As we approach the March 3, 2018 Local Government election in Edo State, many citizens of Edo State are daily getting more and more convinced on the need to continue the massive development of the state at the grassroots. Even members of the opposing Peoples Democratic Party have been moving in droves to the All Progressives Congress (APC), with a view to joining the wining party to consolidate the APC development agenda.
Last Friday witnessed a political tsunami in Edo State when the life wires, Honourables Mathew Iduoriyekemwen and E. J. Agbonayima providing oxygen for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP which has been on life support for some time now dumped the PDP and joined the APC to combine forces with the ‘Wake and See Governor’ of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki to sweep out PDP from the memories of Edo people.
This is more of a requiem for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State and a welcome for our new members. In the past few years, I have reeled out several articles pontificating the demise of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State. My message has been anchored on the people-centred development efforts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Edo State.
My position could also be located in the maxim that “failure is an orphan and Success has many children and sibblings.” The PDP failed Edo people for over ten years that it held sway in government and when compared to what the APC has done under Oshiomhole and now Obaseki , it was a matter of time, the party would literarily fizzle out. More so, when under the rabble rousing leadership of Dan Osi Orbih the PDP failed again as an opposition party.
Instead of playing a credible opposition role in the state, the PDP led by Dan Orbih became a one man show. A party where its chairman usurped the role of the publicity secretary and other officials with brazen impudence. Almost on a daily basis, he holds press conferences to market lies and slander a sitting and performing governor and made mockery of opposition in the state. People boo him when he starts telling his many lies.
Their ditching the PDP did not come to many Edo people as a shocker. It was expected. At a well attended defection ceremony tagged “APC Mega Rally” which held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in the heart of Benin City saw over 3,000 other PDP stalwarts and followers accompany their leaders to the APC mega rally for defection.
Interestingly, Iduoriyekemwen and Agbonayima who spoke on behalf of others at the rally , said it was no longer news that the Peoples Democratic Party has fallen apart. The implication of their comment was that the centre of the PDP can no longer hold. It means they have extinguished the PDP oxygen for good
As a party, the APC will do everything to integrate all those leaving the PDP in droves into the party structures and ensure that, like other members of the APC, they all get what is due to them. It is also expected that the defectors would join hands with other folks in the APC to ensure continuous good governance in Edo State under the leadership of Governor Nogheghase Obaseki and also give fillip to the wind of change blowing across the state. As a party, we whole heartedly welcome Hon Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, Hon E. J. Agbonayima, Ebo Amagba and the over 3,000 leaders and supporters of the party to the APC fold.
As we pull closer to the Local Government election in Edo State, the broom revolution has become a tsunami of some sort in the world of the PDP. The broom insignia of our party has become more compelling; in the words of our great party Leader and former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, “the broom will now be deployed to sweep away any of the other remains and bring change and the benefit of change will accrue to all our people all over the state and to all of you who are members of APC.”
It is obvious that in Edo State, the PDP is dead and buried. Dan Orbih and his cohorts are the next set of persons expected to defect to the APC ahead of the 2018 Local Government election in the state any moment from now. We look forward to receiving them.
With another Local Government election around the corner in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) having weighed their chances and come to the conclusion that Edo people would vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) as their preferred party, it has deployed a diabolical propaganda as an alternative to their imminent failure. They believe if they start telling so many lies from now till March against the person of Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, people could be deceived to mistake their lies for truth.
Their target is also the institution of Edo State Independent Electoral Commission. They are lost in the illusion that if they continue to attack EDIEC in the media, and attempt to discredit the process, they may well achieve something in their party. But Edo people are wiser by the day and cannot be fooled by the outlandish smear campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state against the Edo State Government and EDSIEC. This understanding became evident with alarm by Mr. Dan Orbih, the seemingly untenured Chairman of Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Deputy Governorship candidate of the PDP in the last gubernatorial election in the state, Mr. John Yakubu who failed woefully in the governorship election both jolted most citizens with tirade against government and EDSIEC, leaving Edo people in consternation of how desperate people could be in their quest for political power.
It is reassuring that there is no amount of lies they would tell that will give them even one councillorship position in the state. The EDSIEC leadership are made of men and women of proven integrity and no amount of mudslinging would taint their rich personalities. They were carefully selected by the Government and properly screened by the State House of Assembly as required by law.
Come March 3, 2018 the Local Government election would hold in Edo State and the process will be credible and all political parties that would participate would be sure of having free fair contest and whoever emerges as the winner would be so returned. No political party would want to dictate to EDSIEC what it should do. The PDP cannot intimidate EDSIEC or law enforcement agencies to tow their contrived wishes. It is a level playing ground for all. If the remnants of the PDP feel they are popular, that they can do without oxygen from Iduoriyekemwen and Agbonayima, let them come and contest the local government election so they would know how popular they are in the state.
____________________
Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State.
