The Senatorial Caucus and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman of Edo Central Senatorial District in the state, Archbishop Anthony Okosun, has asserted that the party will lose the forthcoming governorship election if there is no reconciliation between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Chief Dan Orbih’s factions of the PDP.
He maintained that the two factions in the party must work together to present a formidable force for the election; hence, the PDP will be labouring for the victory of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Labour Party in the election.
The PDP chieftain made the assertion at the party Senatorial Secretariat in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area, when he led other leaders from the zone to host one of the party guber aspirants and two-time Member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama.
Archbishop Okosun, who used the analogy of the man who, after labouring hard to milk his cow but, out of anger, lost the milk to the ants and the cow as well, appealed to Hon. Ogbeide-Ihama to help bring the two factions in the party together.
The clergyman stated that without unity in the party, neither Governor Obaseki nor Dan Orbih’s faction of the PDP would win the governorship election in Edo, even with the importation of the famous “Angel Michael” in the Bible from heaven.
He said: “I want to beg you (Ogbeide-Ihama), our labour shall not be in vain so that at the end of the day, we don’t labour for the APC or Labour Party to enjoy. You (Ogbeide-Ihama) are fully aware of the faction in the PDP, as you are not a stranger to the party.
“God has put you in a position to help us reconcile. Because as long as that faction is there, the PDP will not go to Osadebe House (the Edo State seat of power). One faction can not do it.
“We did it, Edo Central, and we lost the senatorial seat. We lost the National Assembly’s (House of Representatives) seat. Today, the ants are drinking the milk.”.
Continuing: “Please, help us to pull the two factions together. As I said in Abuja, if one faction, let’s say the governor’s faction, goes to heaven to bring Angel Michael, without the other faction, he will contest and fail.
“If the other faction, let’s say Dan Orbih’s faction, goes to heaven to bring Angel Michael, he will contest the election and fail.
“But if the two of them will join together and go to hell and bring the devil, they will contest the election and win. Therefore, I am begging you to please use the good office to bring peace to the party.
“Osadebe House is for the PDP. Let us not continue to fight so that at the end of the day, APC or Labour will not go there”, he advised
While commending Ogbeide-Ihama for being a true party man despite issues of the past, Okosun assured the aspirant that his message would be taken to the people, just as he admonished him to, with the interest of the party at heart.
Earlier, Ogbeide-Ihama told the Edo Central Senatorial leaders that his visit was to formally inform them of his ambition and solicit their nominations during the PDP primaries.
He promised to replicate his developmental strides in the Oredo federal constituency across the state and vowed to be governor for all the people in Edo State if elected.