Hajara Momoh, Major Casualty of APC's Edo North Rally
By: Dada Ayokhai
The Edo North APC rally, held in Auchi the political capital of the zone, may be counted as a huge success despite the odds stacked against it.
The Auchi rally was meant to readmit defectors from the PDP who have decided to rejoin the ruling APC in the state.
In the words of the APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, "The rally was meant to reunite some of the founding members of the party who went on sabbatical and have decided to return to where they truly belong".
To the non Edolites and the apolitical, however, the Auchi rally was just like any other political rally. But to the warring APC factions in Edo State, the rally portends something of greater significance _a war in which a winner and loser must emerge.
Severally, the state governor and other top ranking officials have spoken out strongly against any form of political rally in the state. They even went further by issuing warnings to Comrade Oshiomole and his supporters, stating they would not tolerate such rallies.
Governor Godwin Obaseki and his special adviser on political matters separately issued strong warnings to the effect that the state government will not tolerate or spare anyone who flouts it's "no rally" stance and vowed to deal decisively with those who flout the order.
In particular, the state governor gave marching orders to council chairmen and charged them to deal with anybody who dares to flout the "no rally order", irrespective of his or her status in the party.
Like in any war, of this nature, there are winners, losers, casualties and refugees.
Comrade Oshiomole and his supporters are winners. The failure of the rally to hold, considering it took place in his backyard, would have been a difficult pill to swallow. It simply would have gone down as a technical defeat for him.
The fallout of the rally's failure to hold would have been disastrous politically for the national chairman and his followers. For example, newspaper headlines the day after the rally would have been negative and probing. Similarly, his blood pressure would have been affected. But he can afford to relax, pop champagne and mock the other side because the Auchi rally was a huge success.
Former Etsako West council chairman, Hon Yakubu Oshiorenua,aka yakson, will also receive a victory medal. Though he may have been deposed from his exalted post owing to intra party squabbles, Hon Oshiorenua proved his mettle. Despite all his political troubles, his sagacity and talent as a mobiliser left no one in doubt. Indeed, he showed that Auchi was at his beck and call and thus, lent credence to the popular axiom that power resides in the people and not at the Council secretariat
Still another winner was Hon Abubakar Momoh. Like Comrade Oshiomole, it would have been an abomination for a defection ceremony slated in his political backyard and in which he was expectedly the arrowhead to flop. The rally's success will surely remain ever green in Hon Momoh's memory
The casualties of the Auchi rally include those who almost got heart attack over its success and those who have some explanations to make to the governor and his deputy.
[Etsako West council chairman and his deputy are casualties. The duo will either squat or be on bended knees, depending on the mood of their principals as they try to explain how they allowed a rally that was not supposed to hold.
[However, the major casualty is Hajara Momoh. The local business woman was simply doing what she knows best- rentals. Her mistake is that she did not factor in the risk of doing business with politicians. Some of her canopies and truck conveying chairs and canopies to the rally venue was set ablaze.
Unfortunately, the culprits,who are supposed to be the refugees, and also be cooling their heels in detention while awaiting arraignment are walking freely in town whilst the police looks elsewhere.
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