Last year, when Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State failed to get the nod of the leadership of his then party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for a second term ticket, ahead of the 2020 gubernatorial election in the state, it was to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that he ran for relief. In spite of the many years of bad blood existing between his government and the state leadership of the PDP at the time, the then opposition party yielded its platform for Obaseki and his deputy, Philips Shuaibu, to seek re-election.
Prior to the time he dumped the APC for the PDP in search of a second term, Governor Obaseki and the then National Chairman of the APC, ex-governor Adams Oshiomhole, had been at loggerheads, resulting in the governor being disqualified from contesting the 2020 governorship election on the platform of the APC. But he contested the election on the platform of the PDP and won. When he joined the party last year, Obaseki said “The PDP in my view, has demonstrated and shown that it is a party that is rooted in democratic practices. The party believes in justice and fairness, a party that respects its people.
“I am committing to you that I will not only lead this party to victory in Edo State, but we will now make sure that this party establishes an example of how states will be run in Africa. So, today, it is with great pleasure that I have come to formally take up my membership of this great party.” The State Chairman, Hon Tony Aziegbemi, after receiving Obaseki into the PDP, said the governor is a big fish and the PDP is very happy about his coming into the party. “We as PDP family are very excited the state governor has joined us with all his commissioners, House of Assembly members, and council chairmen. We are grateful to God for making this day happen,” he said.
Consequent upon the factors surrounding his joining the party, not a few people expected Obaseki to remain grateful to the PDP and its leaders. Similarly, nobody thought the leadership of the PDP in the state will get tired of the governor and his ways so soon. But today, the stories are about how the governor and the leadership of his new party in Edo State are at war. So fierce is the face-off now that the duo had, at different times, called on the national leadership of the party to call all to order so as to avoid total breakdown of law and order in the state.
Festering crisis
Although the crisis has been ongoing for a while, it became fully blown last week when the state chapter of the PDP reported Governor Godwin Obaseki to the NWC of the PDP. The party also called for the resignation of the Deputy Governor as part of an alleged power-sharing deal reached last year while Obaseki and his people were negotiating their entry into the party. Although the governor’s camp denies the existence of such an agreement, some party sources claim Obaseki had agreed that Shuaibu will resign from his position after the 2020 gubernatorial election to allow for a nominee of the PDP leadership in the state to take over.
The State Working Committee (SWC), in a letter signed by the chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi and Secretary, Hillary Otsu and dated May 10, to PDP Chairman, Uche Secondus, accused Obaseki of plotting to dissolve the validly-elected ward, local government and state executives. The SWC stated: “the expanded SWC and local government chairmen of the Edo State PDP reject in its entirety the proposal to dissolve the legitimately-elected executive committee members of the PDP at the ward, local government and state levels. We also condemn totally the convening of the meeting aimed at ambushing Edo State Chairman of PDP (who is constitutionally empowered to call such a meeting) which only three old PDP members (Chief Tom Ikimi, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi and Chief Mike Oghiadomhe) attended, as against ten members from the Obaseki faction that defected from the APC to PDP.
“We hereby reiterate to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our party that the issue of dissolution of executive committees in Edo State is ‘subjudice’ and it will be an act of contempt of court to revisit it by the party. We, therefore, condemn Obaseki’s reappointment of his former Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie, without any consideration for the legacy PDP he joined. To this end, they have consistently sung a tune of harmonisation, ever since Obaseki was sworn-in; knowing that he now has the yam and the knife.
“We have resolved strongly that if any harmonisation will take place, it must start from Edo Governor’s office, where his Deputy, Philip Shaibu, should resign and a deputy nominated from the old PDP is sworn in. This can be a springboard for broad harmonisation across the state party organs. Edo people voted for PDP and Obaseki to deliver the dividends of democracy to them, but if Obaseki wants to conduct governance by a triumvirate of the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the SSG, so be it. If he wishes to appoint only his friends and former APC colleagues in his cabinet and sundry positions, and leave out the legacy PDP members, so be it.”
But former Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, a supporter of the governor, berated the state leadership of the party over their face-off with the governor. According to him, “it is the convention in the PDP that the governor of a state controlled by the party is the leader of the party in the state. Consequently, as the leader of the party, the governor has every right and privilege to convene a meeting the way he deems appropriate. The laid-down traditions of the party in respect of governors joining our great party are well known and have been in practice across the country. The ongoing underground plot to stop the governor and highjack the party is mindless and cannot stand, because the party runs on a defined constitution and conventions.”
“Since the crisis started a few days ago, he is aware of threats and incentives that are thrown to party officials at local government and ward executives in some leaders’ domains, in attempts at compelling them to append their signatures to sinisterly suspend such leaders from the party. I have been monitoring the developments and it is now very clear that there are people who have grown within the party with sinister motives not to form a party, but to advance personal greed by curtailing the influence of other leaders. PDP, the party we founded and built, is not a secret cult and should not be made such.”
