Come September 10, 2016 eligible voters in Edo State would file out to elect a new governor that would succeed Comrade Adams Oshiomhole whose tenure expires in November. Ahead of that crucial election, the All Progressives Congress (APC)  organised its primary for all twelve aspirants and Mr. Godwin Obaseki was overwhelmingly elected as the party’s Standard bearer. The Obaseki  family is well known to Edo people and Mr. Godwin Obaseki is one of the fine brains behind the success of the Oshiomhole-led APC government in the state.
Who are his challengers for this election? They are not even known to Edo people. Edo people do not know who is contesting with him on the platform of the supposed main opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aka, People Deceive People. The  crisis tearing the party to shreds  took another dimension last Thursday as a  factional National chairman of the party, Sen Ali Modu Sheriff inaugurated five committees for the conduct of a fresh primary election in Edo State and they are dead serious.
Sheriff’s decision came just few days after another factional Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee, Sen Ahmed Makarfi announced Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the party’s flag bearer for the September 10, governorship election in the state. Factional Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff had declared the primary that produced Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as ” illegal and unconstitutional,” in a letter  he addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, which was co- signed by the factional National Secretary, Wale Oladipo, The PDP faction urged INEC not to give legitimacy to what happened in Edo, saying his faction would conduct a proper primary in the state.
Setting up the five committees, Sheriff cited Section 50(1) of the party’s constitution which he claimed was derived from the provisions of relevant sections of the Constitution and the Electoral Act, as basis for his action. The inaugurated committees include, Screening, Appeal, Ad-Hoc delegate, Ad-Hoc delegate appeal and the main Gubernatorial Primary. The faction has fixed Wednesday 29th June, 2016 (tomorrow) as its date for another primary to produce the Second PDP candidate.
The factional chairman did not end at that, he gave a caveat emptor to the PDP leaders in the state. He warned the state chairman of the party, Mr. Dan Orbih and other  officers of the party to desist meeting or having anything with the illegal Caretaker committee  led by Makarfi adding that anybody dealing with them does so at his or her own risk.
Meanwhile, the catastrophe plaguing the Edo PDP had divided the party even before the first primary organised by Markarfi’s faction.  The Director General of the PDP Governor’s Forum,  Chief Osaro Onaiwu had indicated his intention to contest the primaries of the party, but words reached him that the party had perfected plans to rig the primaries in favour of one of the candidates. Upon his investigations, he did not only find the plot to be real but one that will take the party nowhere. He had to dump the PDP and moved on. He had to resign his post of Director General of the PDP Governors forum to enable him actualise his political ambition.
After resigning from his post as the Director General of the  PDP governors’ forum, Osaro Onaiwu  is said to have pitched his tent with the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and his new party has confirmed his interest in the September 10 gubernatorial election in the state as he picked the form to contest the Edo gubernatorial election.

But  the crisis in the PDP did not just start now. Former Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Rowland Owie was said to have fallen out with a prominent Benin Chief and chieftain of the balkanized PDP  as they were on a full showdown over who becomes the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It was learnt that while  the Chief and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi had perfected  plans to anoint a candidate for the  party, Senator Owie rejected the choice of the candidate and insist¬ed that all the aspirants must be al¬lowed to go to the primaries and test their popularity. It was further learnt that  the situation led to serious quarrels amongst the interest groups at a meeting of leaders of the party as the Chief Dan Orbih-led state Executive were alleged to  be backing the same aspirant.

All efforts made to get other aspirants to step down for their preferred candidate failed at a meeting held  at Chief Orbih’s residence as three of the governorship aspirants in¬cluding Ize-Iyamu, Matthew Idu¬oriyekemwen and Chief Solomon Edebiri were present while Chief Osaro Onaiwu and  Senator Ehigie Uzamere were absent from the meeting when it became clear of the desperation to impose a candidate on them. Tempers were said to have been  heightened at the meeting when Chief Orbih informed the aspirants of the party’s intention to reduce their numbers to two. This comment angered Iduoriyekem¬wen who allegedly tongue- lashed Mr. Dan Orbih, informing him of his plot to manipulate the people in favour  of their preferred candidate and warned that such act will lead to the complete de¬struction of the party. That appears to be what eventually played out on the 20th of June at the Sam Ogbemudia stadium. It would be recalled that some members of the party led by Mr.  Ehi Osula, from Ward 12, had ran to the Benin High Court, urging it to declare as il¬legal, the continued stay in office of the current leadership of the party led by Mr. Dan Orbih whose tenure  allegedly expired on Septem¬ber 24, 2015.

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As it were, the PDP stands heavily polarized and divided and nobody knows who emerges as the second  PDP flag bearer at tomorrow’s second  primaries. The UPP on its part  has produced Musician Ambassador Nowamagbe as its flag bearer. From all indications, the coast is clear that an overwhelming victory awaits Mr. Godwin Obaseki come September 10, there is no disputing the obvious fact as the electioneering campaigns get underway in the state.


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