Months after the governorship tickets of the various political parties were won and lost in Edo State, unease still persists in the leading political parties, as major political gladiators and other stakeholders are locked in both intraparty and inter-party battles that may affect their chances in the September 21 governorship election, writes IDAHOSA MOSES.
AS the date for the all-important Edo State governorship election draws near, the 17 political parties cleared for the exercise by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after successfully conducting their primaries, have rolled out their plans. It will be recalled that INEC had scheduled the governorship poll for September 21, 2024. Among the parties jostling to occupy the Edo Government House, are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); All Progressives Congress (APC); Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP).
Though it is expected of the parties to have begun extensive campaign, especially after INEC has lifted ban on political campaign in the state, this is not the case. Right now, there are wide-ranging issues confronting the APC, PDP, and even the LP, which is still battling litigation over the conduct of its primary.
The issues confronting the parties range from political adjustments and readjustments, intraparty disenchantment, among others. For instance, the PDP, APC and LP are battling a gale of defections of their members to rival parties. Recently, the APC camp in Edo was hit by a hurricane of defections as some chieftains and members resigned from the party. One of the big defectors is a former Commissioner for Communication and Orientation in Edo, Mr Andrew Emwanta He claimed in his defence that he decided to dump the APC as a result of lack of internal democracy, which he said reflected in the governorship primary. In a letter to the chairman of his Ward 7 in Egor Local Government Area of the state, dated 18th February 2024, Emwanta wrote: “My decision to resign from the party stems from its lack of internal democracy, flowing from the flawed process of the just concluded Edo governorship primaries. It has left me with no confidence in the party’s leadership structure and sense of political ethos.”
Dr Victoria Amu, a former governorship aspirant, was to join the resignation train boarded by Emwanta. She resigned her membership of the party citing “personal and family reasons.”. In her resignation letter addressed to Ward 4 chairman of the party in Owan West Local Government Area of the state, Amu, who had served as senior special adviser to former Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the current governor, Godwin Obaseki, said her decision was rather personal. According to her:
“It is on record that I ran for the House of Assembly in 2022 and also in the just concluded governorship race in 2024, all under APC. I crave the indulgence of all my friends, supporters, and well-wishers to respect my decision at this auspicious moment to redefine the destiny of our great state.”
But the defection wind did not stop there, as four chieftains followed in Amu’s footsteps. The chieftains: John Uhunwangho; Felix Alari; Chief Wilson OgievaUrhonigbe and Sunday lyamu tendered their resignation letters to the party on Monday, May 20, 2024, to their respective ward chairmen, premising their actions on the way and manner the affairs of the party had been conducted since the conclusion of its governorship primary.
In his resignation letter addressed to the chairman of APC Ehor Ward I in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of the State, one of the four chieftains, Mr Felix Alari, said, “I, Alari Felix, write to inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress effective immediately.
“This decision has been necessitated by the way and manner the affairs of the party have been conducted especially in matters of the party the primaries and other sundry issues. Having been in this party from its inception and having endeavoured over the years to work hard within the party framework to help build a virile political party, it has however become clear to me that this party has lost focus and has largely deviated from its core values.
“Edo State APC today is a highly disorganised political party operated by myopic and egoistic mediocre who have little or no regard whatsoever for intellects and party loyalty, and democratic principles. Please, do accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation,” he had written.
Both John Uhunwangho from Urhonigbe South Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the state and Chief Wilson OgievaUrhonigbe of Urhonigbe North Orhionmwon hinged their resignation on the perceived crisis in the party and “… failure of leadership to unite the party and lack of cohesion.” of the party which is leading the party to disaster in the upcoming gubernatorial election in the state.”
Like APC, the PDP is also not without its own fat share of crisis. The party recently lost some of its chieftains and strong lieutenants to the APC. The Dan Orbih-led legacy group dumped the party and collapsed its structure into that of APC in Egor Local Government Area. A former member of the House of Representatives, Nosa Adams, who led the defectors, said the entire executive members in the 10 wards of the council and their supporters were ready to work and ensure victory for the governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and his running mate, Dennis Idahosa in the September 21st governorship election.
