Idahosa bemoans fate of defectors from APC to PDP in Edo

As the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, continued to search for solutions to the crisis bedevilling the party, a leader of the political group which decamped to the PDP from the All Progressive Congress, APC, alongside Governor Godwin Obaseki in 2020, Mr. Charles Idahosa, has bemoaned the fate of the defectors, whom he said were almost becoming “political herdsmen”.

Idahosa, who addressed a press conference in Benin on Wednesday, said that rather than blame Governor Obaseki for the lingering crisis in the Edo PDP, the old members of the  party, who resisted all moves to integrate the new entrants, should be held responsible for the crisis, asserting that Obaseki had done all he could do to ensure that everyone was accommodated.

The former Commissioner for Information in the Lucky Igbinedion administration and Special Adviser, Political, to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, lamented that those of them who followed Obaseki to the PDP had been stranded and expressed fear that they could become ” political herdsmen roaming from point A to B to C because of some few greedy political lightweight “.

Idaho’s added that contrary to the belief that Obaseki lacked the quality to live in a peaceful coexistence with political actors, as indicated in the present crisis in the PDP, said that the truth “was that before we joined the PDP in 2020, the party had been divided into factions and it is those old PDP members who are shut out that causing the crisis and not the governor”.

While concurring that the lingering crisis had had negative effects on the performance of the governor in his second, noted that the problem started when, while looking for a platform for Obaseki to actualise his second term ambition, having been thrown out of the APC, the governor’s camp did not take into reckoning, the bad blood in the PDP.

“I concur also with that belief that the topmost delivery that Edo people know H. E. Godwin Obaseki for is missing in his one year second term. But the truth is that, when we were running from scorpions, we didn’t fully know that were bedding with snakes”, Idahosa lamented.

The PDP leader added that Governor Obaseki’s main concern was the integration of those who followed him to the PDP, adding that that was why the governor appointed only 11 commissioners out of the 21 the state normal has, with the hope that the old PDP would allow harmonisation and fill the remaining 10 slots and the remaining 218 other political vacant positions would be shared equitably.

“The NWC of the party should do something. Edo issues would have been resolved like Benue and Sokoto States if not for the in-house crisis that is destabilising Governor Obaseki.

“The man has begged, cajoled, threatened and done all possible things to make PDD harmonies, but for personal gains with 2023 in mind, the old hawks in PDP Edo are resisting, but sooner than later, the right thing will be done”, he assured

Idahosa therefore called on the governor and all stakeholders” to stop the unnecessary suspension and counter suspension forthwith”.

On that local parlance rallying cry of “Torgba” (it must complete) and “Ogbane” (it is complete) used during the 2020 gubernatorial elections in the state to secure a second term for Governor Obaseki, the political top shot bemoaned a situation where Edo citizens translated that to mean that because they supported the second term bid of the governor, the people could now act with impunity.

“I beg the pardon of religious persons, for us: Torgba and Ogbane are sacred words too, not word to place politics with, as it would amount to rubbishing our struggles.

“Anytime it rains or when wind blows away people’s houses, they will say ‘Torgab, Omagbane nia’ (we want it complete, it has completed), or when people build on flood channel, or right of way and such illegal building is pulled down as if the governor was re-elected to come and pamper their inadequacies or encourage them to flout town planning laws and become recalcitrant and lawless”, he bemoaned.

Idahosa explained that the rallying cry was enacted for the political liberation of the Edo people from the shackles of the godfathers, beginning with the late Chief Tony Anenih and in the last election to curtain Adams Oshiomhole, who fought Anenih as a godfather but wanted to play a godfather role.

“Today, every Edo man, particularly the Binis, have a sense of fulfilment that they dared the forces that the Godfather from threw at them I’m the last gubernatorial elections”, Idahosa submitted.

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