Some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Edo State have cried out that the ongoing crisis between the state governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, might cost the party the forthcoming governorship polls next year.
They said if nothing is done to arrest the current crisis between Obaseki and Shaibu, the All Progressive Congress (APC) or Labour Party (LP) in the state might have an urge over the party.
Their fears stem from the recent rift between the governor and his deputy, OsunDailyNG reports.
Recently, Shaibu approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop an alleged impeachment plan by his principal, which Obaseki has denied.
Observer said Shaibu’s sour relationship with his principal might not be unconnected with his recent romance with the leaders of All Progressives Congress (APC), mainly when a video of Shaibu with Obaseki’s predecessor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, during the National Assembly inauguration in Abuja went viral.
Shortly after the video went viral, the deputy governor was relieved of taking charge of revenue collection functions in the state, a development he was not happy about.
Raising some concerns about how the feud might affect the party’s chances next year at the governorship polls, a top government official in the state who pleaded anonymity told The Guardian that “The fight, if not managed, will give the APC an edge in the coming governorship election. We hope they settle out of court and do damage control; otherwise, we would have again given our opponents the leeway to take over Edo State should the infighting continue.”
Another party chieftain also noted that the party was more divided than ever owing to the governor’s style of politics, which has left both the old PDP members (Legacy PDP) and the new PDP members helpless with the current situation.
He said: “We cannot help the situation, the PDP is factionalized under Governor Obaseki, and we have a governorship election next year. They have gone out to disagree a few months to the election. This may affect our chances again should the crisis escalate beyond this time.”
He expressed the view that the governorship election may not be easy for the PDP saying if the party doesn’t pick the right candidate and zone its ticket to Edo Central, the party may have cleared the way for a Labour Party victory.
The PDP chieftain further pointed out that Obaseki may not even be able to anoint any candidate or produce a successor because of the too much infighting under his leadership while in the APC and now PDP.
Meanwhile, a source close to Obaseki told the platform that reports about Shaibu’s impeachment are all false.
The source accused the deputy governor of boasting some two months ago of using former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s system in Edo. He also said that the hues and cry of Shaibu was a preemptive move to prevent impeachment and keep his position.
The source, who is the governor’s loyalist, said the deputy governor put out the story of impeachment because he (Shaibu) was aware of the zoning system in PDP, which he noted would not favour him. He added that Shaibu has been uncharitable to the party.
“He started his surreptitious move immediately after the 2023 presidential election by forming a campaign group in all the wards across the state. He is driven by his inordinate ambition. Comrade Oshiomhole, who handed it over to Obaseki, is from Etsako West, the same as the deputy governor, and he wants the governor to hand it over to him. What then happens to the other local councils in the North and then the Central too, which has never tasted power?
“Obaseki has told him that it is not time for politics so that governance does not suffer. He maintains that at the appropriate time, attention will be given to politics, but Shaibu is not ready for that and wants governance to be abandoned for politics. His move is to force Governor Obaseki into the trenches.
“He has insisted on Obaseki supporting him as the next governor. By this move, he is just unnecessarily afraid of his shadow as there are no plans to impeach him. He has shown that he lacks the courage to approach the governor and discuss his ambition with him. Instead, he is going about it in a surreptitious manner. The move is a defensive mechanism,” the source added.
