Columnist: Comrade Oshiomhole and his Achilles’ heel

TRACKING_____THE 2020 Edo State Gubernatorial Election came last Saturday and the winner was known the following day, Sunday.

Incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki who defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the main opposition party, Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) garnered a total of 307,955 to defeat his closest rival, Pastor Osagie IzeIyamu of the APC, who was formerly in PDP. Ize-Iyamu scored a total of 223,619 votes.

The major actor in Edo 2020 was Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, former president of Nigeria Labour Congress, immediate past governor of Edo State, immediate past national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the estranged political godfather of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

What is the Achilles’ heel of Comrade Oshiomhole? It is apposite to look into the meaning of Achilles’ heel and what later happened to Achilles before juxtaposing them with our focus. According to Wikipedia, an Achilles’ heel is ‘a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can lead to downfall.

While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.’

In Greek mythology, when Achilles was a baby, it was foretold that he would die young.

To prevent this, his mother Thetis took Achilles to the River Styx, which was supposed to offer powers of invulnerability, and dipped his body into the water; however, as the mother held Achilles, her son by the heel, his heel was not immersed in the water of the river.

Achilles grew up to be a man of war who survived many great battles.

Much later in the Trojan War, Achilles was said to have died from a wound to his heel, ankle or torso (which was not washed over by the magical river) caused by a poisoned arrow. Who is Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole?

He was the irrepressible chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress between 1999 and 2007. Born on April 4, 1952 in Iyamho, Edo State, he had a very humble background.

He was employed by Arewa Textiles Company, Kaduna from where he started his trade unionism.

He was appointed the General Secretary of the over 75,000 members’ National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria in 1982.

A low point of his trade unionism career came when he lost his job as general secretary and had to try his hands on menial jobs.

He later bounced back. Oshiomhole was elected President of the Nigeria Labour Congress in 1999 and left in 2007 to contest election under the platform of the Action Congress as Governor of Edo State.

He spent two terms of four years each in office before handing over to a political underdog, Godwin Obaseki who was the head of his economic team against the wishes of prominent politicians.

After leaving office, Oshiomhole emerged on June 23, 2018 as the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives’ Congress at the party’s national convention.

Not long after becoming the national chairman of APC, cracks started to emerge from his home state.

His political godson, Governor Obaseki started revolting and in a strange twist of events, Oshiomhole was suspended from APC by his ward and much later by his local government.

The 18 local government chairmen of APC in Edo State subsequently passed a vote of no confidence in him.

The efforts of his faction to nullify and void the suspension proved abortive. The faction loyal to Oshiomhole also suspended Governor Obaseki from APC.

The Nigerian judiciary was brought in.

An FCT High Court upheld the suspension and declared Oshiomhole as being unfit to continue in office as APC national chairman having been suspended by his ward, local government and state arms of his party.

Paradoxically, a Federal High Court sitting in Kano gave a counter-judgment on March 5, 2020. However, a Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on June 16, 2020 affirmed his suspension.

Oshiomhole completely lost out when the entire national executive committee of the party was dissolved. Governor Obaseki was curiously disqualified by APC screening committee from contesting.

He ran to PDP, which waived its normal conditions and accepted him as a member, and also gave him the platform to contest despite some bickering.

Thus Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu formerly of PDP moved to APC while Governor Godwin Obaseki formerly of APC moved over to PDP for their political fortunes. Of course, the gladiators proved that in Nigeria, political foes can become political friends and vice versa.

This is a sore part of our polity. Indeed, credibility and ideology are lacking in our political system.

The campaign was acrimonious and many bookmakers predicted that the election was not only going to be rancorous but would also be marred by irregularities, ballot snatching, rigging of votes, mayhem and other associated issues the nation’s electoral process had been contending with.

The two major political parties, APC and PDP battled for the soul of Edo State.

Oshiomhole had thought that his clout could deliver the state to his new political son having fought and won many battles.

His party believed so as other party leaders queued behind the former governor and their former national chairman, albeit along the battle, some party leaders betrayed him. Oshiomhole led the campaign train to every nook and cranny of Edo State.

He was the main issue.

On the other hand, PDP leaders led by the vintage and garrulous Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike of Rivers State rallied round the embattled Governor (Obaseki) and promised to retain the state for PDP.

Oshiomhole was accused of arrogance, encouraging political godfatherism, annihilation of political opponents, crude sense of judgment and other political offences.

As a political lion, Oshiomhole promised to consume his political lizards.

It was, therefore clear to most political analysts that the gubernatorial contest was between Oshiomhole and Obaseki.

This was Adams Oshiomhole’s Achilles’ heel, who had won many battles only to be consumed by his battle with Obaseki.

When the final announcement was made, Obaseki led his closest rival, Ize-Iyamu with 84,336 votes.

Thus, the political godfatherism of Oshiomhole was extinguished, at least for now.

The political invincibility of Oshiomhole was destroyed as his political heel was poisoned by forces loyal to his erstwhile political son.

The reverses the political godfather of Edo State, Oshiomhole suffered were akin to what befell Igbinedion and Tony Anenih.

According to Offor and Eze (2018) in IMTIJOTAS (IMT International Journal of the Arts and Sciences), Volume 3, No. 1, ‘Godfatherism is an evil building block for corruption, bad governance, political instability, retrogression, under development, mediocrity and perpetual poverty of the people.’

In most cases, godsons dance to the tune of their godfathers before and shortly after election.

However, upon consolidation of power, godsons turn against their godfathers; thus the evil machinations of godfatherism become apparent.

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We had seen this played out in Anambra State, Lagos State, Imo State, Akwa Ibom State, among others.

The nation must eschew political godfatherism like the plague as its consequences are too grave for the country’s evolving democracy.

We cannot continue with a political culture that would not guarantee transparency, popularity, level playing ground, free and credible elections.

With Oshiomhole’s Achilles’ heel, it is hoped that other political godfathers would see the handwriting on the wall and learn to quit the stage when the ovation is loudest.

Has Oshiomhole learnt his lessons? Only time would tell as Nigerian politicians are incurable optimists and capable of springing surprises. For now, Obaseki’s poisoned arrow has dealt a catastrophe on the political heel of Oshiomhole.