By DADA AYOKHAI
Politically speaking, Edo State prides itself as a two-party state, and once the Edo electorates “adopt” either of the two, there is no looking back.
As the 2023 general elections approach, signs of a gradual shift in political alignments are beginning to emerge even as the two major political parties in Edo State, the PDP and the APC, continue to exert greater political control, albeit pending the time the third force finally takes shape.
Strange as it seems, there is a major political tsunami sweeping across the nation’s political landscape. Most Nigerians are dissatisfied with the two dominant political parties and are looking for a third force that can dramatically change their fortunes as well as provide a stiff challenge to the status quo. Today, the APC and the PDP are both facing existential threats.
At the sub national level, similar disruptions are being encountered. In Edo State, with, the NATIONAL RESCUE MOVEMENT, (NRM), leading the change mantra.
Out of the blues, the NRM has metamorphosed into a force that cannot be shoved aside in the contestation for political power. Even the masses who are tired of the directionless state of the polity and eagerly yearned for a clean break with the past, have found solace in the emerging political ideology of the NRM
Though relatively new to the political firmament in Edo State, the NRM, a child of necessity, has become a vehicle of hope to many Edo citizens who see the party and its ideology of the pursuit of an egalitarian society as a breadth of fresh air and a clear “break from the old order”.
Mr. OBANOR Imaren has been spine behind the rising profile of the NRM. The party has not just caused a ” scar” in the politics of Edo State, it is even viewed as a “disruptor”.
Obanor’s charm and aura has helped in many ways to endear the NRM to the people. In a relatively short period of time, the number of those who teamed up with the party to swell its ranks is giving the APC and the ruling PDP a nightmare.
Obanor Imaren who is jostling for the Edo South senatorial seat on the platform of the NRM has been a good brand ambassador for the party.
Because of the believability in his messages and the fact that the people regard him as a ” talk na do” politician, the NRM has been able to penetrate other senatorial districts of the state, with the party gaining traction and ascendancy each passing day
Looking at both the ideology of the party and the towering caliber of those who have recently joined its rank, including mostly the youths and women, it is obvious the NRM is set to pull a major political upset in the coming elections.
All this groundswell of support for the NRM owes largely to the tenacity of OBANOR IMAREN and some like minds who came together to create a special political vehicle to liberate the people from political bondage and poverty in the hands of vicious rulers who have “cornered” the commonwealth.
According to Obanor, “the NRM is a party imbued with the passion to serve the people as well as to utilise the commonwealth in a way that promotes egalitarianism.”
No doubt, the NRM, as its name implies, is on a rescue mission.
