Expectedly, lack of civility among politicians resurfaced during on-going governorship campaigns in Edo state as two political gladiators: Comrade Adams Oshiomhole Mrs. Betsy Obaseki took on each other on issues unrelated to the campaigns. KEHINDE OSASONA gives more insight.
As usual, the perception that political culture in the country has sunk to crude levels came to the fore when the use of gutter language reigned supreme at the Edo state governorship campaign grounds.
The two principal characters in the latest ‘pig fight’ was former Governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and the 1st Lady, Betsy Obaseki.
While the former is rooting for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, the latter is solidly behind the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and her spouse and incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is rooting for Engr. Asue Ighodalo to be the next governor of the state.
The truth is that virtually all the political parties and their followers, globally, are guilty of name-calling.
Oshiomole, Betsy fight
Now if the Oshiomole and Betsy tango which has kept tongues wagging is anything to go by, then politicians cannot be taken by their words.
The ‘You are childless’ remarks made by the former governor against Betsy, which triggered the latest brick-back has generated so much fuss that many Nigerians have taken the governor turned lawmaker to the cleaners.
In the same vein, some others have blamed the 1st lady for intruding in the affairs of other contestants by trying to mock them, having portrayed Ighodalo as the only ‘responsible’ candidate because he has a wife.
Reports have it that the Candidate of Labour Party (LP), Barr. Olumide Akpata, got married about two years ago, others this medium learnt are not married.
However, further findings revealed that there could be more to Betsy Obaseki’s statement than meet the eyes.
While countering Betsy in the video uploaded by Television Continental (TVC), on its X handle, the Edo North Senator said he was merely reacting to a statement in which she allegedly claimed that the APC Candidate, Monday Okpebholo, does not have a wife.
In the video, Oshiomhole set the record straight, saying Okpebholo was married with two children.
He insisted that the governor and his wife refused to adopt any child because they do not love children.
Oshiomole added: “I was shocked yesterday to see Mrs. Obaseki, the 1st Lady, saying that our candidate has no wife. She is the most, I’m sorry that she has to say that, because here is a woman who has no child. Between him and Obaseki, they have no child, they are childless.
“They are even not ready to adopt. I mean, I don’t blame anybody should not have a child. But people who have love for children, they go to motherless home and adopt children.
“They have not adopted; they are both in their 60s. So, you married, I don’t know whether it’s a contract or whatever it is, but they have no child.”
Earlier, during the PDP’s campaign flag-off at the Ubiaja Township Stadium in Esan South-East Local Government Area, the 1st lady had introduced wife of the PDP candidate, Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, to the crowd, emphasising the importance of having a woman in the Government House.
“Let us vote for the best candidate in this coming election, and I want to introduce the wife. Incidentally, among all the candidates, only one has a wife, and it’s our own party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo. Only he has a wife. This is the wife, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ighodalo,” Mrs Obaseki said.
“Edo women, know that only one candidate has a wife. Better things come to women when there’s a woman in the Government House. All women in Edo, regardless of party, should see the candidate who has a wife. They will take us higher only the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo,” she added.
Women demand apology from Oshiomole
Dissatisfied with the way Oshiomole mocked their 1st lady, a women’s group in Edo state has demanded for a public apology to Governor Godwin Obaseki and his wife, Betsy, over the childless comment.
The women made the demand while staging a protest, led by the Deputy Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Maria Edekor.
The deputy speaker, who spoke on behalf of the women, called on the former governor to offer a public apology to all the women in the state in particular, and humanity in general.
She said: “It is sad to see a person who has once governed the state condescend to this level. The mocking of a woman or a couple for not bearing a child is a taboo, a sacrilege and a desecration of Edo land.
“The comment of Mrs. Obaseki during the campaign of the PDP governorship candidate did not warrant such vile comment from Oshiomhole.
“We rise as women of Edo, home and abroad to denounce this shameful conduct of Adams Oshiomhole. We call on all women and couples that have gone through the pain of not bearing a child on time or not having a child at all to curse this man.”
An anonymous social media user was also quoted as saying: “Oshiomole you are not God that gives children, you are too old for this nonsense. Madam when you attack people with almost the same issue you have, then you cannot control how they or other people around them will react.
“Stick to issue-based campaign. What has 1st Ladies actually contributed in the running of the state?”
Why attack personalities?
Blueprint Weekend investigations indicated that many Nigerian politicians have used abusive languages during their political campaigns in the past and heaven did not fall.
A Political Commentator, Olaore Ilori, in an interview with Blueprint Weekend was quick to place the blame at the door step of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying he was the apostle of ‘do or die’ politics, the gutter language he used during of the country’s return to democracy which has continued to taint the nation’s political culture.
He told our Correspondent that he singled out Obasanjo for the blame because having benefitted hugely from democratic practice, he should have guided it jealously, instead he was busy laying ugly foundation.
“Imagine Baba, who was a beneficiary of our collective resolve to use democracy to better our lots derailing.
“The former president got intoxicated and power-drunk that he started using anyhow language to suit both his political future and party men.
“Do or die was the height of it and it stuck thereafter. Remember he once told audience at a campaign rally in 2007 for the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua that the election was a do or die affair for them in the ruling party.
“The statement which was feasted on by the media later became his albatross as it created political tension back then.”
Will it ever stop?
Whether the use of gutter language to end political scores will end soon or not remains to be seen. What is not immediately clear is whether the country’s political orientation will change for the better anytime soon or not.
However, as advocated by Ilori, it is high time our campaigns are made issue-based.
“We should stop celebrating all these divisive utterances just because it is the norm in other climes.
“We should neither glorify or make it a way of life so as to make politics attracted and worth venturing into.
“Let me tell you, it is not everyone that likes to engage you in those gutter language and that does not make him less strategic or bereft if what to do with power if elected.
“Unless it is a strategy to drive some decent people away from politics, if not, I think the political actors should fear God and stop polluting the political space. More importantly, they should be wary of what they are bequeathing to the generation next,” he said.
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