Obaseki Laughs Last

POLITICAL NOTES

The Supreme Court on Friday ended the leadership tussle in the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between Governor Godwin Obaseki and the National Vice Chairman (South-south) of the party, Dan Orbhi.

The suit is seeking the court order to authenticate the ad hoc delegate elections conducted by the Orbhi’s faction and to invalidate another one conducted by the Obaseki’s faction.

The court in a unanimous judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim said the appeal marked SC/CV/979/2022, filed by one Hon Monday Iyere Osagie of the Orbhi faction, said the appeal lacked merit because it is not justiciable.

The judge held that the issue of leadership by political parties is an internal affair and as such, the courts have no jurisdiction. He asked political parties to always adhere strictly to their guidelines, rules and regulations in order to promote genuine democracy.

Obaseki and Orbhi have been at each other’s throats over who controls the party in the state. The governor formerly of the All Progressives Congress (APC) decamped to the PDP, stood for the last governorship election on the party’s platform and won. He later opted to control the machinery of the party but met stiff resistance from Orbhi, an ally of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

By the verdict, the long-drawn battle between Obaseki and Orbhi over who leads the PDP in the state has ended as the Independent National Electoral Commission will now recognise the candidate produced by the former faction in the primary conducted in May. Both factions had held different primaries that produced candidates for different elective positions.

In every state of the federation, governors are usually the leader of the ruling party. But Orbhi with the backing of Wike thought he could rattle Obaseki and hijack the PDP structure from him, something he cannot dare in Rivers State where Wike is in charge of everything. 

Instead of working with the governor, he has by his action, messed up the ambition of many politicians who bought forms to contest for elective offices at the state and national levels. It is hoped that he would learn a lesson from the unnecessary fight.