Mohammed Omoatebu
Who else is in doubt what the ulterior motive is when Obaseki goes about chanting the dissolution of the PDP Exco in Edo State?
Rarely would a man who would want to be dishonest to you show his fangs in advance. And we sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin not to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a single word is spoken. And to me this was the relationship I had with Obaseki from afar. I was among those who were against his coming to PDP fearing that if he could do what he did to Comrade Oshiomhole, he can bite any finger that feeds him. And today, all is history with the old PDP that accepted him to their fold.
Yesterday, like some blindfolded politicians in the old PDP who however are not true core PDP members with electoral value, Chief Tom Ikimi, for nothing more than personal reason became the percussionist backing the orchestra for the dissolution of the PDP Exco and giving the same to Obaseki, the lordly governor who must be obeyed in the party whether his actions are constitutional or not. I wasn’t among those who were surprised at the position of existence of Tom Ikimi, he has a history of supporting deadly tyrants, Abacha and Buhari specifically.
In a very clear lacerating open show of dominance and subjugation, like a percutaneous procedure, the Obaseki’s list of commissioner as made public by the SSG, Bar. Ogie, was a clear vindication of Chief Dan Orbih and other old PDP stakeholders who are holding their grounds against the positions of the likes of Chief Tom Ikimi. Some people sighed relieves while others opened their mouths with awe, yet another group who thought themselves wise that if they support the governor in his open show of power against the old PDP, their names will surely feature in the over-one-year-list of great expectation were roundly disappointed but consoled themselves that this cannot be the final list.
I am one of those who sighed relieves because eventually the list did not only prove what the old PDP leaders had been saying all the while, it showed how much some old PDP members who have been insulting us for our resistances had all these while been manipulated to see the good guys as the bad guys and see the bad guys as the good guys. In psychology it is called Gaslighting. Gaslighting is a colloquialism that is loosely defined as making someone question their reality. The term is also used informally to describe someone who persistently puts forth a false narrative which leads another person to doubt their own perceptions to the extent that they become disoriented and distressed.
So many old PDP members, just like Chief Tom Ikimi, are disoriented, distressed, doubting their own realities by the persistent false narrative they were fed with by Obaseki concerning Chief DanOrbih and the dissolution of the state Exco. When the SSG was appointed by the governor which ordinarily in the spirit of fair play and justice would have gone to the old PDP, the governor’s camp, in a bid to blackmail Chief Dan Orbih, peddled the falsehood that when he was asked to forward a name for that position, he presented his elder brother’s name, something that never happened in a dream. Without the fortitude of hindsight, some of these willing old PDP members went to town like criers to retail the news. They took gongs and drums to all corners of the earth to tell it on the mountain that Chief Dan Orbih has committed a political sacrilege. They held their heads like mourners, announcing the abomination, denouncing Chief Dan Orbih. It was only the discerning minds that understood that it was a blatant lie from hell, he was never asked to present any name for the position, the governor knew from day one who he wanted for the position, let truth be told!
Now, an open sore has further been opened with the list of commissioners, the proponents of dissolution are disenchanted. They are mortified, their fingers are no longer pointing at the direction of Chief Dan Orbih, yet they are afraid to point their fingers where it ought to be pointed to for their misfortunes even when their tonal speeches are changing subtly. “No, this is unfair”, they said in unison. We are laughing last. That is how it is when you use your left finger to point to you own house to be destroyed by an enemy…you become a homeless looking from afar the demolition of your own home that was once your shelter.
When the governor came to get the ticket through appeal from PDP, his group begged that his deputy, Philip Shaibu, should be allowed to retain his position because not only he was loyal to the cause against his mentor, Comrade Oshiomhole, he will be the only person who was rural rugged enough to tackle Oshiomhole in Edo North. As expected, Shiabu did not only woefully loose Edo North, he was roundly defeated in his LGA by the impervious Oshiomhole’s formidable forces.
So to start with, by implication, the new PDP had two appointments ahead of the old PDP in the unfortunate and regretable wedlock – A wedlock that should not have been in the first place with these kinds of political characters.
Then immediately after the election, the governor, without consulting with the PDP stakeholders, went ahead to unilaterally appoint Bar. Ogie as the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, a position that was ordinary supposed to go for the likes of Hon. Paschal Ogbomhe, a member of the old PDP. And after that, two other appointments were made to fill the offices of the Chief of Staff and his deputy – all went to the new PDP. Meanwhile, within this scheming period when his intention was already known openly, the governor was still suing for the dissolution of the PDP Exco he met with the decoy of harmonization and integration of the old and the new. Deep within him, it would have been the final annihilation of the party if it was not resisted by those who were seeing through his shenanigans.
So as it were now, the Governor and his deputy are from the new PDP, the SSG is from the new PDP, the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff are both from the new PDP, all the 11 forwarded names for confirmation for appointments as commissioners are new PDP members. The other two appointments made; special advisers, are both from the new PDP.
Then sit your ass down as an old PDP member supporting Obaseki in this unfair and uncharitable political attitude and ask yourself what exactly has the old PDP gained from this wedlock so far apart from some few who have been oiled financially to speak rabidly; extreme and unreasonable manner, and or those who’s relatives or children appeared in the list of commissioners. These two groups can’t be expected to talk on the issue without being fanatical. Do not also forget that some family members of Obaseki, Dr. Don Pedro and one other, are holding key positions in the state already.
It would have been just and fair if the appointments were shared between the old PDP and new PDP in a manner that would suggest the governor actually want harmonization and integration as it was done in Sokoto and Benue States. As it were, he has shown that having been offered the ticket, his response is to threat the old PDP with total disdain and as a political chattel that ought to be discarded. And unfortunately for him, his regrettable actions will be repelled. Let him keep his appointments, we shall keep our party as one indivisible entity.
