There Is No Way Governors Will Lead Secondus By The Nose —Orbih

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih in this interview with TAIWO AMODU in Abuja, speaks on the newly elected National Executive Committee’s members of the PDP and involvement of governors in the party.Excerpts:

THE PDP  convention has been won and lost. Certain aspirants and chieftains of the party have been squealing against its outcome. What is the way forward?

Well, let me start by congratulating all those who participated one way or the other in the election—those who offered themselves as aspirants for the various elective positions.  I also want to commend the National Convention Committee headed by  Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, for a very good job.

From what I witnessed it was one of the best organised conventions that has ever taken place by any political party in this country.  The whole thing was done in an orderly manner; people filed out to vote and we also stayed back to watch the process of sorting out of ballot papers and the counting and declaration of results. It was a well organised convention.

You insisted it was well organised, but aggrieved aspirants, the like of Professor  Tunde Adeniran decried the distribution of Unity List, which he likened to imposition, the impunity that characterised previous processes in the party.  What is your take?

Well, I saw so many lists on election day. There was a list that was being shared at convention ground by Adeniran’s agents. They called it Adeniran’s Progressive List. So, there were so many lists, but one interesting thing was that I never saw anybody, putting pressure on delegates on who to vote for. What we saw was that delegates wrote their preferred candidates and voted freely without anybody putting pressure on them.

I don’t think there was any guideline that said people shouldn’t interact on convention day, even people were sharing handbills with their pictures and their names boldly written. Is that not like giving a list?  Why  should anybody now complain about the Unity List? There was Adeniran Progressives List and I have a copy of that, that was shared with different people for different positions.

I think what  those people who were sharing lists were trying to do, look, when you have about over 20 elective positions people either campaign in groups or they have one common bond,  believing that they can work together as a team and when such people write out a list and give to you, you are at liberty to either take the list or reject it.

There were different lists  altogether.

But there were insinuations that the Unity List was very tempting, that delegates were financial induced. How do you react to this?

I didn’t see anybody giving any delegate money, either before or after casting their votes. You see, some of these statements and allegations are the usual fallouts of a convention of this nature that was very competitive.

One thing that you cannot wish away is that since the Jos Convention, no party convention has been as competitive and challenging as the one just held. It was like people were running for a general presidential election.  Advertisements  were running on television; the social media was agog with convention aspirants presenting themselves. To me, there was only one winner at the end of that convention and that’s the PDP as a political party.

There was only one winner?

Yes.

But how do you as  a party  intend to placate those who feel aggrieved and are alleging the process was rigged?

I believe that in the true spirit of sportsmanship and party loyalty, they will definitely come together and join hands with the elected executive to ensure that we secure victory for the party come 2019.

Let’s attempt a post-mortem. Why did the South-West lose out?

Well, looking back, seriously, I don’t think it was a good strategy for South West to present the number of aspirants they paraded for that position. Unlike the South-South which had only two, and about a week to the convention, the leaders of the South-South zone met and they X-rayed the two candidates and threw their weights and support behind Prince Uche Secondus.

I think that was the difference between the South-South quest for the chairmanship position and the South-West interest for same position. Whereas  they had so many numbers of people aspiring for the position, the other had two and even before the convention, they officially said they were backing one.

But certain chieftains of the party from south-west are of the opinion that the zone lost out because those that call the shots in the party are of the opinion that PDP doesn’t have a strong footing in the zone. So, why should it produce the national chairman. Was that the thinking?

Your question is speculative. You know several people were elected from states that don’t have governors. So, the issue of those who call the shots being the governors is unfounded.

Don’t also forget that the chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum is from the SouthWest. So, it isn’t correct for people to just speculate because of what has happened and tried to adduce reasons that are unfounded as the reasons why the zone lost out.

I have come out clearly to say that it wasn’t a good political strategy to see so many people from the South-West contesting the position, whereas the other zone was bound to have an advantage with just two people and for the leaders to come out early enough and make a choice between the two people. I think that was the major difference.

There is the perception that because of the role played by the governors in deciding who got what, the new executive could ultimately be at the mercy of these governors. What is your take?

I am not aware. I think the elected party officials have been given a mandate by members of the party, across board in the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT).  The governors we have are just about 11, so you find out that you have a greater number of states that don’t have governors, who spearheaded this process of bringing this new executive on board.

There is the negative toga, that the PDP  has  transformed itself into a regional platform?

How?

Well, they look at Secondus from South-South, both Senate Minority leader and House of Representative Leader are from the same zone. The Deputy Senate President is from South-East. Don’t you think the South-West has lost out? How do you intend to address this?

Well, this is a political party where we had in the past sat down to look at our strategy for the next general election. We have also taken into account of giving the party the necessary spread to win votes in that election. And very long, ago at the Port Harcourt convention, the party leaders decided that the presidency is zoned to the North. So, I don’t think a party  that on its own conceded the highest position to another region can be branded in the way and manner you are trying to place it.

Well, in specific terms, how do you want to placate the South-West?

Well, you can see we have that democratic mechanism of resolving issues of this nature. Even before the convention, the party had put in place a reconciliation committee headed by Governor Seriake Dickson and it is very clear that we have taken proactive steps to bring everybody on board.

The APC in appraising the PDP convention came to the conclusion that you have learnt no lesson from the impunity of the past that it noted was responsible for the PDP electoral misfortune in the recent past. What is your reaction?

