Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo state has vowed to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the platform on which he won his re-election in 2020.
Obaseki said: “I will not leave PDP. I am the leader of PDP and by the grace of God, I will lead PDP well. Anybody that doesn’t want me to lead or does not want to accept my leadership will leave PDP for me.”
He spoke just as Edo PDP ratified the suspension of the National South-South Vice Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, Member of the House of Representatives for Oredo Federal Constituency, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama; Edo State PDP Secretary, Hillary Otsu; PDP Chairman for Oredo Council, Oduwa Igbinosun, and Chairman of PDP in Oredo Ward Four, Friday Enaruna.
The five national, state and local government officers’ suspension was ratified by PDP leaders from the state’s 18 LGAs and three senatorial districts at an expanded meeting of the party leaders in Benin, the state capital.
Governor Obaseki said: “There are people who have continued to feed you with lies. That is the nature of their politics, if there is no confusion they will not eat.
“Last year, when we joined you, we started a movement that has never happened in Edo before not even in our politics.
“If we go for election today, we will win by 85 percent. It means we don’t have meaningful opposition and if this is the situation, we should not create opposition inside.
“We are here to stay and invest in PDP. I am the Governor to join PDP last; and I was made Chairman of our e-registration process, so why should I leave the party?
“We came to meet PDP as a solid party, the only true party in this country while others are special purpose vehicles for elections.
“I said come let us harmonise and the harmonisation is to carry everybody along. We don’t need to lie in politics. Politics is a game of numbers.
“For one year I have been begging for us to harmonise, went round when we wanted to make appointments and the number of applications, we have been almost the same number with the petition we received, it shows we have not harmonised.
“I call all of you leaders of the party to come together to build a solid party. We won our election last year because of our cooperation.
“United will stand and divided we fall. We have been in PDP now for over a year.
“We can’t escape from harmonization if we want to go to the National Convention. I have almost 300 to 400 political appointments I want to make.
“People are greedy, politics is all about give and take. I appreciate PDP, we came, we won, we are not leaving PDP, will not accept any opposition within PDP, if you are not happy with my leadership, you can leave us.
“Let’s all of us harmonise, some local governments have done theirs, while some are still far behind.
“By this weekend, please complete the harmonization. I am here to assure you that there is something for everyone that has worked for us and continues to work for us.
“The important thing is for us to continue to grow our party.”
The motion ratifying their suspension was moved by Mike Nosa-Ehima, a PDP leader from Oredo LGA; and he was seconded by Sylvanus Eruaga from Etsako West LGA.
In moving the motion before the gathering of party leaders, Nosa-Ehima said: “All those that have refused to allow the party to grow are being suspended in the interest of the PDP.”
