It is in the nature and character of Mr. Dan Orbih, the perpetual Chairman of Edo Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to throw tantrums at harmless and purposeful political leaders when election is approaching. It is obvious that he has his eyes on the 2019 polls but as a failure that he has come to be in party politics in Edo State, the good people of Edo State know him too well as someone who is practically jobless and has ran out of his tricks. Sadly too, Orbih has no nuisance value as he is now known and seen as a political leper.

Edo people woke up last week to the surprise that Dan Orbih was very busy again trying to remove an imaginary speck in the eyes of Governor Obaseki whereas, he has a log of wood in his own eyes. After consuming so much alcohol at a rally at Oghomere in Etsako Central local government Area of Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih opened his oozing mouth and accused Godwin Obaseki of ballooning the Edo State debt profile from N4 Billion in 2008 to over N300billion in 2018. He did not stop at that. In his hallucination, he went further to state that “the heightened insecurity situation and the looting of the security votes by Governor Obaseki who collects N400million monthly while the police lack operational vehicle and even basic communications equipment. “I commended the state Commissioner of Police, officers and men of the police force for their dedication and hard work even as they are starved fund.”

Truth be told, Obaseki was not the Governor of Edo State in 2008 and should not be held responsible for what happened at that time by any desperate politician. Dan Orbih made all these allegations forgetting that the Obaseki administration barely one year old. Even at that, the governor has steadily supported the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the state to provide adequate security in the state. It is for this reason that insecurity which, the APC administration inherited from the PDP ill-fated government in Edo State has been brought to an all-time low level compared to what it was in the days of the PDP.Cultism was rife as young boys and girls had guns which they freely used to sniff life out of themselves with so much impunity and the PDP government couldn’t stop it. Armed robbery was a daily affair and Edo State was notorious for that across the country. Investors would not come to Edo State because of robbery, agberoism and Armed Community Development Associations (CDAs) that made the state be under siege of some sorts. But the APC-led government in Edo State has changed all that over time. There is relative peace and convivial environment for businesses to flourish and in fact, Edo State is undoubtedly now an investors destination in the country.

Chief Dan Orbih thinks Edo people have short memory like himself. Edo people cannot forget how Dan Orbihand his lieutenants in the PDP executive took to their heels when angry youths that rented crowd for President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign came demanding their share of the alleged N1.6bn sent from Abuja. For a long time, they were in hiding from the PDP youths. He was only to resurface in the public view with Prince Ekpen Erediauwa on a hazy issue of land. Orbih then claimed sacrilege, urging Benin Commissioners in Oshiomhole’s government to resign. This was how the same Dan Orbih deceived some Edo House of Assembly members to go and be holding parallel assembly without providing resources for them. Edo people cannot forget in a hurry that after several months of idleness in the king square, the deceived law makers retraced their steps back to the House led by Rt. Hon Uyi Igbe.

Today, everyone knows that Dan Orbih is an accused being tried for alleged N700million money laundry. This an amount allegedly brought with a bullion van to three of them when PDP was busy sharing the nation’s resources among few citizens. Mr. Dan Orbih needs to clear himself with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding the N700million allegedly looted money by the Jonathan administration used for campaigns. Hiding under the claim that you were ignorant of the source of the money is not an excuse before the law. In as much as you took delivery of the bullion van and its N700million content, you remain an accomplice in whatever the source of the financial crime is until otherwise cleared by a court of competent jurisdiction. Today, the wind has blown and the anus of the cock has been exposed. Dan Orbih and the PDP accomplices should go and answer the EFCC and stop distracting Edo people concerning the meritorious services of our wake and see governor.
Obviously, the aim of Dan Orbih and his cohorts is do maximum damage on the Edo State Governor with consistent lies and distractions and weaken the chances of the APC in the forthcoming general elections. This has been his approach to politics which has never helped him and his sunken PDP.

It is important to drum it to the deaf ears of Dan Orbih and his co-travelersthat theAPC own Edo State and other parties, including the PDP are spectators. I state it bare because the Obaseki/Oshiomhole political machine which is backed by the people will crush the remnants of the PDP come 2019 general elections. It will be unprecedented in the history of Edo State and Edo citizens would not want to risk their fate in the hands of the lily-livered PDP led by garrulous gangsters who would stop at nothing in pillorying the state.
The APC will sweep the 2019 polls in Edo State to the chagrin of the PDP. We have done it before and we would repeat our winning streak again. Edo people would turn out again to give APC massive votes as usual because the party under Adams Oshiomhole and now under Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki has established confidence in their hearts over the years. Edo people cannot also forget in a hurry their bitter experiences in the hands of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Some say it is People Deceive People. Others call it Poverty Distribution Party and some call it Papa Deceive Pikin. But for us in the APC, to a large extent, we have consistently kept own side of the bargain with Edo people and that keeps us going with them.

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• Mr. Dan Owegie is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State.