By DADA AYOKHAI
The race to determine who will represent Edo North in the Senate in 2027 has begun in earnest.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, from the Etsako axis, is the current senator for the Edo North district and has recently been endorsed for a second term.
However, the endorsement has sparked calls for the rotation of power, with the Owan bloc urging the Etsako axis to support their cause in the spirit of justice and fair play.
In response to the endorsement, the Owan Conscience Group, a socio-cultural and political organisation composed of Owan sons and daughters from the two local government areas of Owan East and Owan West, has expressed strong opposition to the purported endorsement of Sen Oshiomhole for another term and has, therefore, called for a power shift.
The Owans occupy two of the six local government areas that comprise the Edo North district.
In a press statement issued in Benin by the group’s chairman, Barrister Richard Ofen-Imu, the group distanced itself from the endorsement of Sen Oshiomhole for a second term, affirming further that it is the Owan nation’s turn to take over the senatorial seat in 2027.
According to them, the Etsako axis has dominated the district’s senatorial seat to the detriment of the Owan and Akoko Edo axes, which together form the essential tripod of the Edo North clan.
Sen Adams Oshiomhole is a former governor of Edo State, having served two terms of eight years.
The group stated, “We read in the media recently that the Edo North caucus of the All Progressives Congress has endorsed Comrade Adams Oshiomole, the senator representing the Edo North district in the Senate, for a second term. The so-called endorsement was said to have taken place at a meeting of the APC leaders in the country home of the senator at Iyamho
“We wish to make it abundantly clear and without any iota of doubt that the Owan nation completely disassociates itself from the unjust and insensitive endorsement. The Edo North district, otherwise known as the Afemai, is made up of three sub-ethnic groups, namely Akoko Edo, Owan and Etsako. None of the three is superior to the other. These groups should naturally share political positions that may be allocated to the area as an entity.”
“We thank the revered elders of Edo North, the Rt. Hon. Col. Tunde Akogun (KSC), Senator Yisa Braimoh, Senator Victor Oyofo, and High Chief Raymond Dokpesi (of blessed memory) who vociferously canvassed a rotation of the senatorial seat to Owan in order of rotation precedent”
Other prominent leaders of the Owan nation include Chief Richard Ehimigbai, Dr. Victor Amu, Mrs. Sabina Idowu-Osehobo, Chief Patrick Agbebaku, Princess Yinka Alufohai, and Comrade Mike Igaga.
They also warned the Edo North APC against taking any actions that could threaten the delicate peace in the district, stressing that Edo North is not solely about Etsako.
: By 2027, the Etsako axis will have held the senatorial ticket for the zone for an uninterrupted period of 31 years.
In contrast, both the Owan and Akoko Edo regions have only held this position for four years each.
This discrepancy may explain the agitation for a power shift by the other groups within the Edo North district as a whole.
In its statement, the group highlighted this unfair and unjust distribution of power.
Bar Ofen-Imu subtly referenced the skewed power distribution, stating, “It is important to note that the Minister of Regional Development, Hon. Abubakar Momoh, is from Etsako, as is the immediate past Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba. Also, a former Ambassador is from Etsako, and the current nominee for the same ambassadorial position is also from Etsako. These are just a few of the positions that have been allocated to Etsako.”
Bar Ofen-Imu further reiterated that elective political offices among the various ethnic or sub-ethnic groups are a key aspect of democracy.
He also asserted that it is time to award the Owan nation the district’s senatorial ticket in 2027, having previously served only four years from 2007 to 2011.
He also called on the various political parties, particularly the APC, to allocate the senatorial ticket to the Owan nation in the interest of equity and fairness and urged APC leaders not to disregard the sentiments of the people.
