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By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is presently engulfed in a self-destructive but avoidable crisis.
It is quite unfortunate that the two major factions within the party is holding on to their stakes without any recourse to the enormous political and electoral consequences it may have on the party.
Comically, the two warring factions, supposedly manned by two politically powerful gladiators, whose combined strengths would have delivered unrivalled electoral value to the party, any day, are now code named by their retinue of opposing supporters as “EMANTON” meaning IRON and the other as “the iron bender”, a simple indication that resolution of the crisis is presumably not in sight.
It is quite commendable if the governor is labelled an “Iron,” Ematon, by Edo people based, of course, on the fact, he remains resolute in giving the Edo people the best of what they deserve, by fulfilling the campaign promises, for voting for him
The two appellations were coined in a derogatory manner by the opposition party and sold to the PDP members without knowledge of the intention.
It is quite understandable that the APC is still licking the wounds of losing both Obaseki and the governorship seat, hence, the need to paint the governor in bad light.
Chief Dan Orbih would definitely not be happy to be labelled an iron bender to bend the good works of the governor.
Similarly, on the party structure, the founders of PDP in their wisdom through conventions placed the governor as the leader of the party at the state level.
Hence, it is a not a favour done to the governor if he is given his rightful place and support to right the wrong in the party.
This crisis has presented before informed minds a situation where the two supposed feuding warlords could be likened to two vehicles driven, at an opposite directions, by drivers who had their immediate families on board, but claiming the right of passage on a highway may end up with a story of dare consequences.
Political watchers in the state and beyond are of the opinion that both factions may have forgotten that rights claimed on a highway go with unimaginable consequences, stressing that the right thing to have been done would have been to avoid a head on collision, the other group should for peace to reign give the governor right of way and then follow behind to avoid doom.
The above scenario build-up is didactic and succinctly illustrates the PDP dangerous trajectory which, if not curtailed now, is potentially capable of tearing the PDP to shreds and rendering the party irreversibly irrelevant in the scheme of things in Edo politics.
Another school of thought says been stereotyped and rigid at this point without considering a shift of grounds even at the face of been right, may not signpost maturity and superior strength of character in a selfless but people oriented leader, while the insistence on your “right of way” at the face of palpable looming danger will only lead to grievous self-inflicted, near irreversible and incalculable monumental damages that would do nobody any good.
There are opinions indicating that the PDP in Edo state may not have learnt anything from the APC crisis that eventually brought it to the Dennis Osadebey Avenue sit of Power. The coming of Governor Godwin Obaseki into the PDP is instructive here as it brought back life, power, glory and relevance that was long lost to the All Progressives Party, (APC).
Some others are of the opinion that wisdom should prevail on the warring factions who may be thinking that they own the party in the state, that their initial unity and strength displayed earned them the government while the lack of it may earn them the opposition status, which no one in the PDP would ever Imagine, let alone experience again, considering the fact that there are two elections ahead that is a must win for the party.
If one may ask, what will the “legacy” group loose if they allow the Governor Obaseki side a full integration, considering the fact that the government has only 2 years or there about more to go?
Similarly, the governor will loose nothing if he carries out a minor cabinet reshuffle to bring in members from the legacy group.
Will there not be a clear wisdom in attempts to water down the crisis and provide lasting solution that would strengthen the party has been advocated by its state chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi?
The African adage which says “the day a mosquito perches on a portion of your testicles is the day you learn that wisdom, rather than violence, is crucial in resolving some critical issues confronting us as individuals or as organization”, become handy here and a likely point of reference for the PDP.
