By Enofe Chris
YESTERDAY, as suspected, news filtered in from APC that Bar. Anslem Ojezua, the former factional APC Edo State Chairman and now a member of the New-PDP, had been made to chair the illegal harmonized Excos in Edo State PDP under the hatched plan of Governor Godwin Obaseki who has since been bent on going on with the clandestine machination of creating the illegal entity in PDP.
This was headlined without a major verifiable source however laughable it was, there might be elements of truth in the story.
First, the idea was mooted by the governor as advised by members of the New-PDP immediately after the 2020 victory that the original PDP Exco be dissolved so as to accommodate the few members of APC that decamped with the governor. The idea was resisted by staunch legal and moral brickwalls erected by Chief Dan Orbih and others.
That desolution was immediately discarded as all efforts to appeal to the Secundus led NWC to intervene for Obaseki in this regard failed. The desolution of the Exco was to pave way for Bar.
Anselm Ojizua to become the chairman of the PDP in Edo State as it was rumoured then since he was among those who helped the governor to destroy APC.
So when the news came in again about the development, Bar. Anselm was quick to respond in an interview granted SPARKNEWSNAIJA on Thursday that, “am not aware of any arrangement of that nature,” and went on to reel that which was against the reality on ground.
He claimed the party in Edo State was united, focused and supporting the administration of the governor. This is far from the truth.
The New-PDP is not allowing the party to be focused due to its penchant for divisiveness and the intent to dominate members of the Legacy PDP, which is being reportedly resisted and rebuked in all the LGAs.
Secondly, he said the harmonization process is being supervised by the State Chairman, Anthony Aziegbemi; the objective being to guarantee PDP is the only viable political party in Edo State. This again is far from the truth and the truth is not in the ex-decamped chairman, if he really has decamped.
Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi is not supervising any form of harmonization in PDP legally, what he is doing as a matter of fact, with the aid of the governor and his aides, is relentlessly bringing confusion into the party, causing disarray, disorder, disorganization, disruption, disturbance, anarchic conducts, estrangement…Anthony Aziegbemi ought to be the custodian of the constitution, the ethos, the principles, the spirit, standards, beliefs, ethics, attitudes…of the party in Edo State. Rather, he has joined strangers who are well-known destroyers of political parties and betrayers of goodwill, to destroy PDP with the illegality called harmonization.
Anthony Aziegbemi cannot claim he is not aware that the said Exco harmonization, which the NWC frown at seriously, is illegal. He cannot claim he didn’t hear the warning from the extwhile NWC, he cannot claim he didn’t read about the warning issued by the Ayu’s led PDP National Working Committee against harmonization in Ekiti recently. One will wonder why he is being led to continue towards this violation of the Party’s Constitution and rules.
Sometime last year, in a bid to subject Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi to the whims and caprices of the governor, he was blackmailed with the embezzlement of about 7 million Naira he was given by the governor and was summarily suspended until Chief Dan Orbih, the PDP South South Vice Chairman, rescued him from the plot. Ideally, he should have known the kind of character he was dealing with – a governor who could secretly record him while receiving the said money.
Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi ought to be aware by now that as he ends his ‘one term tenure soon’ by the grace of the party leaders and would be delegates, he is the target of the Governor. He ought to be aware that even when he follows the governor all about to occasions, he is never introduced or written about as the PDP State Chairman. He is lurking under the shadows of the governor with fear and trepidation.
Bar. Anselm Ojizua cannot claim “there is no faction in the party and there is no rift between the party and the state government, as the governor, the leadership and stakeholders of the party are in good working relationship in their service to the people of Edo State.” Is Bar.
Anselm not aware the illegal harmonized Excos that are in LGAs? Is he not aware of those which the Chief of Staff, Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha, inaugurated recently in the 10 wards of Oredo in the comfort of his home as if the Party is a motor park affair as they used to do in APC?
Will he deny not knowing all the legally elected Excos members in the 18 LGA are not with the governor in his destructive mission that has been failing?
What is the governor’s relationship with the three senatorial leaders and their Excos?
Which leadership and stakeholders of the Legacy PDP exactly is Ojizua talking about? Those who are in support of his actions because of crumbs?
Bar. Anselm Ojizua, who was then known as the ‘Under Tree Chairman’ while in APC in their latter days in the party should direct his warning darts towards his mischievous co-travellers in PDP to desist from the wild goose chase of creating unwarranted tension through illegalities in the Party.