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By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
The weapon for winning an opponent is, most often times, provided by the opponent himself.
The above assertion aptly and succinctly reflects the protracted self inflicted rancour that plagued the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Edo State chapter, which lasted to the build up to the last governorship election in the State, from which it never recovered even up till this moment.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) evidently capitalised on the APC’s misfortune occasioned by power and ego play to swiftly recover the state from the control of the APC, a feat which, ordinarily, would have been ostensibly impossible task for the Peoples Democratic Party which has turned itself to a permanent opposition party in the state.
The unresolved internal squabbles occasioned by who controls the structure between the former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole and his protege, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, culminating in the later abandoning the party to contest his second term bid under the umbrella of the PDP is like an epic drama, playing out its final script under the new dispensation.
According to Karl Marx, every system contains its own seed of self-destruction. Every solution at some point, becomes the new problem if there is no consistent and concerted effort to adapt to changing realities on ground.
Some analysts say that Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s incursion to the PDP, which appears to be a solution for the PDP to bounce back to limelight at the time, has suddenly become the new problem of the party.
Though this school of thought believes that Mr. Godwin Obaseki’s coming on board the PDP was the solution that saved the PDP from pining into extinction as the party was ebbing as at the time, others are of the opinion that he, Obaseki is the present malaise of the party. This assertion, however, is now a puzzle sort of.
The Edo State chapter of the Party has been engulfed in prolonged internal disputes over which faction controls the structure of the party which enabled Godwin Obaseki become the governor of the State.
Analysts believes that trouble started immediately after the state Governorship elections when Obaseki, who emerged victorious at the polls, made several attempt to “hijack the party structure” from the supposed original owners that gave him victory, that is, the party executives to replace them with what he calls the “harmonized executives.”
Today, there exists, in Edo State, “OLD PDP” and “NEW PDP” members both with daggers drawn for the soul of the party.
This was exactly how the party found itself in a bizarre state of mind as they headed for a convention that threw up two different delegates lists resulting in an accrimonious parallel primaries.
It is an undeniable fact but arguably true that PDP is not new to factional struggle within it’s ranks. It was during the era of of Chief Tony Anenih, then as national leader of the party, there were Anenih’s camp, the Ogbemudia/Igbinedon’s faction, etc.
But, be that as it were however, they have always found a way out of every of their internal squabbles with the national leader, Chief Tony Anenih being a formidable rallying point and providing leadership which had seen the party winning electoral victories for so many years.
For now, such rallying point has to be the state governor, H.E Godwin Obaseki, in his capacity as the leader of the party as spelt out by the party’s convention
Similarly, the state party chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, as the symbolic father of the party, in collaboration with other stakeholders of the party are also expected to support the governor in the obvious task in the spirit of the proverbial sayings that “one hand cannot lift a load from the ground to the head”.
Hon. Aziegbemi, has not in any way shied away from playing the fatherly role as demonstrated in and out of party functions, and again, as a father, more sacrifice is still needed so as to get to the promised land, where unity, which is topmost on the list of what the party needs most, resides.
Finally, let us not forget, as a people, that this is PDP. They always find a way through such trying periods. With the State Chairman’s mien, we should be confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel. This is what the more than 550 thousand members expect and by extension the 4.5 million citizens of Edo State.
