Edo PDP Crisis Looms: The Consequences on the Old And New Members.

By Elempe Dele, Edo.

It’s no longer a selling news item that the PDP in Edo State is ensnared in very deep lacerating issues that can affect their electoral fortunes come 2023 and 2024.

However, the depth, the bottom, the floor, the bed…of the consequences of the imbroglio is yet to be fathomed or comprehended and discussed in public fora. I would, within my understanding, do justice to the critical issues that are associated with the unnecessary crisis rocking the party in the state, the need for the National Working Committee to immediately come into it and resolve it amicably and the likely consequences if this is left unattended within this period that electioneering is kicking off in earnest.

As it is publicly known, the Party in Edo State had had their congresses concluded in the state in early 2020 and the result was ratified at the last year’s National Convention, which is the highest decision making the constitution of the Party. So there is no point in comparing the issue in Edo State with that which happened to APC in both Rivers and the Zamfara States. However, the party cannot continue to feel nonchalant about the happenings as if all is well; the Party’s boat can be rocked by traducers within.

The Party will need to consciously find a common way to put its house together at the state level so that this can percolate down to the ward levels as the complications within the party happen to be spiralling out of control.

First, the national body will certainly deal with the duly recognized Excos in the state as only their names are in their possessions and with INEC. Whether or not there are Excos that were harmonized are unknown to the Party legally and inconsequential. In law, something cannot be put on anything. So whether the Party eventually adopts the Direct or Indirect Primary in the state during the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate elections, the Party and INEC will deal with those duly elected as executives of the Party at all the levels. This was further accentuated by Prof Ayu’s lead NWC when it addressed the Ekiti branch of the party that is also going through a similar crisis, so I am not revealing any privileged information about the constitutional duties of these executives. And when this is done, the implication would be that the Old PDP or Legacy PDP members would have absolute control over the affairs of the primaries across the state.

Read also: Edo PDP Crisis Looms: Why Obaseki Should Not Receive Lagos APC Decampees.

Secondly, when it comes to the method to be adopted for the ritual rounds of choosing aspirants, if the Indirect Primaries are adopted, the Legacy PDP would also have the upper hand as they will majorly be the delegates charged with the duties to elect from candidates for elective positions. The Excos that came from harmonization won’t be able to carry out such duties as they are neither legal nor known to the Party and INEC. And on the other hand, if the Direct Primaries is to be adopted, which is very unlikely because of both the cost and for security reasons, the Legacy PDP members are more in numbers compared to the New PDP. So candidates supported by the Old PDP would likely emerge victorious compared to those supported by the New PDP.

Another angle to the issue as it will affect the New PDP in the state is the isolationist approach of the governor. He is no longer in a good working relationship with the Party at the national level. He deliberately has been avoiding the party. At the all very important meeting of the PDP governors in Port Harcourt recently were the national chairman of the party was in attendance, he was missing and no public statement was proffered as to why he missed it even when he was in Nigeria. Again, the governor also missed out in the Lagos4Lagos Movement rally where APC members officially decamped to PDP. These two events had proposed rumours that he was on his ways to APC, whence he came from even when he succeeds in denying the rumour often and often. And on this basis, the national will find it difficult, if not suicidal, to deal with him directly on elections matters.

And from the above, members of the New PDP who wish to contest elections in any of the 3 senatorial districts will therefore have an uphill battle to contend with to get nominated as the duty to do so basically rest on the shoulders of the Old PDP members as I had elucidated previously.

However, the Old PDP members who also wish to run for elective positions won’t be free from being unscathed too. They will face challenges both within and without. If this crisis lingers on till the period of elections, the New PDP, knowing fully well that their chances are slim and remote, might want to rock the boat by either disrupting the process or joining forces with the opposition party in those areas of interest to scuttle the winning chances of the Legacy PDP members. This has been prophesied as harmonized Excos have been created in most LGAs and wards basically to make primaries difficult for the party. Although parallel primaries might not be the case, however, the attempt and execution will bring clogs into what used to be seamless exercise.

And again, the continued infighting would have consequences on the fortunes of the Old PDP as their electoral values in most areas are depreciating. This is so because instead of developing strategies for winning the opposition, more and more efforts are deployed to wade off the unnecessary crisis within the party. So the Old PDP members are faced with two wars at the moment.

Another major challenge that the Old PDP members would face would be occasioned by the governor decamping to APC as being rumoured in some circles. Of course, he will now pledge allegiance to APC and will deploy all that is necessary to see the Party’s members win elections. However, whether the perpetually angry APC members will trust him enough and be magnanimous enough not to take pounds of flesh from him after they win even with his support in the event of him decamping would be another case for discussion.

It is therefore instructive that the National Working Committee immediately, as a matter of urgency, wade into the consciousness of those who are directly involved in this crisis to find an amicable solution to it for the winning effort the Party had in 2020 and in other previous presidential elections to be sustained. And this must be done in the spirit of equity, justice and Fairplay putting the constitution of the Party into utmost consideration.