An elated Oshiomhole had expressed joy while welcoming the defectors into the APC, seizing the opportunity to campaign for his party’s candidate in the governorship election. The APC had earlier harvested a former member of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Charles Idahosa and former senator, Matthew Urhoghide and others into its fold.
Interestingly in the membership poaching battle, the Labour Party appears not to have fared better. Both the PDP and APC have received members of the LP into their folds with the PDP being seen as the major beneficiary in this trend following the defection of Omobayo Godwin.
The 37-year-old Omobayo, formerly of the LP, was appointed as the deputy governor of Edo State after the impeachment of Comrade Philip Shaibu by the state House of Assembly. He said he decided to dump his erstwhile party because the PDP promises a bright future for him politically.
But aside from the internal and external drive for electorate support, the parties have been unyielding in their war of words by trading accusations. Recently, the APC accused PDP of conniving with INEC to compromise the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and thereby called for the cancellation of the exercise. But the commissioner for Information and Communication in the state, Chris Nehikhare, had countered the accusation, describing the Edo APC as a gathering of confused people, who according to him have nothing to offer. He said the allegation “against INEC is like that of a man who is not prepared to write an exam that has been fixed for a certain date,” expressing his reservation about the opposition party.
Also reacting on behalf of the Edo State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Head of Voter Education and Publicity Mr. TimidiWariowei, described the allegation against the commission as an outdated antics, saying that the APC should have brought up their allegations during a recent stakeholders’ meeting organised by the commission.
Issue of vandalism and intolerance of the opposition has also dominated the Edo political field as both the APC and LP accused the PDP and Edo State government of being behind the destruction of their campaign billboards.
The issue of intra party crisis seems to be more visible in the LP than in APC or PDP which may affect the party in the September 21 guber election if not well managed. The latest crisis rocking the LP is coming a few days after a caretaker committee, headed by the former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, was sworn in by the national leadership to take charge of affairs of the party in the state.
The Kelly Ogbaloi-led faction of the LP, had some days back suspended the chairman of the committee, Mrs Elizabeth Ativie, over alleged gross misconduct and insubordination. The decision to suspend Ativie, it was gathered, was taken at a meeting of the State Working Committee (SWC) attended by local government chairmen and secretaries of the party.
Ativie’s suspension might not be unconnected with the confusion that ensued at a recent stakeholders’ meeting organised by the INEC, where Ativie and Kelly Ogbaloi both claimed to be chairman of Edo LP. Chairman of the party in Ativie’sUhunmwonde local government, Mr AghedoOkhiongbamwonyi said the leadership of Ward 4 had handed out the suspension.
But In a swift response, Ativie said she remained the authentic state chairman of Edo Labour Party and that she was not aware of any meeting suspending her. “It is dead on arrival; I am the current Labour chairman in Edo State.
“They should know that by the constitution of Labour party, no ward or local government chairman has the authority to suspend anybody or the chairman,” she said.
It will be recalled that 72 hours after Kelly Ogbaloi-led Edo State LP Exco endorsed the suspension of Julius Abure, the embattled party national chairman dissolved Ogbaloi-led State Working Committee and replaced it with a 17-man caretaker committee led by Ativie, a former speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, further widening the gulf between the factions of Abure and Olumide Akpata, the governorship candidate of the party.
The NNPP is also not excluded from the parlour of crisis, as suspension and counter-suspension is now trailing the party. The party’s gubernatorial candidate, Pastor AzemheAzena was reportedly suspended by his Ward 10 executive members in Etsako East Local government Area of Edo State.
The letter signed by Ward 10 chairman, KadiriEshimokha, Secretary Comrade lmonikho Abdul, woman leader, Mrs Stella Afebua and youth leader, Comrade Eshiobo Johnson, spelt out reasons for the suspension of their party’s candidate to include gross misconduct, disregard for party plans and anti-party activities. But Azena had pooh-poohed the letter, describing his suspension statement as fake and inconsequential. He said the authentic NNPP Ward 10 chairman, Goddylyamah, has refuted the claim to be false as other persons whose names appeared in the suspension letter are not members of the party.
As it stands today in Edo State, the race for the governorship position is going to be fiercely contested between the PDP candidate, Dr.AsueIghodalo and APC candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo, while Akpata, is expected to give the two leading candidates a good fight.
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