•Says PDP strong, vibrant in Edo

From Tony Osauzo, Benin

Former minister of Foreign Affairs and National Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tom Ikhimi, yesterday, assessed the All Progressives Congress (APC), from its formation in  2014 and noted that the party has deviated from its original purpose and ideology.

Speaking at the Edo State stakeholders’ meeting in Benin City, Chief Ikhimi said: “My assessment is that the APC was hijacked by some forces and converted into a structure that was not of the best interest of our nation. We are all witnesses of their operations so far and indeed the disaster that we are going through.”

He said at formation, the APC was expected to act as an alternative to the PDP that held the reins of power at the time, like the United States and Britain with strong two party systems but stated “that party is now a collection of people possessing only personal interests.”

Chief Ikhimi further noted that “despite the grave difficulties that our country faces today under the APC, it seems that all we are now presented with are just the desperate efforts to destroy the PDP so that the country may become a one party dictatorship,” adding, “it is very clear to me that the only way forward for our country now is the survival of the PDP.”

He said with the successful and appropriate adjustments at the highest leadership level, which was currently ongoing, he believed all will be well with the PDP and the country in a non too distant future but noted that no organisation, political party or country, can progress smoothly without obeying established rules and regulations.

The PDP national leader stated that Edo State is a key state in the South South region, which has been a key PDP region with all the  six states in PDP for a long time but lamented that some persons with personal ambitions were committed to destroying  PDP’s unity and strength in the South South region for a mess of portage.

“This stakeholders meeting is very important indeed. It conveys a very clear message to the country that the PDP in Edo State is strong and vibrant”, Chief Ikhimi stressed.

Alluding to the defection of PDP members in Delta State into APC,  the former Foreign Affairs minister said: “The APC attack on the South South Region has been intense recently. I have seen in the press, reports of the defection of our Delta State governor to APC and this also included the defection of his predecessor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa to the APC as well. I am aware of the route we took in the PDP to give Governor Sherrif Oborevwori the ticket of our party as well as to give his predecessor the vice presidential ticket.

“All that I can say now is that it is indeed very early to express too much regrets. It is not out of place to say that the people of Delta have not yet spoken, recalling that in 2023, PDP lost Delta massively to Senator Peter Obi of Labour Party, a candidate with no governor at that time.”

In his comment, a former governor of the state, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, said there are only two political parties in the country, the PDP and the rest of them.

He said democracy is not the ability to crush but woo people to your side and urged members of the PDP in Edo State to use their mouths to market the party.

On his part, the candidate of the PDP in the September 21 governorship election in the state, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, said despite intimidation, he won the election hands-down and vowed that “we will fight the battle till the end of the day,” in reference to the ongoing electoral legal battle.

Earlier while acknowledging that the PDP was experiencing some difficulties in the state, the state Caretaker Committee Chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, said the issues will bring the best out of the party.

“The future is so bright. We are on the right track. Don’t worry about those leaving us, they don’t have PDP at heart. We have more content than those people, we have integrity, we are very  united in Edo,”  Aziegbemi said and accused the APC of using coercion and government machinery to drag people from the PDP.