The former deputy governor called on the national leadership of PDP to take a closer look of what is happening in Edo State and right the wrongs insisting that the personal insults, unfounded negative accusations and calculated vicious attacks directed at the governor and other leaders of the party, are not in the interest of the people of the state. “Their desperation to question the governor as a leader of the party to convene a meeting shows that the only thing they care about is their own interest.
Perhaps tired of the festering crisis, Obaseki met with the leadership of the PDP in the state. Sources close to the governor claimed the meeting was meant to break the ice between the two warring camps and bring about a resolution. “The governor is a lover of peace. He is not pleased with the negative reactions that trailed his recent meeting with some leaders of PDP where it was resolved that the party executive would be dissolved to accommodate people who joined from the APC. He saw the need for him to meet and talk the issues over with the leadership and that was exactly what he did,” a source said.
The Nation learnt the meeting was held in the governor’s office. “We met with the governor and there was a very robust discussion. Both parties agreed to seek ways forward out of the current face-off and we will be meeting again very soon,” a party source told The Nation. It was however gathered that no agreement has been reached on the issue of how the state leadership of the party will be harmonised to accommodate Obaseki’s men. “It is not true that we have agreed on any form of harmonisation. And it is also untrue that the governor has backed down on his request for harmonisation.
“What we have on ground now is an understanding that whatever will happen, there is no need for a media war or confrontation of any kind. The governor complained that people have been calling him and urging him to end the face-off. On our part, we are also not interested in any crisis. But we will not surrender the party to the governor and his people. Both parties have agreed to find a meeting point and we hope we will do that very soon,” our source said.
More troubles amidst peace move
But the crisis rocking the party took a twist as supporters of the two camps engaged themselves in bouts of suspensions and counter suspensions in some parts of the state during the week, giving signs that the peace move may be shaky. In Etsako Central Local Government Area of the state, ward chairmen and their executives suspended the LGA chairman of the party, Kassim Abdulkareem and the secretary, Sunday Kadiri. The ward executives also passed a vote of confidence on Oghiadomhe, for what they called his fatherly role in uniting the party.
Similarly, the Chairman of the party in Egor Local Government Area, Manfred Ekundayo and Secretary, Moses Osarumwese, were suspended while the former Deputy Chairman, Ayo Efosa was announced as the Chairman in acting capacity. Party sources told The Nation that the suspension move was backed by supporters of Governor Obaseki. While announcing the suspensions and change of leadership at the party secretariat located in Uselu, the Assistant Secretary of the PDP in Egor LGA, Ikponmwosa Eguavon, pledged the support of the new leadership to Obaseki.
Reacting to the developments, the Edo State PDP Publicity Secretary, Chris Osa Nehikhare, said the party views, very seriously, the issues of suspensions of its members and elected officials. He said the method of removing party leaders, officials and members was clearly spelt out in the constitution. “The events that purportedly occurred in Egor Local Government on Tuesday, 18 May 2021, whereby a group of people, without the backing of the constitution and therefore unknown to the party constitution, reportedly broke in and took over the Secretariat, and suspended or removed the Egor Local Government party Chairman and the party Secretary, is null and void.
“Chief Manfred Ekundayo Idehen and Mr. Moses Godwin Osarunmwense remain the Chairman and Secretary respectively. Edo PDP is a peaceful, united and vibrant political party where dialogue is our watchword. We encourage political engagements and contestations, which must be guided by the tenets of our constitution. We, however, frowned at political indiscipline that brings disrepute to our brand. As a party in government, our members must live and operate by example. And be seen to follow due process, abide by the rule of law and always be conscious of the message they share in the public domain especially the voting population at all times,” he said.
More troubles were to come the way of the embattled party when executives of the PDP in Edo Central Senatorial District suspended Chief Tom Ikimi, one of the governor’s ardent supporters. Many observers are of the opinion that the suspension of the PDP chieftain will scuttle the peace moves by Governor Obaseki. The senatorial district in its expanded meeting after the May 10th ratified decisions of a meeting held earlier. They also passed a vote of confidence on Hon. Tony Aziegbeni, Edo PDP Chairman.
“The Senatorial district hereby passes a vote of no confidence, on one of our purported leaders, Chief Tom Ikimi, and suspends him (Ikimi) from further attending, performing in any capacity in senatorial district or carry out any activity (ies) in whatsoever in the name and style of PDP, Edo Central Senatorial District forthwith. The Senatorial district hereby passed a vote of confidence on the State Executive Committee, led/chaired by Hon. Anthony Aziegbemi. The Senatorial district also passed a vote of confidence on the National Assembly members from the senatorial district for their outstanding performance and loyalty to the party.
“The Senatorial district rejects any joint executive meeting with the new PDP members from APC at all levels in the senatorial district. The LGA Chairmen from the senatorial district should summon an emergency meeting with their respective ward chairmen, to ensure that the aforesaid resolutions /decisions is properly disseminated and strictly adhered to. The senatorial district is far bigger than an individual. The senatorial district is resolute, committed, united, focused a law-abiding district and will continue to work hard to achieve its objectives and aspirations,” the party said in a release on Thursday.
THE NATION
