlance, someone you can go to “alamhonka” for, and swear without fear! Evidence of investments in Esanland and provision of employment for Esan youth should also be an advantage.

As we await the primaries, people are currently weighing their options of who should be chosen to run this race and possibly go on and win, INEC allowing a free, fair and credible race, and go on to represent Esan as a Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of whom we would all be proud. APC seem to have settled for Hon. Dr. Joseph Ikpea, considering what we hear on the streets. Chief Leemon Ikpea’s financial war chest is rumoured to be a key factor in swaying a lot of party faithful in that likely outcome of the APC primaries. A fait accompli of sorts!

PDP is a different kettle of fish. There are certain factors at play and in play in juggling the ball in the coming primaries. There are many great candidates such as Hon. Sergius Ogun who flew our flag high in the 9th House of Representatives where he became so much sought after by the national TV networks for his views on burning national issues. He chaired a critical committee and got quite a few revolutionary legislations to his name and his brilliance was never in doubt. Significantly and historically too, he adhered totally, without any grumbling, to the Ebakota doctrine and never made half-hearted nor genuine attempts at third term considered anathema in Esanland.

There is Prince Joe Okojie, a very visible player in the last gubernatorial race for the government house which AiO2 and PDP claim to have won resoundingly and is still at litigation at the Appeal Court stage. The debonair Uromi Prince was with Dr. Asue Ighodalo at home and in the diaspora to ginger voters and sway the doubtful to vote the PDP ticket. His home was the base where the campaign train stopped during the State campaign tour to Esan North East. Some point to his massive financial war chest and argue that such is a sine qua non for a win considering the deployment they saw from the other party the last time around! His opponents aver that his loss of his ward may be a dampening factor in their enthusiasm. Time will tell.

Then there is Hon. John Yakubu. Former LGA chairman of Esan North East LGA and former Gubernatorial running mate to Pastor Ize-Iyamu on the PDP ticket. His supporters point to his stellar performance as LGA Chairman who resisted overtures to share the peoples’ money for which he was considered stubborn in some quarters. That he was the best among the eighteen LGA Chairmen across the state was not in doubt. Such was his performance that the then Governor wooed him to defect with promise of goodies. He refused to dump his party that gave him the mandate.

When the governor was shown one of Yakubu’s superlative projects among several others like many reconstructed roads – the housing Estate for Supervisory Councilors that he built solely from IGR and statutory allocations – the governor begged him the more as he was the ONLY Chairman across the state that had such a gigantic project executed. Yakubu refused. He told the governor that he was going to send an invitation shortly for him to come and declare the project open so that the Councilors and Chairman can move in officially. To punish him for repudiating the entreaties to defect, the entire eighteen LGA leaderships were unilaterally dissolved and caretaker committees appointed. This was in spite of their tenures expirations just being less than two months away!

In the next scheduled Local Government election after the unelected appointees had held sway for a long interegnum, Hon. Yakubu is said to have won, to the consternation of some forces, who went on to cancel the outcome. A second was done and Yakubu dusted his opponents once again. The cancelation was repeated, under flimsy, laughable rationale! Then as the forces that wanted Yakubu to lose amassed near Eguare Primary School collation centre and it became impossible to guarantee safety of participants, a decision was taken to move the collation to the quadrangle inside Uromi Divisional Police Station. Collation was still on here when “results” of the same election were announced in Benin City, about 120km away, and Yakubu was declared “loser” and swearing in of the so-called winners took place by 9 am the next day in Benin City! This part of our history must not be forgotten! The people’s love for Yakubu has never waned. His era is still considered the glory days of Esan North East Local Government administration!

There are other runners in the quest to get the PDP ticket in the imminent Edo Central Senatorial bye-elections scheduled for 2025 to fill the vacant seat. Such includes Rt. Hon. Friday Itulah, a former two-time member of the Edo house of Assembly, two-time member of the Federal House of Representatives and, currently, an adviser to the APC Speaker of the House.

When primaries approach, in civilized democracies, opinion molders, political leaders and public affairs commentators with courage of conviction, publicly endorse candidates of their choice. They state their raison detre, and show their choice’s compatibility with the public interest and service delivery. In our clime, different motives are read, mostly disingenuously, into such endorsement. Enmity is sometimes engendered as a result, by some contestants who are not so endorsed. They feel, wrongly, sometimes pedantically, that their non-endorsement is tantamount to humiliation. This is not the case. Choice is being made among those who are all mostly eminently qualified in the search for the very best at the critical time.

Such contestants conveniently forget that in a primary, one candidate must come out victorious, and thereafter, everyone is expected to rally round the flag-bearer and work to realize victory for their political party. It is this fear that some will regard them as “enemies” that make people keep to their chest, their choice of excellent candidates awaiting such primaries. Such attitudes deny the generality of party members the opportunity for guidance and provision of information that facilitate their choice of a better candidate and ultimately, the engendering of a better polity and development outcomes.

I choose to openly endorse who, among the very good candidates in this imminent Edo Central senatorial, stands, in my considered view, a better chance of victory and service delivery to our beloved senatorial district, at this time. I consider political pedigree, honourable service in the past, integrity and edge in taking decisions that may not favour some potentates but are in the interest of the people. I also have listened to the loud whispers in the streets of Esanland and assessed general cross-kingdoms acceptability, popularity and winnability considerations. Who are some of the opposition party members saying could make them vote against their own party should he be the candidate of the PDP due to previous performance, approachability and humble disposition?

On these grounds and well-considered viewpoints and who the cap fits today in this crucial senatorial primary in the PDP, I unequivocally, and without any reservations whatsoever, endorse Honourable John Ehibhatiomhan Yakubu. I call on others to so endorse and vote to ensure he wins the primary soon and go on to win the election and represent us in the upper chamber of the national assembly where his voice can never be suppressed nor bought. Let those who feel otherwise endorse their own, giving reasons as I have done, to enrich the debate and enlighten the people for a better choice this time around.

*Uromi, 1st May (Workers’Day) 2025