Since 2023, I have watched with calm restraint as a false claim has been peddled that Chief Edward David Onoja (CEDO) made his Olamaboro brothers lose their bid for the House of Representatives by rigging it. Today, I feel compelled to put this deception to rest with the only thing that never lies: the numbers. And we all know that numbers don’t lie.
Anyone with better logic or data is free to counter my argument.
Let us look at the results as declared by INEC across the 3 LGA’s.
• Olamaboro LGA
APC (Halims) – 9,408
PDP (Joshua) – 6,066
LP (Peter) – 7,685
• Omala LGA
APC (Halims) – 5,685
PDP (Joshua) – 6,474
LP (Peter) – 1,762
• Ankpa LGA
APC (Halims) – 19,187
PDP (Joshua) – 13,307
LP (Peter) – 3,880
Total Votes:
APC (Halims) – 34,280
PDP (Joshua) – 25,847
LP (Peter) – 13,326
Now, for those who insist on blaming CEDO, let’s do a little arithmetic. If you subtract the entire Olamaboro votes of 9,408 from Halims, he would still have 24,872 votes. Compare that with LP’s 13,326,he would still be ahead comfortably. PDP’s Joshua would only lead by a slim margin of 975 votes.
And even if CEDO did not campaign, vote, or lift a finger in that election for APC, it is inconceivable that Halims a second timer would not have scored at least 10 votes per polling unit in Olamaboro’s 174 units. That’s 1,740 votes at the barest minimum, still keeping him in the lead.
So, where exactly does this false story of “CEDO causing Joshua or Peter’s loss” stand when the numbers speak otherwise?
The real issue was division, not betrayal. If PDP and LP had harmonized their strengths, their combined votes of 39,173 would have defeated Halims by over 5,000 votes. But like Atiku and Obi’s split that paved the way for Tinubu’s victory in 2023, our brothers in Olamaboro divided their house and paid the price. And then turn back to want to blame someone else.
Instead of confronting this truth, they have found it easier to pass the blame in His Excellency’s direction. Today when coalition is being built, some say they remain in SDP, others claim loyalty to Wike’s PDP, and yet others whisper of a “coalition.” Tomorrow, when the same disunity yields another loss, they will still blame CEDO for their lack of cohesion and strategy.
Except you also want to hold CEDO responsible for the woeful performance of our brothers in Omala and Ankpa where he didn’t even go to campaign or appear on election day like he did in 2019.
But facts are sacred, and the truth is stubborn. No amount of propaganda can change the arithmetic. The verdict of the ballot was clear: strategy, unity, and tact win elections, not deception and blame games. To win an election you must have an all round network that can help turn in the numbers. Exactly why SDP did well in KE but failed woefully in KC and KW. Politics may be local but to win your network must be well spread not local.
Let us stop boxing shadows. Let us stop deceiving our people. Let us, instead, focus on the bigger picture by building a united Igala voice that can negotiate and deliver progress for our people.
– Robert Arome Eboh is from Olamaboro LGA.
