The Wait For PDP’s ‘Obituary’ Statement

To obviate the inevitable announcement of the obituary of the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the party has to learn lessons from its foibles in Edo State

After its calamitous trouncing in the Edo State governorship election two months ago, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP the party could well announce its own obituary if it fails to revive itself in today’s governorship election in Ondo State.

However, having repeated the same mistakes it did in Edo State, the prospects of the PDP cashing in on the well-advertised crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC are far-fetched.

It would be recalled that the APC in Ondo State entered a predictable storm after the death of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. That crisis was pushed by the efforts of the late governor’s loyalists to frustrate the emergence of his former deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa as their new boss.

The frustration of the camp of Akeredolu’s camp was vented earlier this week when the former governor’s widow, Betty in apparent bitterness at the prospect of Aiyedatiwa winning a fresh term went on X to call Nigeria a zoo country.

PDP Obituary in South-South

Meanwhile, the defeat of the PDP in Edo State means that for the first time since the advent of the Fourth Republic the party does not have a clear dominance in any of the six geopolitical zones of the country.

In the South-South, the PDP holds firm only in Delta, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom. With Edo and Cross River in the hands of the APC, both parties can only gesticulate in Rivers. The PDP governor of Rivers State, Siminilayi Fubara and his main traducer, Nyesom Wike are agreed on only one point, that is on the reelection of the APC president, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu! So, Rivers once a mainstay of the PDP is gone.

In the Southeast, the PDP can only find presence in Enugu State.

So, is the PDP doomed to inevitable death?

The collapse of the PDP and the possible reduction of Nigeria to a one party state is not something any democracy enthusiast desires.

Indeed, the loss of Edo State came after the national leadership of the party decided to jettison local interests and advance the selfish interest of those in Abuja.

It is remarkable that the negotiations that brought Godwin Obaseki into the party were held with supposed party godfathers in Port-Harcourt, Uyo and Abuja and not with local partisans of the party in Edo State.

Following the tours round these power points of the PDP, Obaseki came to Benin and ‘told’ the party leaders in the state that he was now their leader!

Meanwhile, this correspondent is aware that prior to the crisis in the APC that the local leadership of the PDP in Edo State had envisaged the prospects of Obaseki falling out with his godfather, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. Indeed, the local chapter in envisaging the prospects of Obaseki defecting from the APC had lowered criticisms of Obaseki in 2019 waiting to negotiate on their terms.

However, the leadership in Abuja beat them to it and quickly admitted Obaseki without carrying the PDP leaders in the state along.

That was where the problems started. It was because of this that Obaseki had the effrontery to summon some of his aides and party chiefs as he did in October 2021 and say he had suspended the party’s national vice-chairman, South-South, Chief Dan Orbih. That act of ingratitude to the man who acted as his campaign manager was also spread to Engr Omoregie Ogbiede-Ihama, the man who surrendered the governorship ticket that was his for the taking to him in June 2020.

If the PDP desires to reinvent itself in Edo and across the country it must begin to carry its local chapters along in crucial decision making and stop the Wadata bonaza that gifts tickets even to former renegades. Today’s candidate in Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi just four years ago embarrassed the PDP after he was gloriously welcomed only to ditch the party for the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP at the last minute.

Now, the party has returned to its vomit by gifting him the ticket apparently without recourse to the local tendency led by Eyitayo Jegede who has led the party in the past few years.

Even if the PDP were to confess its sins to the local leaders of the party in Edo State, reviving the party there will be especially tasking for several reasons.

One of the challenges the PDP has to tackle in Edo is the fact that the new APC governor of the state has the PDP gene in his politics. It was easy for many PDP leaders in Edo State to dump Obaseki and gravitate towards the APC candidate because they saw him as their brother. Irrespective of the near excellent resume of Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate in the last election, the shadow of Obaseki turned into a snare that immobilized support for him when it really mattered at the time of collation.

As it were, one man that ordinarily would have helped the PDP out of the mess in Edo State is Chief Orbih. However, Orbih is also ensnared given that Okpebholo and many of those who ditched the party for the APC just before the election were his linchpins.

As the tenure of the PDP state executive runs out in about one month, the PDP has the option of either sticking to the Obaseki tendency it gifted the structure or abiding by democratic tenets that would allow the Legacy PDP contest for its position.

That attitude in Edo State and everywhere else is undoubtedly the only way to stop the obituary of the PDP.

Send Us A Press Statement Advertise With Us Contact Us

 And For More Nigerian News Visit GWG.NG