Nexus Between Orbih’s End of Year Party and 2024 Guber Race

By Elempe Dele, Edo.

For over 10 years consistently, Chief Dan Osi Orbih’s, the South South Vice Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, country home end of year party has become a firmament for the gathering of politicians, friends, natives and people from all works of life. However, this year’s offered something slightly different from what I have witnessed since I started reporting the get together party.

The difference was not in the quality of food and drinks that were massed on all the tables. Everyone had as much as they could eat and also take home. From my estimation, maybe 50 cows must have been slaughtered to host people from the all 18 Local Government Area, LGA, in Edo State. The difference was not also in the music coming from the local musicians serrending the atmosphere with melodies. No, it was not in the areas of cultural dances of Edo women nor those of acrobats who were masquerading in colourful attires.

The difference from other previously held parties in recent times was basically that the get-together offered a platform for several PDP gubernatorial aspirants to meet and fraternize with the people. All the very serious contenders under PDP where there present, and it was something of an opportunity for them to also share their campaign materials with members of the party there present.

Mr. Asue Ighodalo, Hon. Omorogie Ogbeide-Ihama, Hon. John Yakubu, Comrade Philip Shaibu, and Hon Felix Akhabue were all there in the rendezvous that offered more than just food and drinks, but some sort of parley, conviviality and felicitation.

However, Mr. Asue Ighodalo stole the spotlight in my own estimation as his presence at the get together party elicited some measure of surprise – something of a rare departure from the expected absence. No one expected him to grace the occasion so he ordinarily was the cynosure of prying eyes. Could this be real? You will not fail to sense those questioning feelings.

This surprise was not unexpected – there have been a long standing awkward and reciprocal ill-feelings between the Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and the host, Chief Dan Orbih, since after the 2020 gubernatorial election. So it was expected that Mr Asue, who people rumour to have the backing of the governor, to also continue distancing himself from the former Edo State PDP chairman. But this was not the case. He came, sat like every every single visitor, mingled with the people in the open air, spoke in a friendly manner when called upon to speak while his branded caps rented the air conspicuously.

While describing himself as a bona fide Edo State citizen from Ewohimi in Edo Central earlier this month, Ighodalo stated that he is nobody’s candidate but one who is ready to bring his multiple experience of serving as chairman of various companies to bear when he gets the approval of the electorate next year to govern the state.

If this visitation by Mr. Ighodalo is the beginning of severals to Chief Dan Orbih in the coming days and months, I will evaluate it as a good political move.