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POLITICAL TSUNAMI HITS EDO STATE!!
 The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State which has in the past four years battled a terminal ailment of internal crisis finally succumbed to the chilling hands of political death yesterday, following a historic political tsunami at the overcrowded Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City where the remains of the PDP was literarily buried.
It was the beginning of a new dawn in the politics of Edo State, as six local government chairmen elected on the platform of the PDP and Political leaders with their teeming supporters numbering over Five thousand publicly dumped their party to pitch tent with the Action Congress (AC).
The decampees from the three senatorial zones of the state that includes two Vice Chairmen, Two leading transporters in Benin City, hordes of PDP office holders, such as the Deputy State Chairman and Senatorial leader for Edo Central, former local government chairmen, party chairmen and a former member of the Federal House of Representatives were among the over five thousand party loyalists that jettisoned the PDP for AC, a development that clearly ended the reign of ‘Mr. Fix It’, as the defacto god father of Edo State politics.
Those who left the PDP include: Chairman Etsako East Mr. Stanley Odidi and all ten Councillors, Chairperson of Ikpoba Okha Local Government, Mrs. Itohan Osahon and several Councillors, Others who mounted the podium and spoke about the liberation they have got from the oppressive leadership of the PDP and the beginning of good things to come to Edo State include the local government chairman of Egor, Hon. Crosby Eribo, the acting chairman of Oredo local government, Hon. Gbajumo and his supervisory councilors, the chairman of Ovia North East local government, Hon. Faustine Ovenrioba, the Deputy state chairman of the PDP, Edo Central, Chief Henry Okhuro, Chief Goddy Edosa, Chief Osamede Adun (Bob Izua)and a host of others.
The list of defectors also included party leaders from the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, but the worst hit was the PDP and a mock coffin bearing “Rest in Peace PDP” was carried shoulder high round the stadium by AC supporters.
The Chairman of Etsako East Local Government, Hon. Stanley Odidi who moved over to the AC with all ten Councillors and members of the Council Executives as well as members of the Party Executives in the local government area declared that henceforth the entire local government will be for Action Congress.
“My work starts from today to inform the members of the PDP who are yet to see the light to open their eyes to see the light in the AC” he said adding that, “we are very proud of the good works of the governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and we want to join him to carry Edo State forward.”
The Chairperson of Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, Mrs. Itohan Osahon disclosed that she is happy that she has been liberated from the PDP into the AC where there is no discrimination.
The Chairman of Uhunmwode local government area, Hon John Obaze, said he took the decision to abandon the leaking umbrella of the PDP on his own volition, free will, without any compulsion from anybody and as an adult he says he is old enough to see the wind of change.
A woman leader of the PDP, Chief (Mrs.) Evelyn Igbafe, noted that in the spirit of the founding fathers of the American Nation which gave birth to the American Revolution, a people have a right to change their form of Association when they are confronted by intolerable usurpation, transgressions and violations and opt for freedom. She remarked that she owed no one any explanation for quitting the PDP.
A former member of the House of Representatives, Chief Sunny Aguebor in a practical demonstration, displayed a torn umbrella and asks that if the rain is falling the leaking umbrella is as good as useless therefore it should be thrown away and he also set the PDP flag on fire.
The Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who was visibly in high spirits with the haul of decampees from the PDP, commended their courage and he assured them that they have equal opportunities with the other members of the party.
“The good thing about the AC is that there is no one god father who decides who becomes what rather it is only the members of AC who decides who carries their flag. I want to assure our brothers and sisters who have joined us that they have not made a mistake and they will not regret”, he noted.
According to him, “ we must together fight to expand the democratic space to practice democracy and to ensure that at the end of the day Nigeria joins the club of civilized nations where one man one vote is the rule”.
He disclosed that when he joined politics and made himself available for the office of governor two years ago, he made it known that there will be a fight against godfatherism stressing that in a democracy there should be no place for godfathers.
The governor disclosed that whereas the godfather in the PDP could not fix the problems in the PDP, the water and roads problems in his domain, within a year, the government under his administration has restored the principle of democracy and popular participation.
He said it has been demonstrated that in a democracy it is the people that are master, adding that “today right in Uromi all the godfather’s key men have decamped to the AC not only to renounce godfatherism but to accept and join the democratic forces to preside over the political funeral of the godfather.
On the imposition of a party chairman for the PDP in the state, he said, people should begin to ask question where the chairman was elected.
“How can a political party appoint a chairman as military generals appoint military commanders? Where was Chief Dan Orbih elected? Oshiomhole asked rhetorically. The venue, he said was the bedroom of the godfather at Uromi”.
According to him if Nigeria Democracy must grow, the starting point is internal democracy, and if a man who will not allow members of his party to elect the party chairman will such a man submit to the rules of INEC.
Among AC leaders present at the rally were national officers from Abuja which include, Senator Ben Obi, who represented the AC national Chairman, the National Secretary, Alh Usman Bugaje, and Chief Tom Ikimi amongst others.
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