Furore Over Edo PDP Ad-hoc Delegates’ Election

Amid protests by some Peoples Democratic Party governorship aspirants in Edo State against the just concluded ad-hoc delegates’ election held ahead of the September 21 governorship election, Adibe Emenyonu takes a look at the contending arguments by the warring factions and the political solution recommended by the party appeal panel 

On Sunday, February 4, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State conducted an ad-hoc delegates’ election to pick three ad-hoc delegates that will on the 22nd of this month, pick the standard bearer of the party in the governorship election slated for September 21, this year.

Ten aspirants were cleared by the party’s National Working Council (NWC) to face the delegates in February this year, hence the need to elect three ad-hoc delegates from each of the 192 wards of the state, including one from each of the 18 local government areas (LGAs).

Those cleared to contest the primaries are the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu; Asue Ighodalo; Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama; Omosede Igbinedion; Anselm U. Ojezua; Felix Akhabue; Martin Uhomoibhi; Hafia Hadizat Umoru; Earl Osaro Onaiwu and Arthur Esene.

The ad-hoc delegates election has generated a lot of tension and bad blood particularly among the 10 aspirants who were cleared to contest the governorship election.

First, there was a division within the party between Obaseki’s group and the camp of the party’s National Vice Chairman (South-south), Chief Dan Orbih.

Orbih heads the legacy group. While the governor’s faction is rooting for Ighodalo, the Orbih’s camp is backing Ogbeide-Ihama, with the support of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT, Nyesom Wike. 

But because there is no permanent enemy but permanent interest in politics, the other eight aspirants, though with individual aspiration, have come together to fight even when they disagreed with Orbih’s choice.

During the screening exercise at Abuja, they wrote a protest letter seeking to disqualify Ighodalo by non-issuance of waiver for him to contest.

Efforts to reconcile the two camps in a meeting between Obaseki and the immediate past governor of Rivers State, now FCT minister, Wike, which was brokered by the Governor of Adamawa State, Umar Fintiri in Abuja, failed to achieve any results.

It was gathered that Obaseki went to Wike to seek his support but the later rebuffed him, saying that he (Obaseki) was never known to keep faith with those who helped him. 

Wike, according to a source privy to the meeting, stated that all he wanted was a level- playing field.

The next was the sudden withdrawal on the eve of the ward congresses by the Governor of Oyo State and Chairman of the committee, Seyi Makinde from conducting the ad-hoc delegates’ election. 

The tension further escalated as Makinde voiced his disapproval of using Obaseki’s supporters as electoral officials. 

In his disapproval, he raised concerns about the fairness and transparency of the congresses within the party.

Makinde’s last- minute withdrawal, it was learnt, was allegedly influenced by one of the G-5 governors that battled the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar during last year’s general election and scuttled his victory.

But if the other nine contestants thought that the withdrawal of Makinde would scuttle the congress, they miscalculated as the deputy chairman of the committee and Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, was immediately dispatched with other members of the committee to conduct the election.

 Speaking to party faithful at the George Idah Primary School Benin City, which was the collation centre for Ward 2, Governor Mbah said: “This is democracy where our people come to exercise their franchise; we appreciate this turnout; our party is known for its principles, which is fairness, equity and justice. I wish you all to conduct yourselves properly as we hold this election.”

At Ward-7, Ugbekun Primary School in Ikpoba-Okha LGA, Dr. Major Itemowe led others to conduct the exercise while in Oluku Ward, Kunle Koya from Lagos State, conducted the exercise.

Speaking to journalists in his Ward 4 Collation Centre, Idia College, Governor Obaseki said the crisis in the party was being over hyped, adding that it would not affect the outcome of the governorship election.

According to him, “you can see from the crowd here that the exercise was a success and a huge turnout.

“We had over 600 people coming out to participate here; our people are very politically aware and we are happy with this turnout to elect delegates for our gubernatorial primary and we are also expecting this huge turnout in the main election.”

On the resignation of Makinde as the Chairman of the Congress Committee, Obaseki said: “It is unfortunate that Makinde withdrew”, adding however, that there are three governors and Makinde was “the only one of the three who withdrew, which does not really remove the credibility of the process.”

