Chief Dan Osi Orbih is the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He is a long-standing leader of the party, who for many years held the position of Edo State Chairman and a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC). In this interview with TAIWO ADISA, he debunked insinuations that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is playing the role of a spoiler in the party, declaring that the minister is genuinely interested in pulling the party away from the precipice. He equally spoke on the planned coalition and the recent stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja, declaring that PDP leaders need to appreciate the minister’s commitment to the party’s growth. Excerpt:
How would you describe the current state of health of your party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
Let me put it bluntly, all is not well with the party at the moment and there is a need to fix the party to make it different.
You recently held a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, which Minister Wike, yourself and other stakeholders attended. Did the meeting come up with concrete solutions to the crisis?
Above every other thing, the meeting was a welcome development. It was called to urgently look at the state of the party and proffer solutions for bringing it back to life. Essentially, we also said that we are not going to be part of any coalition. Those who are driving the agenda of a coalition are those who have vested interest and they don’t really care about the party but they only care about their mission. Even if it means burying the party in the name of coalition to realize their ambition, they will do it without looking back and that is why those of us who are truly concerned about the state of the party are not joining them and have come out clearly to say the time to act is now. Let us come together and rescue this party from the path of self-destruction.
Now that the likes of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the others are pulling towards the formation of a coalition, don’t you think the party is heading towards a crash?
That is why those who genuinely love the party should speak out now, come together and see how we can rescue the party. The party will lose its identity in the event of their so-called coalition, and I don’t know how you can be genuinely interested in the party, and you are talking about a coalition. Why don’t you reconcile the aggrieved party members? The way to go is to reconcile the aggrieved party members, review where we are today and see what led us to the very low point we are now. That is the way to go, not embarking on a journey that has no direction and no destination, except for the selfish ambition of some individuals.
Some people would query the role of Minister Wike in this whole crisis. Some people would say he is a builder of the party; others would say his activities are hampering the stability of the party. In your estimation as a party leader, how do you see his role?
If we use the last general election to assess him, we will say he is one of the strongest leaders of the party. He delivered the entire Rivers State House of Assembly to the PDP. He delivered the entire members of the National Assembly to the PDP. He delivered the governorship of the state to the party and the local government elections to the party. How else do you want him to perform before you start giving him credit? He has always been there for the party and has remained committed. He has said it severally that he remains a member of the PDP and that vampires cannot chase him away from the party but he will rather fight and rescue it from the path of destruction.
Recently, there was an event in Abuja where President Bola Tinubu publicly said that Wike is a member of the opposition party, the PDP, but that he would be welcomed to the APC anytime he is ready. What happens if Wike decides to consider that open invitation?
It is not an open invitation to the APC by Mr President. The statement only confirms Wike’s position that he is not a member of APC. Of course, we are practising a presidential system of government. In America, where this system is borrowed from, sometimes you find out that you have a member of the Democratic Party as President, who will engage a very capable hand from the Republican Party to help build the nation and develop the American State. So, government is not about party membership but about engaging people with capacity to contribute to the running of the government.
So, what if Wike decides to join APC tomorrow, will the PDP not miss a major supporter who has been there for the party for a long time?
You can see that Wike is genuinely interested in making the PDP come back to life. He only wants to see the party do the right thing by zoning the 2027 presidential ticket to the South. We are not just saying we should rebuild the party, but also take some steps to reposition the party to be a formidable organisation that can vie for elections in the near future, and that is exactly what Wike is preaching. If he was like other politicians, he would have since resigned from the party. But he said he would remain in the party, fight and rebuild the party but not allow vampires to drive him out of the party. I must commend him for his determination to do everything possible to improve the fortunes of the party.
Elections are coming up next year and the convention of the party is supposed to hold very soon. Are you as a leader of the party seeing any light at the end of this tunnel of crises?
What happens in the next few months will answer your question. We have come forward to say this is the way for the party. It is now left for other leaders of the party to key into our roadmap towards rebuilding the party—making it stronger and viable.
It is worrisome that what the stakeholders’ group you belong to is saying is not in tandem with what the Governors’ Forum is saying. How would you react to that?
No. If you see the list of those who attended the stakeholders’ meeting, they are very critical stakeholders of the party. Are you saying that those who attended the meeting are not as important as any other organ that you are referring to? The governors were there but we also have critical stakeholders who have shown enough interest in ways and commitment on how to bring back the party to life and I feel that is more important. Of course, I believe you know what is happening in the Governors’ Forum and I think some of us will be able to speak to the leadership of that Forum. We have never had it this bad. On a daily basis, governors who are supposed to be members of the Governors’ Forum and strategise on how to expand the party are decamping. It has never happened before. So, I think members of the Governors’ Forum should go back to the drawing board and find out what is actually wrong with that body.
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