The September 19 gubernatorial election in Edo State has come and gone, won and lost, according to the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The win is as exciting to the winners as the loss is heart-wrenching to the losers.
The winner of the Edo gubernatorial tussle, Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 307,955 votes to defeat his main challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 223,619 votes.
Mr Obaseki had defected to the PDP from the APC when he was disqualified from participating in the APC governorship primary election over alleged irregularities in his academic qualifications. Many saw his disqualification as high-handed, wondering why the party that gave him the platform to contest in 2016 would deny him the same platform barely four years later.
His disqualification, which paved the way for the emergence of Mr Ize- Iyamu as the candidate of the APC, was, however, largely interpreted as a strategy for Adams Oshiomhole, former national chairperson of the APC, to take his own pound of flesh from Mr Obaseki following their seeming irreconcilable political differences.
Mr Obaseki became the candidate of the APC in the 2016 governorship election and eventually governor of Edo State largely as a result of the efforts of Mr Oshiomhole. Along the line, Messrs Oshiomhole and Obaseki fell apart for whatever reasons.
Expectedly, the PDP has been jubilating over its victory while the APC is crying foul, alleging irregularities in the election which saw Mr Obaseki defeating Mr Ize-Iyamu in 13 of the 18 local government areas of the state.
Meanwhile, the INEC, police and other stakeholders concerned have been hailed for conducting a significantly hitch-free election in the South-south state.
As usual, while the winners – Mr Obaseki, the PDP and their supporters – have started counting their blessings, the losers are mourning their loss in their closets.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
