By DADA AYOKHAI
A major fallout of the fresh list of commissioners approved by the Edo state House of Assembly as submitted by the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, is the non-appearance of the names of the former commissioners from the Edo North district.
Tongues have already started wagging in some political circles in the district as to what may have transpired between when the former cabinet was dissolved and reconstituted to warrant the zero failure of any of the ex-commissioners to make the fresh list.
Somehow, it seems that plenty of dirty waters coupled with intense lobbying and political intrigues may have contrived to rub the ex-commissioners of a place in the new cabinet.
Although the dissolution of the old cabinet caught many unaware, coming on the heels of the poor performance of the PDP in the last general elections, pundits predicted the governor would reappoint a few of the ex-commissioners based on their performances in office.
However, the pundits got more than what they bargained. Shock and disbelief trailed the fresh list of commissioners as some of the names touted to return did not make the final cut.
On a comparative basis, a peep into the composition of the fresh list of commissioners shows that the Edo North district was dealt a fatal blow. While none of the ex-commissioners from the district returned, the same cannot be said of the Edo South and Edo Central districts .
For instance, of the six reappointed ex-commissioners, six were from the Edo South senatorial district and one from the Edo Central
The reappointed ex-commissioners are Dr. Joan Osa-Oviawe, the former commissioner of Education; Mr. Isoken Omo, the former commissioner of Physical Planning, Housing, and Regional Development; Mr. Stephen Ehikhioya Idehenren, the former commissioner of Agriculture and Food Security; Mr. Ethan Osaze Uzamere, the former commissioner of Oil and Gas; Mr. Christopher Osaretin Nehikhare, the former commissioner of Information and Communication; and, Mr. Monday Osaigbovo, the former commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
A reliable source who spoke with our reporter on the irksome matter put the blame squarely on the shoulder of the self-acclaimed leader of the PDP in the Edo North
According to the source, the self-acclaimed political leader is the mastermind of what happened to the district and why none of the ex-commissioners was reappointed.
The source further said that the burgeoning ego and the swinging mood of the so-called leader played a prominent role in the quality of advice he gave the governor in the process of the reconstitution of the cabinet
The source insisted that the governor should not be blamed for the fate of the ex-commissioners. Instead, he noted that it was the political game plan of the Edo North PDP leader to jettison merit for political expediency, all in a bid for personal dignity.
