It is no longer a secret whether Godwin Nogaghese Obaseki has enemies—he is really swarming with them. Ever since he went for the broke against his former diminutive godfather, with whom he fought a long and bruising battle, the man popularly known and called the “wake and see” governor may have resolved not to sleep with his two eyes closed.
He may be the governor, surrounded by security operatives, but the veteran governor is well aware of the repercussion of dozing off—even if slightly. If they could slap him with a false charge as certificate forgery, they could come after him with cudgels, stones and any crude weapon they could lay hands on; this is how low the fight to kick him out of Osadebey House has degenerated.
It is unfortunate, that rather than allow him to govern, his arch enemies are adamant and prefer to make the state ungovernable. So, instead of smooth governance, the governor is facing the biggest test of his political career: to stay or to be removed. His foes are not relenting but Obaseki is equal to the task. Luckily for him, he knows that “there is no Elephant that complains about the weight of his trunk (A successful man never complains about his challenges but uses it as stepping stone to succeed).
The people of Edo State are solid with him and so are some powerful forces outside the State. At the end of the day, the war is actually who controls the treasury in the State and whether to allow the re-emergence of the former national chairman. They also know that victory for the enemies will be used as a tool to climb to the presidency by the lion of Bourdillion!
This is why it is easy to conclude that all along, the battle has been –not against the “wake and see” governor but against the old dominant establishment within the ruling APC. And by implication, Obaseki may be said be home and dry! The era of the old establishment is gone for good; What remains is for the “wake and see “governor to dust the file of the Benin Central Hospital and probe those behind its destruction.
