With the woeful performance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, Governor Godwin Obaseki has taken to the streets to solicit votes as his party’s popularity wanes. The battle for the soul of the Edo State House of Assembly has become fierce, pitting two political heavyweights against each other: Governor Obaseki of the PDP and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Both are campaigning vigorously to secure enough votes for their parties to control the 24‑member Assembly. Since the governorship election will not be held until 2024, it is crucial for Obaseki to win a majority of Assembly seats to avert any impeachment move.
The governor’s party failed to win any National Assembly seats or deliver Edo State to the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the February 25 elections. Consequently, Obaseki knows he must double his efforts to obtain a majority in the state Assembly—a prospect that looks unlikely given the recent voting pattern: the APC dominated Edo North and Edo Central, the Labour Party held sway in Edo South, and the PDP finished a distant third in the presidential poll. Nonetheless, the state PDP, led by the governor, is working to reverse the situation. The lukewarm attitude of the Legacy Group, headed by PDP Vice‑Chairman South‑South Dan Orbih, may have contributed to the party’s poor showing. This week is therefore critical for Obaseki and his faction.
Obaseki has taken his campaign to markets and streets, urging traders and residents to vote for his party in the March 18 election, arguing that such support will enable continued development of the state. While some traders greeted him with chants for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi at the Uwelu spare‑parts market, he eventually secured an audience after tensions eased. In other markets his reception was more favorable, a promising sign for PDP candidates on March 18.
Meanwhile, Oshiomhole’s emergence as the Edo North Senator has galvanized the APC, which had previously performed poorly as the main opposition in the state. After defeating Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu—who hails from the same local government area as the former APC national leader—in the February 25 election, Oshiomhole relocated to Benin City, where he continued campaigning at markets and open spaces. Wherever he went, enthusiastic crowds chanted his name, drawn by his energetic rhetoric.
The contest is further inflamed by lingering acrimony from the exclusion of 14 APC members from the Assembly in 2019 and the fallout between the governor and Oshiomhole, which led the APC to deny Obaseki a second‑term ticket. Obaseki defected to the PDP to pursue his second term, and both camps are now exchanging sharp words. Crusoe Osagie, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media Projects, accused Oshiomhole of plotting to oust Obaseki through impeachment and expressed confidence that Edo people would again defend the governor at the polls, voting massively for the PDP and securing a PDP‑controlled House. “Obaseki has never placed his confidence in any man or godfather. He has placed his confidence in God and the people,” Osagie said.
In contrast, Victor Oshioke, Oshiomhole’s chief media aide, portrayed Obaseki as a “corrosive politician” who has ruled Edo State like “Herod,” insensitive to the aspirations of the electorate. He noted that on February 25, 2023, Edo voters rejected the PDP in the presidential, Senate, and House of Representatives polls, resulting in the PDP’s first failure to win any national‑assembly seats since 1999. Oshioke warned that the March 18 election would be the final nail in the coffin of “impunity, hatred, insecurity, maladministration, destruction of private properties, economic retrogression, infrastructural decay and disrespect for traditional institutions” that he attributes to Obaseki’s two tenures. He called on Edo people to vote for APC candidates to restore “true democracy.”
The Labour Party (LP) also sees the Assembly election as pivotal. Its presidential standard‑bearer, Peter Obi, visited Edo State on Saturday to rally support for LP candidates, who performed well in Edo South during the February 25 election. Obi urged supporters to remain resilient despite his loss, emphasizing the need for a “paradigm shift” toward a prosperous Nigeria and encouraging votes for all LP House candidates. State LP chairman Kelly Ogbaloi denied rumors of a PDP‑LP alliance, calling such reports “mere rumor.” Obi added, “We have begun the journey of a new Nigeria. The movement is real, and nobody can stop it. We will continue to vote for the Labour Party.”
Amid the high‑powered politicking, the Edo State chapter of civil‑society organisations called on voters to elect credible candidates to the House of Assembly and resist any attempts to impose candidates. Speaking for the group, Marxist activist Kola Edokpayi described the March 18 election as a contest between the oppressed people of Edo and those in power who have enacted anti‑people policies. He warned against governance by “King Pharaoh, Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Idi Amin,” urging a robust Assembly that truly represents Edo’s populace rather than serving as a rubber‑stamp for the executive. Edokpayi appealed to security agencies to protect lives and property and cautioned that any manipulation of the vote would be resisted.
It is striking that the governor is now battling hard to win back the very voters who supported him overwhelmingly almost three years ago. What is certain is that the fight for the soul of the Edo State House of Assembly will go down to the wire.
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