It is very easy for most concerned Esan sons and daughters to be clamouring for the turn of Esan to produce the next governor of Edo State come 2024 governorship election. It is a good thing only that in politics, it is for the majority to desire but it is for the minority to make it a reality. In as much as the yearning of some Esan to produce the next governor of the state since, it was Afemai that finished two terms and handed over to a Benin who is rounding off his tenure now, there are varied realitie on ground. I will touch them one after the other.
To start with, this agenda will suffer still-birth on the absolute or might suffer still-birth to a large extent. Reasons are glaring. Esan political structure is too fragmented. There is no Esan voice. Esan political self acclaimed leaders need to gather for Okoemu Okoemu Okoemu to address them on salient political issues, I know they will never consider this because unlike a charactered politician, the esan politicians are too self opinated and proud to call for the help of Okoemu Okoemu Okoemu. In a political society that has nearly every politician as leaders, there is hardly any political progress. In esan, every politician wants to be a king as well as a kingmaker. You cannot eat your cake and have it. Before Esan as a people will grow to that level where Chief Tony Anenih put us in the past, there must arise in esan, a Tony Anenih. Chief was not perfect, Okoemu Okoemu Okoemu might have not liked Chief Anenih, you might have not liked him either, but we all had no choice than to respect him as well as fear him. There is a need for every political structure to have a leader, not just a leader, but a charismatic leader like Tony Anenih whose words must be taken by all, his counsel heeded. He was the political mathematician of the Esan people. He knew how to do the calculation and fix up everyone on board, no matter the disagreement, he was taken seriously. In the whole of Esan land there is no such a person. Those in Uromi are leaders, those in ewohimin are leaders, those in IGUEBEN are leaders, those in Irrua are leaders, as well as ekpoma, ebelle, ugboha, Ewatto, Emu, Ubiaja and the rest and to make matters worst, all of them want to be governor of Edo State all for the Esan agenda. This is why they cannot make it. There was this agenda after the Afemai's tenure in 2016, but for the same lack of purpose, it was thrown out, and it came up again in 2020, it was sold out by those who called themselves leaders in esan politics. When there is no single individual to lead, you are easily defeated.

Those clamouring for Esan agenda must put first, the questions of character, competency, track records, selflessness and their likes. They must realized that Edo State has gone beyond the era of tribal sentiment and political emotions. If the best candidate comes from Benin, he will win the support of all. If you want an esan person to be governor, bring forward a people oriented person, purpose driven individual, someone who is politically objective. It is not about shouting and ranting that it is Esan's turn. What makes anything your turn to be enjoyed is your antecedents, track records, your pedigrees, your objectivity and people oriented mindset. If no one from esan comes up equipped with these, that seat will remain in Benin or shift again to Afemai.
All the politicians is Esan if they must disappoint Okoemu Okoemu Okoemu because he believes that the Esan agenda towards 2024 is dead on arrival, must dismantle their armour of self aggrandisement and hunt for that one man who has proven himself worthy. He must be a man or woman who has done Esan proud. There must be a consensus candidate who will able to lead not everybody running the race.

It is pathetic that Okoemu Okoemu Okoemu is seeing numerous aspirants already from one Esan which is a greenlight that this agenda will not see the light of the day.

(To be continue)