RE: “THE DEATH OF POLITICAL ILLUSION” – A RESPONSE TO STANDARD DAILY PRESS

Henry J

Edo politics has never been about noise. It has always been about structure, trust, and the will of the people expressed in plain view. The Edo South Senatorial primary of May 18th, 2026 was no different. To reduce it to a simplistic tale of “money versus grassroots” is to misunderstand both the history of this party and the character of the people who make it.

The article in question paints a picture of a primary hijacked by cash, of delegates bought and sold like commodities, of a government detached from the very people it serves. It is a compelling story, but it is not the truth.

On the matter of the alleged N1 billion fire sale, let us be clear. Throwing around figures of N462 million, N77 million, and N100 million without a single receipt, bank trail, or named witness is not investigative journalism. It is manufactured outrage. If such transactions took place, the evidence would exist and would have been presented at the collation center where the National Working Committee, INEC observers, security agencies, and agents of all three aspirants were present. It was not. What we saw instead was a process concluded without protest, a result accepted by the structures on ground. To accuse a sitting Governor and Deputy Governor of criminal conduct without proof does not expose corruption. It exposes intent.

The attempt to frame this contest as “immovable grassroots will” against “state power” is equally misleading. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama’s victory is the product of his own structure, relationships, and standing within the party. He polled 27,154 votes to emerge as the declared winner of the Edo South APC Senatorial primaries, ahead of Neda Imasuen with 13,580 votes and Osagie Ize-Iyamu with 6,785 votes, according to the official result released. That is why he won.

But to suggest that Governor Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Dennis Idahosa have no grassroots is to insult the very people who gave them a decisive mandate in 2024. They did not win from a pedestal. They won by going into every ward, every market, every community, listening and organizing. What happened on May 18th was not a defeat of grassroots by government. It was a contest between strong structures, and on that day, one structure had more delegates. That is democracy, not betrayal.

The claim that this administration governs from a place of detachment does not match the record. Road rehabilitation is ongoing in Uhunmwonde, Ovia North East, Ovia South West, and Orhionmwon. The 2.5 million votes target for President Tinubu in 2027 is not a slogan. It is a deliberate structure-building exercise involving LGA coordinators, youth leaders, and ward executives who are being mobilized across the state. Detached leaders do not win statewide elections in Edo. Governor Okpebholo did, because he was on the ground when it mattered.

Perhaps the most troubling part of the article is its insult to the Benin people. It celebrates them as intelligent and unbuyable while implying that the 13,580 delegates who voted for Neda Imasuen and the 6,785 who voted for Osagie Ize-Iyamu were either bribed or coerced. These are party leaders, former councilors, women leaders, and youth executives. They are not commodities. If we claim to believe in the people’s will, then we must respect all of it, not only the result that fits a preferred narrative.

One can understand why the earlier distortion occurred. When your candidate does not carry the day, disappointment cuts deep, and it is easy to write from a place of heartbreak rather than fact. That pain is real, and it is human. But politics demands that we separate emotion from evidence. Heartbreak does not change the numbers, and it should not be allowed to rewrite them. The official result declares Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama the winner, and that outcome must be respected by all party faithful.

What Edo South needs now is not post-primary propaganda that paints half the party as mercenaries. It needs unity. Governor Okpebholo has already stated publicly that he will work with whoever emerges from the process. That same spirit is expected of every leader within the party. The real contest ahead is 2027, delivering Edo for President Tinubu and consolidating the gains APC has made in the state. That cannot happen if we continue to fight each other in the press while pretending it is a fight for the people.

The real death of political illusion here is the illusion that Edo people can be packaged, labeled, or bought in bulk. They cannot. They vote for who they trust. On May 18th, they trusted Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama. Tomorrow, they may trust another. That is how a living democracy works.

To Standard Daily Press, if your aim is to fight corruption, do it with facts. If your aim is to defend democracy, respect every vote cast, not only the one you agree with.

Edo South is not anyone’s private estate. It is the home of a proud, politically sophisticated people who deserve honest engagement and honest politics. The primary is over. The party is one family. Let us close ranks, govern well, and win together in 2027.