How Bayelsa Debacle Will Help Obaseki

By Chuks Ekpeneru

Bayelsa State has become the latest state to be lost by the All Progressives Congress, APC on account of internal intrigues within the party. It follows the internal bickering that cost the party Adamawa, Rivers and Zamfara States.

Imo State which the state lost in the General Election was recovered through a Supreme Court judgment that has continued to raise dust in the polity.

The loss of Bayelsa has turned into a bitter pill for the Bayelsa chapter of the APC especially given that their candidate, and former governor-elect, David Lyon was already rehearsing for the inauguration before the Supreme Court judgment.

Chief Charles Idahosa, an APC Chieftain in Edo State has accused the leadership of the party for the loss.

In an interview, Idahosa said: “I warned about this development some few weeks ago, I said that Oshiomhole is doing more harm than good for APC. I said he is too combative and a troublemaker who thinks he knows more than everybody. This is not Labour movement, this is politics.

“His recklessness is what is leading APC into this problem that is happening now. Why must we win elections and then lose it to the opposition? We lost Zamfara, Rivers and now Bayelsa through carelessness.

“But because he (Lyon) was brought by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, anything goes. The party leadership led by Oshiomhole failed to do due diligence and background checks. Prof. Itse Sagay attacked him for being too troublesome and that his actions will kill the party but he blackmailed the old man saying he (Sagay) asked him to contest for the presidency.

In a similar vein, Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, has asked the party to look inwards over the loss of some states to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a tweet, Keyamo said:

Keyamo just like some other party supporters affirmed that in 2019, the ruling party lost Zamfara and Rivers to the PDP due to internal crisis.

Currently, there is disquiet in Edo State and indeed, in the country over the palpable lack of rapprochement between Comrade Oshiomhole and the current governor of the State, also of the APC, Godwin Obaseki.

The loud rumbles in the Edo State chapter of the party is happening in the run-up to the gubernatorial primaries for which the stakes have become too high.

Idahosa and others have warned that the party must put its house in order or Edo may be the next state to fall into the hands of the opposition.

Governor Obaseki has not buckled despite the high-wire politics which Oshiomole is expected to unleash on him in the countdown.

As it is, Obaseki and Oshiomole are going for broke, which may not augur well for the party.

With the loss of Bayelsa, it is expected that the party may do some soul searching and see how it can go into the Edo election as a united family. This is where Obaseki who for now is on ground may be at advantage.

Bayelsa was set to become the second state controlled by the party in the South-South. The loss of the governorship has made it that Edo State remains the only state in the control of the party and wisdom demands that the party safeguards it irrespective of egos that may be bruised.

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