By DADA AYOKHAI
Sen Monday Okpevbolo is facing stiff challenges as he continues to form his cabinet, with the issue of marginalization coming to the forefront.
The recent appointment of Hon Gani Audu as the Chief of Staff to the governor has ignited a renewed demand for fairness and equity within the Edo North political scene
Hon Audu, a former chairman of the Etsako West council and the deputy guber candidate to Pastor Osazie Ize Iyamu in the Edo 2020 governorship election hails from Agbede in Etsako west LGA, a region that has consistently dominated political appointments.
Ironically, it was the votes from the Akoko Edo axis that proved crucial in the victory of Sen Okpevbolos over Bar Asue Ighodalo
In response, several advocacy groups have emerged to champion the cause of the Akoko Edos, two of which have prominently criticized the existing sharing formula that disproportionately favours Etsako.
The groups’ grievances are focused on why the Akoko Edo axis continues to be overlooked despite their crucial support for the APC’s success.
“Now that victory has been achieved, the expectation is to share the rewards equitably. Instead, the Akoko Edo axis finds itself excluded, betrayed by the actions of Etsako, who seem more interested in seizing all political spoils and leaving their counterparts with mere scraps.”
A recent meeting in Igarra amongst stakeholders highlighted the discontent with this marginalization, as they expressed not only their support for the Okpevbolo administration but also their dismay at the glaring absence of an Akoko representative in the current appointments.
Rt Hon. Benjamin Olajina espoused the feelings of the Akoko people. He was the Coordinator of the LGA for the APC Governorship Campaign Council.
Olajina said that despite Akoko Edo unparalleled contributions to the sweet victory of the Edo APC, it remains a “pariah”
He emphatically stated, “The people of Akoko Edo are unjustly marginalized in the political framework of Edo North and the entire state. This neglect is completely unacceptable, as Edo North includes Akoko Edo, Owan, and Etsako. However, there is a glaring and dangerous imbalance in political representation and the distribution of benefits.”
“Etsako is monopolizing the majority of appointments, including the senator representing the district. The only minister from Edo State responsible for Regional Development in the federal cabinet is also from Etsako, along with the Chief of Staff to the governor. Meanwhile, Akoko Edo has been left with nothing, despite the significant contributions we made to the APC in the last election.”
In a similar vein, the Movement for the Advancement of the Akoko Edo People (MAAP), led by its National Coordinator, Dr. Bode Ekundayo, laid bare the persistent struggles faced by the Akoko Edo people over the years.
In a powerful statement titled “Etsako’s All-time Heavy Political Wealths and Weights: Is It To Hell Or Heaven With Owan and Akoko Edo,” the group outlined the historical roots of the marginalization of both Owan and Akoko Edo by Etsako.
MAAP condemned the tactics by which the Etsako leadership has sidelined their brothers to monopolize political power.
They assert that Akoko Edo LGA is the oldest and largest in the district even in Edo state.
They lamented that
‘In this new dispensation, Akoko Edo and Owan has no major appointment. Nothing whatsoever. Etsako has again taken them all: Minister: Etsako, Senator: Etsako, APC Leadership: Etsako, and the new Chief of Staff (CoS): Etsako! Yet, they say Afemai is one. Why call them Afemai? Not Afemai, please, shall we henceforth call the zone ‘Afe-theirs’? There is Afe-Etsako , Afe-Owan and Afe-Akoko Edo in Edo North.”
“So, in the entire Owan and Akoko Edo, no one is fit for SSG or CoS? Hon Taiye Akerele, Hon. Johnson Afaghase, Hon. Anselm Agbabi, Dr Tony Aiyejina, cerebral as he is, Mrs Adetutu Owolabi, Hon. Samuel Bello, Hon Oteniete Balogun, to mention but a few, non of them fit these positions? Yet Akoko Edo gave the highest votes of 34,000 to APC?