According to him, “it is not just the process. What makes a process credible is the quality of participation and you can see for yourself; so, it is unfortunate that Governor Makinde had to take such decision but I hope that all our efforts to continue to unify the party and pacify all players would continue. “We are not deterred at all; we are going to make sure that PDP plays its role in the politics of this country.

“The crisis is hyped; it is not as fundamental as it is made to look on ground; there is very little crisis; the crisis is fanned from outside and our people are smarter than that. You will see during the main election; we are not going to allow ourselves to be sold.”

Speaking on the non-participation of members of the Legacy Coalition of the PDP, he said: “You cannot have a hundred per cent; clearly you can see the crowd here. When we were in APC before we joined the PDP, we didn’t have these numbers; so, clearly the people we met in the party are still in the party.

But the G-9 gubernatorial aspirants would not have any of this as they declared there was no delegate election in Edo. The group claimed that the rejection by Makinde to supervise the process was an indication of a compromised exercise.

Briefing journalists late on Sunday after the election, the aspirants alleged that the impunity of the PDP NWC, which they wanted Makinde to carry out was what they used Governor Mbah to implement.

Speaking on behalf of the nine, Ojezua confirmed that Mbah called the state deputy governor that he had arrived in Benin City and was awaiting the arrival of Governor Kefas of Taraba and asked to meet all the 10 aspirants for a briefing before the commencement of the congresses.

Ojezua said till 5 pm after the call, the nine of them were yet to hear from Governor Mbah and his team, alleging that they were in Edo State Government House filling original sheets for congresses not conducted.

He pointed out that up till the time of briefing, the nine of them had no access to the 5-man Panel, which has two state governors as members.

To redress any injustice and pacify any aggrieved person or persons, the PDP NWC is said to have set up an Appeal Panel. It was gathered through the state party Chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi that the essence of the panel which was expected to have commenced sitting on February 7, is to give those who are aggrieved the opportunity to table their grievances.

Amid the objections and rejections that trailed the election process from some quarters, some political observers have raised certain fundamental issues. which needed to be critically dissected about the last Sunday exercise. 

One is the identification of the actual stakeholders in the process.

Analysts are also of the opinion that what matters is whether those who purchased nomination forms were actually screened by the party national executive to contest the primaries or not.

Another critical issue to be considered is whether those who voted in the election and the persons who emerged as delegates are actual card-carrying members of the party and not ghosts who disguised as members, adding that otherwise.

They further argued that it is those who contested in the ad-hoc delegates’ election that should be the ones to challenge any perceived shortcomings in the process and not aspirants whose primary focus should be on how to woo delegates on the day of primaries.

Notwithstanding the canvassed arguments, the Senator Seriake Dickson-led Appeal Panel into the ward congresses election has called for a political solution to the crisis in the party.

Incidentally, the report of the panel dated February 9, and cited by THISDAY, however, shelved calls for the cancellation of the election.

The panel’s report submitted to the NWC though acknowledged the petition by eight aggrieved aspirants, nevertheless, confirmed that the results from all the 192 wards were signed by only two persons: the chairman of the three-man ward congresses Adhoc committee and Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah and Secretary, Pascal Adigwe

Though the Dickson panel took notice of the complaints of the aspirants that they were not carried along and did not participate in the ward election, the panel, nonetheless, expressed concerns that the party could not afford the cancellation of the election saying that based on electoral laws there would be no time for a fresh election, adding that even a fresh election may not be acceptable to other stakeholders.

Apparently aware of the panel report, the aggrieved eight have threatened legal action if their grievances were not addressed by the leadership of the party.

Speaking on behalf of others, Ojezua, in an interview, disclosed that they boycotted the congress, arguing that it is the products from the ward congresses that would be used to conduct the election. “So if you build on a failed foundation, the result would still be faulty at the end,” he said.

Whether the threat by the eight would work against the backdrop of the panel report calling for political solution rather than cancellation of the congress is something events of the days would determine.