#Edo Decides2016—Every Man Is Important: PDP Must Unite To Win This August Battle
Considering the ongoing political tussle within the PDP, especially as it concerns the forthcoming Edo gubernatorial election, with Pst. Osage Ize-Iyamu and Hon. Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen in the saddle, one is forced to ask where the PDP is actually heading. I am an unrepentant disciple of the #MAIVISION, I am one of the earliest proponents of #AGreaterEdoState, a realizable vision that intends to free Edo from the slavery of underdevelopment and orchestrated youth unemployment; I therefore consider myself and my co comrades as critical stakeholders in the struggle.
There are friends of mine on the other side of the divide, who believes that #TheFutureIsNow, they also see themselves as major stakeholders, as a result, they are determined to see to a better future for Edo. Whatever the case may be, and whatever coinage we choose for our struggle, we share a common vision of an improved, industrialized, equitable, just, fair and egalitarian society, where every one can dream big and achieve it, get good jobs and contribute substantially to the sustainable development of our economy.
There is now a deadlock in our Great Party, the PDP, and majority of our people are not acquainted with the nitty-gritty of the matter. I do not intend in my humility to be the teacher here; our party ought to have a vibrant feedback mechanism to clear the air, if she must win this battle. For me, #Edo2016 ought to be more than winning election and sacking the APC; it should be an avenue for information, education, enlightenment and how we intend to do things differently if we are able to enthrone a new government this year.
The Holy Bible admonishes us that a house divided against itself cannot stand; the PDP is a great party, undoubtedly one of the greatest in Africa, she has been in the saddle of popularizing our nascent democracy for 17 uninterrupted years; she has brought fame, glory and establishment to our land, she is not however devoid of mistakes and imperfections. It is however on record that her good works may far outweigh her imperfections.
Edo State is no longer a neophyte in our political stethoscope; for many admirers and analysts, Edo is an untapped entity. Since her creation in 1991, successive administrations irrespective of party has found it uneasy to showcase Edo's untapped resources and imminent gains to the rest of the world; we have often had to scratch the surface, this is not enough.
The PDP still has a chance to right the wrongs in the eyes of watchers of our democracy; she has a greater chance of reclaiming Osadeby Avenue from opposition, but definitely not with the current arrangement, where the party is divided along personal and sectional lines. We are not comfortable with the unhealthy political brouhaha currently rocking our intellectual property (PDP), we therefore ask relevant stakeholders to tow the path of honour and stabilize the polity.
It must be stated that the way and manner the Edo PDP has run the establishment especially before, during and after the last primary election is very unprofessional, divisive and destructive of party structure. She has made no attempt to reach out to persons who believed they were shortchanged at the primaries hence the loss of Earl Osaro Onaiwu, Chief Solomon Iyobosa Edebiri and their teeming supporters; only Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen and Osagie Ize-Iyamu are in the saddle yet with so much infightings, accusations and counter-accusations.
Where majority of our leaders and members now pitch tent with Ize-Iyamu in the day and Iduoriyekemwen in the night with the hope that whoever the law and God favours they can still fall in, one cannot but conclude it is a game of stomach infrastructure. Our party has failed in the area of crisis management; no one candidate can win the election alone; Dan Orbih must wake up from his slumber if he thinks he can singlehandedly sack APC and Oshiomhole; Osagie must wear his thinking cap and personally reach out to his co. Anenih, Igbinedion, Ikimi, Omoaghe and a host of other oldies must begin to play the counsellor role and leave the stage for people with sharp brains and renewable energy. The Party needs the collectiveness of all aspirants to galvanize greater support for the election.
I must inform the PDP that if she thinks that mudslinging Gov. Adams Aliu Oshiomhole and trumping up propagandism and non-existent news items through biased media reportage is the way to go in this election, without a corresponding game-plan, then we are ill-prepared for the task ahead, the Party ought to have engaged young minds to come up with a detailed blueprint as to how she will go about her developmental endeavours should she emerge winner in the forthcoming poll. Since the APC have not been able to extensively articulate Oshiomhole's developments, the PDP which currently have nothing to campaign with ought to capitalize on her plan and avoid casting senseless aspersions on Oshiomhole who was once referred to as the messiah and the people's Governor.
Our Agricultural sector is extremely deficient, infrastructure is in short supply, there is dearth of functional primary health care facilities in our local communities, education is less-qualitative, there is increasing unemployment amongst the youth body, women are less-empowered thereby increasing the saddle on the shoulders of men, industries have long disappeared, Gelegele is a giant asleep, there is no federal and/or international presence in Edo State, the rural areas are largely disconnected from the urban, our roads are gradually returning to deathtraps, offensive smells emanates from our market squares, market women, shop owners and road side business operators are at the mercy of stoneface tax collectors, insecurity is prevalent and criminals are taking undue advantage of the vaccum, there is untold hardship in the land, and everyone is on a survival lane.
How does the PDP intend to ease the burden on the shoulders of the average Edo? These should be our selling point, rather we have taken to aspersions, mudslinging and propaganda as if that is the most modern method of winning election. Edo PDP youth and POI himself, are even more guilty of this unprofessional, senseless and worthless propagandist campaign. Let us change our orientation, see ourselves as one, irrespective of our political divides, return to power, remain one indivisible, inseparable, indissoluble Edos and administer good governance to our people.
MAI-POI may have been best of friends, but the current logjam is gradually eroding age-long relationship, because they, and their teeming supporters have allowed politics to determine their fate. However, the both of them have taken their political disagreement to the last hope of the common man (judiciary); this could have been avoided first by the party leadership, second by directly involved actors, where this was not, they must now subject themselves to the dictates of the court; God is law and law is God.
The import of this article is not to canvass support for my principal as I have tirelessly and selflessly done more than a year online and on land; but to bring to the fore the need for many of us who claim to be apologists of the PDP to show our selfless solidarity. Methinks the time to actually display uncommon commitment and determination to sack APC is now, irrespective of who flies our party ticket eventually. On the day of voting, we are not casting our votes for individuals but for party.
I have painstakingly studied the case, in as much as I may want to take side with my Principal whom I love and respect, I must not also be seen to support any act of arrogancy, impunity and usurpation if he chose to perpetrate thus; but this is not the case here. He is fighting a course to bring liberation, stability and development to our great party, same as Ize-Iyamu the Principal of my friends; whoever emerges at the court eventually ought to enjoy the support of all and sundry in PDP; but the party and her members online and on land will not be doing us any good if they continue to exalt or glorify a particular candidate over and above the other.
POI cannot singlehandedly defeat APC, he needs MAI vise-versa. My candid advise to MAI-POI is that they find a common ground to resolve their political squabbles at least for the sake of party and the betterment of Edo State. There must be a sacred resolve to work together according to the interpretations of the courts as that is the only way we will even be close to victory over and above the ruling APC.
For the sake of emphasy, Hon. Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen and Pst. Osagie Ize-Iyamu cannot win Edo 2016 election alone, they need each other to succeed; the PDP has a lot to do in this regard; and neither of them, I repeat, neither of them is the problem of the PDP. Pouring coal of blame on MAI-POI is of no relevance to the struggle.
I respectfully urge our PDP youth to look deeply and clinically into this matter and take an objective and uncompromising stand for the good of our party and the development of our land.
Oba gha t'okpere, ise.
Eseosa Morgan Ewere
Media Aide to #MAI