PDP is dead in Edo

FORMER governor of Edo State, Oserhiemen Osunbor has lambasted Chief Anthony Anini and the Edo

State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for his removal as governor of the State.

  Senator Osunbor who was giving reasons for quitting the PDP, after using its platform to become a Senator for eight years and governor for 17 months, said in an interview that he taried for a long time before he joined the All Progressive Congress (APC) because of the benefits he enjoyed under the PDP

  Osunbor accused Chief Anini of removing him as the PDP Governor of the State as well as, encouraged Governor Adams Oshomole to contest his election in the court.

  He linked several perceived  atrocities and injustices allegedly done to him by the Chief Anini controlled PDP to his reasons for quitting the Party which brought him to prominence.

  "The PDP became so arrogant, doing things that are unamenable to democracy, arbitrarily changing delegates from delegates list. I became so dissatisfied because of lack of internal democracy in the Party", Osunbor recounted.

  The former governor who said he wanted to come back to contest the Gubernatorial position in 2016,also  made allusions to having monetary squabbles with Chief Anini, which he said contributed to the face-off between him and the former PDP Chairman Board of Trustees.

  Osunbor boasted that PDP is dead in Edo State, stating "If I am given a Guber ticket under APC, I am already a Governor again.

  He however threw more light on the power of President Muhammadu Buhari to meddle with  the contentious issue of State - Local Council joint account, and ruled out the right of Mr. President's interference. He said the President could only use the ICPC to checkmate the abuse of the account by the State governors.

  However, in sharp reaction to the allegations made against the personality of Chief Anini and the State PDP, the Edo chapter of the Party has slammed Osunbor for  maliciously revisiting a political past that should have been better forgotten when he spoke on the so-called money quarrel between him and Chief Anthony Anenih.

  The Edo State Party Chairman, Chief Dan Orbi said "Since Osunbor had decided to dance naked by his unsavoury narrative, it is only proper to recall and put the event that happened in 2007 in context so that Nigerians in general  would not be deceived by the one sided story told by a man who is still in pains over how he allowed power to slip through his fingers as governor. "Contrary to the impression he has created that Anenih was instrumental to his loss of the governorship seat, his misfortune was deservedly self inflicted.

  The PDP Chairman recalled that Osunbor was a Professor of Law at the Lagos State University (LASU) from where Anenih, acting on a recommendation by some associates, got the powers that be to nominate him into the 1994-95 Constitutional Conference. Strengthened by his belief that Osunbor did well at the Conference, Anenih decided to procure the nomination form for him to contest election to represent Edo Central Senatorial District from 1999-2003. Anenih funded the entire electioneering. He also ensured that he was returned unopposed for a second term in the Senate from 2003 to 2007.

  "Strapped Osunbor was offered the gubernatorial ticket in 2007. It was Anenih, after the most popular aspirant Odion Ugbesia had been prevailed upon to withdraw from the race, who directed his delegates to cast their votes during the December 9, 2006 governorship primaries for Osunbor at the expense of Professor Julius Ihonvbere, who was next to Ugbesia and more popular than Osunbor. That was how with the solid support of Anenih, he emerged as the PDP gubernatorial candidate and went ahead to win the 2007 governorship election.

  Chief Orbi who was responding on behalf of the Party continued "No sooner did Osunbor become governor than he began to challenge Anenih for control of the PDP structure in the State. He resorted to biting the finger that fed him. Perhaps, unknown to him, Anenih was not new to political treachery, confrontations, disloyalty and accusation of being high-handed by some of his followers. With God on Anenih's side, the plot by Osunbor to use his office as governor to humiliate him did not succeed. Osunbor's action was indeed shocking to many of us who were watching the development then. "That Osunbor could allow some forces within the party to incite him against his mentor, a man who almost single-handedly helped him into political prominence was awfully painful.