The allegation of imposition of candidates in the recently-concluded primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Edo State is causing ripples in the party. The fall-out of the exercise is the ongoing supremacy battle which watchers of the development believe could thwart all efforts to keep the party as one.
Already, the party is divided along three different camps, with the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, having his loyalists who are allegedly trying to lord it over the camp of the State governor, Godwin Obaseki; just as the Speaker of the State House of Assembly is also believed to have his camp of loyalists within the plan.. Many residents of the state are really shocked at the ongoing battle for supremacy which has created a big gap in the party.
But in every battle, a winner must emerge. The super supremacy tussle between political leaders of the same party in the state is really worrisome just as the ruling party is even at a crossroads . The threat of defections by party members who felt cheated and short-changed in the just-concluded primaries is now real , with most of them openly expressing their dissatisfaction at they termed and believed was the imposition of party loyalists against the run of play.
On a number of occasions, the aggrieved members have threatened to quit the party and defect to where they feel they can get maximum recognition.
But for the swift interventions of some democrats within the party who have been courageous enough and able to convince them, they have decided to wait for a second chance perhaps to see if anything good could come from ongoing reconciliation. For the records, the party’s national chairman, Oshiomhole, was Obaseki’s boss when he was the head of Economic Team some eight and a half years ago. Today, the political apprentice who patiently understudied his boss is the governor.
Obaseki was a trojan in Governor Oshiomhole’s administration as Oshiomhole once described him as
the “software” for his usefulness to his administration. Iň fact, he was mostly involved in projects execution.
He was rated highly by his boss and was later to be his first and only choice despite the attempt of the party’s leadership to stop his ambition, but the boss had spoken.
In line with the expectation that he who pays the piper dictates the tune was established, Obaseki was expected to dance to the tunes of his master and boss. And not many of the political party’s members, irrespective of the affiliations, gave him a chance to take a decision on his own without consulting the Iyamoh warlord. They branded him Oshiomhole’s stooge. However, when a child attains adulthood, it’s
normal to believe that the parents respects his position as an adult.
Observers of the ongoing power tussle in the state are of the view that Oshiomhole must understand that governance is a collective effort and respect is reciprocal.They are quick to also remind him how he fought the late Chief Tony Anenih, who dominated the state political space during the Peoples Democratic Party’s reign.
As the National Chairman of the ruling party, they want him to learn how to concentrate
and deal with issues bordering on promises made by the party during electioneering time and should know that the Governor is the number one party man in his state and his decisions are significant and must be respected. There is the fear that the plots to reduce the capacities of the number one party man may turn around to hurt him and his co-travelers.
They are also quick to warn that if the personal interest degenerates further, it might cut the party off its
ideology while other parties might just will feed on this to woo the aggrieved APC members.
For a fact, Obaseki is believed to be ready for any threat to his second-term bid or his current office from the camp of the embattled National Chairman just as sources say that the governor is more concerned about completing the projects outlined within the tenure.
Stakeholders are, however, not perturbed about the personal differences between the duo but sincerely hoped that Edo politicians would strive to deliver democratic dividends irrespective of their interests.
