Obaseki: Staying or Leaving PDP?.

John Daudu, Edo.

Now, Obaseki seems to have crossed the red line with PDP at the national level by willfully refusing to attend the PDP governor’s meeting which was held in Port Harcourt. And we must look deeply, with sufficient information, analyze what exactly is next for him in the party and others with critical thoughts bereft of sentiments.

I need not belabor the somewhat now regrettable story of how Obaseki joined PDP in 2020 with bended knees. What helped him were sentiments from propaganda sold to the masses especially when it became necessary to defeat Comrade Oshiomhole who was riding towards the forbidden mountains of Godfatherism. If Oshiomhole had allowed Pastor Izi-Iyamu to run without his direct input, the story of the election might have been different. All those sentiments worked because of Oshiomhole then.

Read more: Wantaway Obaseki Dares PDP, Refuse to Attend Port Harcourt Meeting.

The Wake and See, Eaton, and now the next Vice President etcetera are baseless! I challenged it at the time and still believe he is over-rated and not someone we should spend too much energy discussing at that level of governance. But let’s leave that sad part of history for another day as we look forward.

Obaseki has now shown confrontationally, even with the National Chairman, Prof. Ayu being present, that he is no longer a member of PDP or rather, he is no longer enjoying the community of the party’s stakeholders and governors.

Even with the ultimatum by the party that he must attend, out of fear that he will be chastised, rebuked, reprimanded, scolded, chided, or admonished by the PDP governors and leaders in Port Harcourt over his anti-party activities in Edo State, he still didn’t attend and there was no formal excuse from his office or the office of his social media handlers as to why he didn’t attend the all very important event.

Obaseki might be at crossroads and confused as well, but I don’t think he is as confused as not to be able to try to rock the PDP prospects of winning elections in Edo State.

His actions and inactions, as well as his lack of physical performance, have affected the party in Edo State to no small measure. And to add salt to these failures, he has created illegal parallel excos everywhere which he calls excos harmonization that is capable of bringing so much rift and violence during the primaries.

The revisionist of a governor has aided the destruction of party secretariats in LGAs like Oredo which has raised some red flags as to what should be expected during the PDP primaries.

The options open to Obaseki is to continue to be in PDP on the face value while he inflicts much destruction in the party within using state machinery and security agents. This is easier because some gullible supporters will remain with him to be doing his bidding. The other option open to him is for him to decamp openly to APC he came from since it is becoming difficult for him to continue to stay in PDP, lost his goodwill within the party, not in talking terms with most party national leaders, and unable to carry out his illegal clandestine activities in PDP the way he openly did in APC without any form of caution. From all indications, he has lost it in PDP if the truth needs to be told. (The National Working Committee of the party should take keen note of his activities so that if he needs to be expelled now from the party, the time is just now)

However, his attempt to move to APC will also meet with stoic resolve by members of the party in Edo State led by the Oshiomhole’s block. This powerful block has vowed never to accept him back into the party.

They said, without mincing words, that he can decide to move to APC at the national level, but not Edo State because of his atrocities in destroying the party in Edo State.

Recall he was the one that brought Oshiomhole down, denied 14 lawmakers in his own APC then from carrying out their constitutional duties up till today, and led the party to the abyss of the opposition in Edo State.

These actions, they said, are beyond pardon. The likes of Hon. Washington Osifo and Hon. Victor Editor can never want to see Obaseki eyeball-to-eyeball without someone being taken to the hospital for a broken nose.

And again, some said it will be difficult to admit him into APC at the national level now especially with his track record of betrayal. The party, they said, is going through upheaval and they won’t wish him to join to inflict more injuries that need healing before 2023. The Tinubu’s camp won’t take him into their folds as there is Oshiomhole there, and no other camp would want to take him because of his antecedent.

This apart, a source close to the party said they question his electoral value in the state from what they have seen from records on presidential elections and his inconsistency.

So now, Obaseki is trapped; he cannot move and he cannot standstill. He is torn between staying in PDP to try to destroy the party or moving to the unwelcoming hands of the APC where he might feel more of an outsider than a member of the party. Head or tail, as it seems, Obaseki has lost everything, including trust and integrity.