As the escalation of internal strife within the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepens, the legacy coalition, led by Chief Dan Orbih, the National Vice Chairman, Southsouth, has issued a stern warning to Governor Godwin Obaseki regarding his alleged move to impose a successor.
The political space in Edo State heats up in anticipation of the September 21, 2024 governorship election, the immediate past Edo PDP Chairman, echoing the sentiments of the coalition, adamantly declared that Obaseki would not have a free reign in determining the party’s candidate.
At a meeting held at his residence, Orbih said:
“The new group, Legacy Coalition, is made up of members of PDP before Obaseki joined us on June 19, 2020, some founding members of the party who earlier left, and politicians who came into PDP with Obaseki from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“With last Saturday’s victory of PDP’s Senator Douye Diri in the off-season governorship election in Bayelsa State, PDP’s governorship candidate can also win the September 21, 2024 election in Edo State despite having APC’s President Bola Tinubu, through proper planning, not minding the fact that Obaseki coming into Edo PDP divided the party.
“We have realised that we have challenges in Edo PDP. We have also realised that we have our destiny in our own hands.
“The next Edo governor, through your (legacy coalition members’) support will be somebody who will not ask you to introduce yourself before he will recognise you.
“We are going to have a governor who has been part of us and will remain part of us. We want a governor who will know the challenges that we are facing as a state and people.
“One of the reasons I am no longer as frequent as I used to be in Benin City is that each time I look at what we are facing today, I bleed in my heart.
“There was a PDP that was united in love, before the election of Obaseki, but he joined us and divided the party.
“With the faces here, I am convinced that the way forward for PDP to retain power is to elect somebody in this group as the next governor of Edo State.”
Charles Idahosa, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of PDP, expressed dissatisfaction with the brewing conflict between Governor Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu. Idahosa emphasized the need for effective communication between the Edo State PDP and the party’s national leadership.
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Furthermore, Idahosa criticized the apparent reluctance of some PDP leaders in Edo to denounce what he referred to as Obaseki’s “dictatorial tendencies.”
The dissent within the party’s ranks seems to be intensifying as key figures within the legacy coalition voice their concerns.
Notable members of the legacy coalition include two former members of the House of Representatives from Edo, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama and Sergius Ogun, along with prominent figures like Dr. Esosa Amadasun, a former Edo Women Leader of the APC, ex-Speaker Frank Okiye, and former Commissioner Orobosa Omo-Ojo.
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The coalition also boasts the support of Pascal Ugbmohe, a senatorial candidate of PDP in Edo North, and several former chairmen of local government councils.
