The political lobbying and jostling for ministerial appointment may have come and gone but the aftermath have continued to plague the crisis-ridden Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP). Aggrieved members have vowed to destroy the party ahead of the 2012 governorship election in the state. PATRICK OCHOGA, writes.
As the minister for works Architect Mike Onolememen settles to the onerous task of fixing Nigerian roads, his home state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in disarray over his appointment as minister. The build up to his emergence and recent developments in the crisis ridden PDP Edo State is a pointer to the fact that the journey by the main opposition party to make any impact politically may remain elusive. Key party members have continued to defect to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the State.
The choice of Onolememen, a one time minister of state for defence and a core loyalist to the former Board of Trustees chairman of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih – who is believed to have single- handedly nominated Onolememen for the plump job has further deepened the already polarized party, with the Dr Samuel Ogbemudia / Mike Akhigbes’ faction towing one direction and Anenih’s in the opposite direction.
Observers of political event in the state had thought that after the disappointing performance of the PDP in Edo State in the April general election, the party will put its house in order in a bid to wrestle power from the A C N in the 2012 governorship election. However this was not to be owing to the supremacy battle among candidates for ministerial and special adviser appointments which created crisis in some of the PDP controlled states in the Country.
The consequences of the brouhaha over the appointment of Mike Onolemenmen reared its ugly head recently when over 300 PDP members in Edo state decamped to the ACN in protest over what they described as the imposition of Onolemenmen, arguing that he is not the preferred candidate for the party.
Leading the decamped was the former publicity secretary of the Anehih – led faction of the party, Mr Nosa Adams and other party leaders in an elaborate ceremony at the popular Urokpota Hall in Benin in spite of the heavy down pour. Other aggrieved decamped included Adams Aliyu of the Labour Party, Mrs Grace Esemuede, PDP woman leader in Uhumwonde local government area and campaign director to Senator Daisy Danjuma, Samson Abu.
It was gathered that prior to the their defection to the ACN series of peace meeting was said to have been called by Anenih, the national leader of the party in the state as he sued for calm and understanding over the choice of Onolememen. The meeting, however, failed to achieve its purpose as aggrieved PDP members made real their threat to destroy the party ahead of the 2012 governorship election.
Few days to his decision to pitch tent with the ACN, it was learnt that Nosa Adams in company of Lucky Imasuen, a former deputy governor in the state had met with Chief Anenih popularly referred to as ‘the leader’ at his Asokoro residence in Abuja. Nosa Adams was said to told Anenih of his intention to dump the PDP on account that his interest was not being serviced.
While addressing the crowds that had gathered at the venue, the leaders of the decamped said the intractable, unending crisis and the recent nomination of Onolememen has further polarized the party, noting that a new faction has emerged as a result of the protest that greeted the minister’s appointment.
He stated that, “The leaders of the PDP are now used to denigrating and disparaging themselves, all in a bid to outsmart one another to the detriment of the general body and well- being of the party in Edo state. Looking at this development and having consulted with the vast majority of my political supporters and admirers, we have come to the conclusion that to remain in the PDP is like remaining in a ship that is sailing towards Bermuda triangle or a ship headed to the rock. The uneasy but inevitable decision I have taken today is with the full support of my supporters and followers who had consistently mounted on me to leave the moribund and retrogressive one man business called the PDP in Edo State.”
He disclosed that notable PDP members like Professor Julius Ihonhvere and Ken Imasuagbon, who had contributed immensely to the development of the party are being frustrated to leave the party with the grand plan to cede the governorship of the party to Edo South in a bid to pave way for the much touted Rtd. Gen. Charles Arhiavbere who recently retired from the Nigeria Army.
“ Ihonhvere has been zoned out of the governorship race in the state by just one or two people. Someone like Imasuagbon has done so much for the party but then some people will just sit down and say they have zoned the governorship to Edo South. As to where we are going we will politically align ourselves,” Nosa said.
At the venue where he joined the CAN, he added that, ‘ I used to be the spokesman of the PDP in Edo state I apologize sincerely for all the bad things I have said about Governor Oshiomhole . I am sure and I believe that wool was probably put across my eye and a needle was used to close my ears. I didn’t see the monumental development and I didn’t believe or hear the unprecedented service to the cause of the people of Edo State. Now I know better, my amiable distinguished, fearless, courageous and erudite governor of Edo State.
“Today I renounce and abandon, I jump out of the sinking ship which is the PDP and to join the ranks of progressives led by Oshiomhole who rose through the ladder of progressivism. Am here to join the progressive train of Edo state , I want to tell you that we are not here to drag for anything but to join the progressives in moving Edo State forward.’’
But the PDP in the state has described the defection of Nosa Adams to the ACN over the heat generated by the appointment of Onolemenmen as a “good riddance to bad rubbish” adding that the defection does not in any way spell doom for the political fortune of the party.
The Edo state director of publicity and strategy of Party, Ikhedia Ihemepken, in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP in Benin, said “I want to say briefly that the appointment of Onolememen is a well deserved one. Of all the people that vied for the appointment he is most competent both in qualification, hard work and dedication to the party. He is a foundation member of the PDP and worked from the ward to the presidential election and delivered.
“Apart from Anenih from Uromi he is the leader of Esan North East and he delivered everywhere. How can you compare him with those that failed to deliver their booth? So nobody is leaving PDP that is of significance to the party. It is just that politics is a matter of inclusion and not of exclusion, otherwise those who have left PDP, what is their pedigree? They all lost their booth. How can you call yourselves leaders and you cannot deliver your booth? So, as far as am concerned, nobody has left PDP.
‘Before Nosa Adams left, he was already a liability to the party.How can you have a tailor or a carpenter to be your publicity secretary? Someone who cannot even decipher between a news conference, newsletter and press releases. My position as director of publicity and strategy is not enshrined in the PDP constitution, it is just a proviso in case when thing fail you can makeup. We are happy that the bad ones are leaving the PDP and we are praying that more should leave so that we can know who the real PDP members are,’’ Ihemekpen asserted.
On the speculation that the party had ceded the governorship ticket to Edo South to the detriment of other aspirant to pave way for Arhiavbere, the PDP stalwart said the rumor may be true in principle but quickly added that the party is yet to meet to take an official position on that.
He said that, “I want to say hypothetically that every political party tries to seek for position to a greater advantage. Before now you will be tempted to say that why don’t you give it to Edo central but some people have come to say it is a regimented leadership, we don’t believe that there is any government in Edo. As a matter of policy I won’t say the party has sat down to take a position on it but I also want to say that the party will zone the position to an area of greater advantage. If the party zones it to the North, it means we are taking the battle to Oshiomhole’s background but we might be leaving a big flank open which is Edo South, so zoning it to South, hypothetically may be correct.”
LEADERSHIP, however, learnt that ahead of the 2012 governorship election both Professor Julius Ihonvbere, and Ken Imasuagbon, both governorship candidates under the PDP platform are believed to be perfecting arrangement to dump the party for the ACN following the ceding of the governorship seat to Edo South senatorial district.Both hail from Edo Central and North senatorial districts, respectively. They have denied the move as untrue. Imansuagbon who contested the governorship ticket under Action Congress with Oshiomhole may shock the PDP in the few weeks to come. For the PDP in Edo State, as another election creeps in, it is another bag of controversies. Will the party ever get its axe right in this State?
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