Timothy Omobude 
In about 48 hours to the Governorship election holding on Saturday, 21 September, 2024 in Edo State, Charles Idahosa a.k.a ‘Charlie Tempo’ has queried the rationale behind the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Godwin Obaseki’s raising of alarms.
“What has changed? Why is Obaseki and the PDP shouting blue murder? He has accused all the institutions; the police and INEC of being against him.”
Idahosa who left the APC with Obaseki in 2020 to the PDP and had been a close ally and supporter but now back to the APC; stated this Wednesday, 18 September, 2024 in Benin while reacting to run up of events to the Governorship election on Saturday.
It has become traditional that in the past 16 years, elections in Edo have been won by the opposition including the Governor Obaseki’s in 2020, Idahosa noted.
Saying that Obaseki for the first time is facing election on his own, Idahosa pointed out that the Governor abandoned all the leaders and supporters who brought him to power; and that is what he is suffering.
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“90 percent of the leaders who followed him from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP have left him and that is what you gain as a serial betrayal.”
He said Obaseki has fought the system, almost everybody including the very revered Benin throne “so, I don’t like the situation he goes on the television and shouts Federal might; there is nothing like Federal might.”
Idahosa termed what the Governor is going through ahead of the Saturday Governorship election as “self inflicted” because he erroneously thought he was now a master.
“Obaseki is just like an apprentice tailor who is being taught how to cut a piece of clothing and measure; he now assumes he has arrived and gives himself a big name of ‘fashion designer’.
Saying that a child must go through the phases of sitting, crawling, standing, and walking before attempting to run, he stated; “when you run when you have not mastered the act of crawling and standing you fall! That is exactly what has happened to Obaseki.
Adding; that “Godwin Obaseki will go out of his comfort zone and will be looking for a problem when there is none!”
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Going on a memory lane, he recalled a former Inspector General of Police arrested all known cultists and killers in Edo State to Abuja and after profiling and investigation, they were returned to the State, and charged to court for trial.
But the State Government went to declare a ‘nonli prosecu’ which means; (we are not interested in prosecuting these people) and they were all freed, Idahosa said.
“They are all back to the streets; amongst them are the people the police are looking for now. So you want the police to bring them to the State again so that you go and put a nonli? So that the police will not know who killed inspector Akor?”
He described the actions of the Governor as diversionary tactics and should not be taken seriously.
“What I am saying in essence is that they should allow the police to do their job.”
Idahosa appeals to the police to do a thorough job on the murder of inspector Akor.
“I am appealing that the police should do a thorough investigation; find out what happened at the airport; how the policeman lost his life and they should do the needful.”
As he tackles the Governor for what he termed; the use of inflammatory and intimidating language; ‘it is a do or die’, ‘it is a decision of life and death’ adding that it does not add up any value in the election process.
“A situation we have been winning from the opposition and suddenly one is suggesting he is being intimidated; does not hold water.”
According to him; Governor Obaseki is seeing the implications of ingratitude to the people who stood by him.
“Politics is a leadership game; the leaders give directive but when you think you are smarter than everyone, this is what you get!”
Reacting to a question, Idahosa said the PDP cannot win the election because the Governor has made so many enemies.
“It is the way you make your bed, so you lie on it. Oshiomhole sent Obaseki to me and I took it upon myself to deliver him.
“I knew what I went through, I knew how many friendships were broken; friendship of 30, 40 years because of him and today you think you know more than everyone and you don’t know anything!
“You are an amateur; you have surrounded yourself with people who are telling you just what you want to hear.
“We never give you freedom; you go celebrate freedom yourself and look at where you have found yourself”, Idahosa quipped.
Noting that the umpire; INEC has been doing a good job, Idahosa urged; “I just felt the election is Saturday, everyone should try as much as possible to do what is right, we should not give in to blackmail or intimidation!
Going into the election on Saturday, the seasoned politician urged Edo voters to be focused and concentrate on the issues as they are; assuring that all will go well.
He added that the election will not only be peaceful, but will be free, fair and credible. So they should turn out enmass to go vote for the candidate of their choice.
