It no longer news that the Umbrella, which is the symbol of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) known mainly in Edo State as People Deceive People is in pitiable tartars and cannot be patched by any Obioma no matter how skilled.
The Presidential elections in the state was the death kneel that finished the party as its Presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan through some of his aides, allegedly gave the state chapter of PDP some mouth-watery N1.2 billion which was alleged by some irate youths to have been swallowed by its leadership, claiming that they worked for the party with the promise that they would be paid after the presidential campaigns but were surprisingly disappointed! This led to the free-for -that entire saw the youth wing chasing the party chairman, Dan Orbih and his lieutenants away from office for couple of weeks.
Since then, the Edo PDP has moved from one major trouble to the other. Now, majority of the party members want Mr. Dan Orbih booted out for misleading the party over the years and operating the party like his personal estate.
Weeks  after inauguration of the new  Edo House of Assembly and its leadership in June 2015, the PDP’s position of Minority Leader could not be filled, as all sorts of  letters were presented by the three elected members of the Assembly, signed by the three different opposition camps within the party. This indicates a party in disarray, confusion and hell bound.
Also, many PDP loyalists have accused Mr. Dan Orbih of plotting to perpetuate himself   in office as Chairman beyond his second term which expires this month. Some groups have emerged within the party to take him to the gallows should he dare to make any move for self perpetuation.
Not too long ago, a group within the PDP led by its former Deputy Governorship candidate, Barrister Johnson Abolagba and some leading Voices PDP accused the leadership of Dan Orbih for misleading the party for six harrowing years. The disillusioned leaders of PDP, mainly from same Senatorial zone with Dan Orbih, Edo North, under the aegis of PDP Adherents (Edo North Must Win), have consistently called for the dissolution of the State and local government executives of the party in Edo State.
In a letter addressed to the National leadership of the PDP in Abuja, the group called for the immediate sack of Chief Dan Orbih-led state executive of the party and other executives in all the 18 local government areas of the state. The letter, which was signed by Abolagba, S. S. Mayaki and 18 other leaders across the six local government of Edo North, and read to journalists at a well attended rally in Auchi, called for the constitution of caretaker committees at all levels to temporarily run the affairs of the party and organize congresses that will be totally free and fair.
Orbih and his clique within the party have been busy working out the best strategy to super impose himself on the party, a development watchers of events say would deal a fatal blow on the party in the state ahead of the next year Governorship election. An analyst within the PDP, John Ehimigbai said recently “If Dan Orbih dicards the party’s constitution and procedures to impose himself for a third term, he would have put the final nail on the coffin of the PDP and other members should just go and arrange for its funeral even before next year’s governorship election.”
Other groups opposed to the Orbih being imposed on the party again have warned of grave consequences. They paint a picture of the total destruction that Edo PDP might reap from a fraudulent rubber stamp of Orbih’s alleged self-perpetuation in power. They further warned that the party, which is presently suffering in Edo State directly from the loss of the Federal Government to the APC in Abuja and by extension the financial muscle and oxygen that had flowed in from Abuja before now, will not only lose thousands of members before the governorship election but would certainly lose the election, woefully, from such an action.
A group with the Edo PDP known as “New Dawn”  based in Edo South rose from its meeting weekend with a warning to Dan Orbih not to perpetuate himself in power even as they told him to feel free to contest for the chairmanship  if he so desires but that he must not impose himself on the party again.
Their main angst against him is that he is a habitual loser who has not been able to win any election for PDP in Edo State free, fairly and credibly till date. The major allegation against him, coming from some PDP faithful is that he was yet to give account of how about N1.7 billion provided for the state leadership as campaign grants and proceeds of sale of forms to candidates in the recent general election was spent.
Mr. Dan Orbih is also standing accused of unending soap opera in the state by making all kinds of unsubstantiated claims and foolish allegations against the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, a situation which has presented the PDP as a party of liars and wicked accusers. They say the regular media briefings where false allegations are daily leveled against the state government has effectively pitted the party against the people in the state.
One of the ‘Orbih Must Go’ campaigners is Chief Omololu Ojehomon-Ogbeni, a woman of great repute courageously campaigning for the ouster of Dan Orbih for constituting a head ache to the party in the state. In an online posting last week in the social media, Mrs. Ojehomon-Ogbeni said of the Edo PDP leadership, “The state exco is worthless. I think Dan Orbih will be better as the publicity secretary. He also cannot function as the treasurer, financial secretary, auditor and organizing secretary. In fact, such realities create a non-transparent environment.”
It is clear that the Edo PDP’s umbrella is in tatters and nobody can fix it as long as Dan Orbih holds sway and looks the other way while the rain keeps drenching those who seek refuge under the umbrella. Edo people have concluded that as far as the upcoming Governorship election is concerned, the All Progressives Congress (APC) would produce the governor and the comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomhole remains a great deciding and unifying factor.

·    Mr. Dan Owegie is a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Edo State.