By Lucky Diagi
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one” – George Washington
When the news of the purported suspension of a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in Edo State, Chief Tom Ikimi, by a group of disgruntled elements who claimed to be members of the Executive Committee of the party in the Edo Central chapter of the state, got to me, l knew it was done by political ignoramuses.
To me, the so called suspension of Chief Tom Ikimi, a man known as not only a father figure, a national political juggernaut, but a rallying point in Edo Central is a joke taken too far.
By suspending Chief Tom Ikimi in the Edo Central locality, the two selfish arrow-heads who signed the said press release, have only presented themselves as political Lilliputians, whose major stock in trade is egocentricism for personal gains.
I know that Hon. Tony Aziegbemi, the Edo State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is a well-schooled political lieutenant, who will never point his left fingers to his father’s compound.
Tony Aziegbemi, a two time member of the House of Representatives, is a man who controls his impulses, with known record of political maturity, should be wary of a busy body political “Bishop” who co-signed the said press release.
Edo Central political stalwarts should not forget in a hurry the negative role played by this same flock of political nuisance, in the political suicide committed by Prof. Osariemen Osunbor, the former Governor of Edo State.
This same character and his cohorts equally beat the drum of unnecessary war, and castigated the dynamic godfather, now late, a sad development that eventually led to the sweeping away of Esan glory during the civilian administration of Prof. Osariemen Osunbor.
It is interesting to state however that, the purported unpopular suspension of Chief Tom Ikimi, has been duly countered via an enlarged meeting chaired by the leader in Igueben Local Government Area of the PDP.
This reminds me of the late sensational musician, Ras Kimono, who sang the intoxicating lyrics:” Oh Jah, see them coming political jobbers”. Really looking at this Bishop antecedents, he is not to be taken seriously.
Hon. Tony Aziegbemi, as the bonafide State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), should be guided not to be lured into dancing to the drum of war being beaten by this same group of persons, because as trouble mongers they will likely abandon him midway.
It is very clear that those who tried to suspend Chief Tom Ikimi, are living in a fool’s paradise, as a vote of confidence has been massively passed by those that matter, where it was stated unequivocally that it was only the people in the ward and local government of Chief Tom Ikimi, that have the statutory political prerogative to suspend him.
Moving forward, my candid advise for Hon. Tony Aziegbemi, is to be very tactical and go ahead to dialogue on behalf of PDP State Executive Committee with Godwin Obaseki, Governor of Edo State, this position is being canvassed in the overall interest of the Esan Agenda, come 2023, which must never be jeopardized by any miscalculation.
Those who struck the deal that led to the emergence of Godwin Obaseki, as Governor of Edo State, knew clearly that air do not operate in a vacuum; that in a political marriage of this nature, the sitting Governor inherently inherits both political liability and the structure.
In the final analysis, those who threw caution to the wind, and tried frantically to embarrass a political Titan like Chief Tom Ikimi, must now know that they took their joke too far.
Diagi Lucky, is a political analyst and strategist based in Benin City.
