The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state may be heading for a serious crisis following the disagreement of party stakeholders over the endorsement of Edo state Governor Godwin Obaseki by party’s national leadership to contest governorship primary in the state even as a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday barred Obaseki from participating in the party’s primary slated for Thursday, June 25, 2020.
The court’s decision was a sequel to a suit brought before the court on Monday by one of the governorship aspirants of the PDP, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, who had vowed not to step down for Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Justice E.A Obile granted the ex parte order and adjourned till 24th June, for hearing of the summon.
Ogbeide-Ihama, prayed the court to stop Obaseki from participating in the primary on the ground that the national leadership allowed Obaseki to purchase nomination forms after the time had elapsed as Obaseki just joined the PDP last week after he failed to secure the chance to seek reelection under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party under which he had governed Edo state for the past four years.
Ogbeide-Ihama and other stakeholders in the party in Edo kicked against the favoritism extended to Obaseki by the party’s national leadership to enable him to contest the primary, stressing that it is illegal and unfair to those who have worked to sustain the party in the state.
A Chieftain of the party in Edo, Osilama Okuofu told reporters on Tuesday that stakeholders don’t have anything against Obaseki joining the PDP but against the use of illegality to impose the governor on those who worked arduously for the party.
He said that Tuesday’s court order is a clear signal of a deluge of crisis that might hit the party unless the national leadership address this issue promptly.
“It is a welcome development that the governor joined the PDP, the problem is that the national leadership of the party without any idea of the local politics decided to upset the apple cart because of their disdain for certain stakeholders. People have worked for the party, they have gone through the process and they have concluded on buying of nomination forms and all that have been approved,” he said.
He added that even if Obaseki will be given a waiver, there must be a consultation in order not to cause disaffection in the party as some people will feel shortchanged and react in a manner that might plunge the party into endless crisis and may also cause many more people to dump the party because there is nothing in it for them anymore.
Reactions from concerned Edo citizens
Segun Bakare from Akoko-Edo expressing his disgust at the development asked: “How did the PDP sell forms to the Edo State governor Godwin Obaseki 18 days after sales and submission of forms was concluded?
“On what basis and through what process was he granted a waiver to purchase the forms, be screened and allowed to participate just days before the primaries?
He said that it is extremely laughable that the erstwhile peaceful Edo state PDP is about to set itself up for needless acrimony and instability through potential contentions and litigations when there was absolutely no need to.
“From accounts available, three aspirants had been on the campaign trail for over one year following the laid-down guidelines set by the party, selling their candidature and basically securing their delegates, until these recent unwise actions of the party leadership. One can imagine our shock at the strange turn of events over the past week since the unholy intercourse between the governor and the national leadership of the party; an alliance that is presently heavily pregnant with crisis and internal conflicts and will spell doom for the Edo State PDP should the delivery be allowed to happen.
“With the alleged on-going altering and substitution of the earlier circulated delegates list to illegally accommodate the agents of the governor, it is safe to say the same multitude of litigations that chased the governor from his former house has been introduced to the PDP. How else can a group on self-destruct be described,” he said.
Osahon Isibor, another aggrieved stakeholder in the party, said the manner in which Obaseki joined the PDP has some trappings of the emergence of a godfather.
“Since early last week when the plot to ‘force’ the present Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki on the PDP to run on their ticket gained steam, he has exhibited actions which, if x-rayed against the Oshiomole-defined parameters of godfatherism, shows he seems to be settling comfortably into the same office as godfather.
“Godwin Obaseki influenced the illegality of the PDP primaries being postponed for 3days to enable him defect to the party and have enough time to build further on the illegalities by purchasing a nomination and expression of interest form after the exercise had long closed.
“All these were done by by-passing the party leadership of the state, and preferring to negotiate his entrance into the party with governors of other PDP states and the national leadership, who ultimately have no stake in the affairs of the party locally,” he said.
Contributing, Kola Adesina, said it must be a painful time for loyal and committed members of the PDP in Edo state who have suffered in opposition for so long.
“I saw images splashed across social media showing the governor of Edo State Godwin Obaseki being admitted into our party in Edo state. I wondered if the national leadership of the party knew what they were doing,” he lamented.