Well, I don’t know when it has become the problem of APC to take what they see as a PDP problem as their own.  What I can tell you is that we had a well organised convention, the best of its kind. I can also tell you that APC today as a result of their failure cannot even organise NEC meeting as at when due.

You must give credit to PDP that we have had cause to do two conventions in one year! They cannot call National Executive Committee, (NEC)   or zonal executive  meetings not to talk of putting together a convention. Instead of them to admit and come for tutorials on how the PDP is able to put together this world-class convention and we have done it twice without any rancour within the rank and file of the party, that’s what they should do: come and be given lessons on how to go about organising a convention. What I expect them to do is to formally and officially commend the PDP leadership for organising a successful convention  and leading the way again on party organisation. What we did remains a reference point in Africa democracy.

Finally, at the end of the first tenure of Governor Obaseki of Edo state, the PDP would have been out of power in Edo state for 12 years running . As chairman of the party in the state, do you nurse the hope of reclaiming that state from the APC?

It is clear that Edo is PDP. As we speak, we have two of the senators out of three. We have majority of the members of House of Representatives:  five out of eight. It may also interest you to know that during the last presidential election, we defeated APC with over 50% of the total votes cast in an election that took place with a two-term sitting governor. So, it is very clear that the PDP is strong and alive in Edo state.  During the last governorship election, they were forced to postpone the election when it became so clear that the PDP was coasting home to  victory.There Is No Way Governors Will Lead Secondus By The Nose —Orbih

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Edo State, Chief Dan Orbih in this interview with TAIWO AMODU in Abuja, speaks on the newly elected National Executive Committee’s members of the PDP and involvement of governors in the party.Excerpts:

THE PDP  convention has been won and lost. Certain aspirants and chieftains of the party have been squealing against its outcome. What is the way forward?

Well, let me start by congratulating all those who participated one way or the other in the election—those who offered themselves as aspirants for the various elective positions.  I also want to commend the National Convention Committee headed by  Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, for a very good job.

From what I witnessed it was one of the best organised conventions that has ever taken place by any political party in this country.  The whole thing was done in an orderly manner; people filed out to vote and we also stayed back to watch the process of sorting out of ballot papers and the counting and declaration of results. It was a well organised convention.

You insisted it was well organised, but aggrieved aspirants, the like of Professor  Tunde Adeniran decried the distribution of Unity List, which he likened to imposition, the impunity that characterised previous processes in the party.  What is your take?

Well, I saw so many lists on election day. There was a list that was being shared at convention ground by Adeniran’s agents. They called it Adeniran’s Progressive List. So, there were so many lists, but one interesting thing was that I never saw anybody, putting pressure on delegates on who to vote for. What we saw was that delegates wrote their preferred candidates and voted freely without anybody putting pressure on them.

I don’t think there was any guideline that said people shouldn’t interact on convention day, even people were sharing handbills with their pictures and their names boldly written. Is that not like giving a list?  Why  should anybody now complain about the Unity List? There was Adeniran Progressives List and I have a copy of that, that was shared with different people for different positions.

I think what  those people who were sharing lists were trying to do, look, when you have about over 20 elective positions people either campaign in groups or they have one common bond,  believing that they can work together as a team and when such people write out a list and give to you, you are at liberty to either take the list or reject it.

There were different lists  altogether.

But there were insinuations that the Unity List was very tempting, that delegates were financial induced. How do you react to this?

I didn’t see anybody giving any delegate money, either before or after casting their votes. You see, some of these statements and allegations are the usual fallouts of a convention of this nature that was very competitive.

One thing that you cannot wish away is that since the Jos Convention, no party convention has been as competitive and challenging as the one just held. It was like people were running for a general presidential election.  Advertisements  were running on television; the social media was agog with convention aspirants presenting themselves. To me, there was only one winner at the end of that convention and that’s the PDP as a political party.

There was only one winner?

Yes.

But how do you as  a party  intend to placate those who feel aggrieved and are alleging the process was rigged?

I believe that in the true spirit of sportsmanship and party loyalty, they will definitely come together and join hands with the elected executive to ensure that we secure victory for the party come 2019.

Let’s attempt a post-mortem. Why did the South-West lose out?

Well, looking back, seriously, I don’t think it was a good strategy for South West to present the number of aspirants they paraded for that position. Unlike the South-South which had only two, and about a week to the convention, the leaders of the South-South zone met and they X-rayed the two candidates and threw their weights and support behind Prince Uche Secondus.

I think that was the difference between the South-South quest for the chairmanship position and the South-West interest for same position. Whereas  they had so many numbers of people aspiring for the position, the other had two and even before the convention, they officially said they were backing one.

But certain chieftains of the party from south-west are of the opinion that the zone lost out because those that call the shots in the party are of the opinion that PDP doesn’t have a strong footing in the zone. So, why should it produce the national chairman. Was that the thinking?

Your question is speculative. You know several people were elected from states that don’t have governors. So, the issue of those who call the shots being the governors is unfounded.

Don’t also forget that the chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum is from the SouthWest. So, it isn’t correct for people to just speculate because of what has happened and tried to adduce reasons that are unfounded as the reasons why the zone lost out.

I have come out clearly to say that it wasn’t a good political strategy to see so many people from the South-West contesting the position, whereas the other zone was bound to have an advantage with just two people and for the leaders to come out early enough and make a choice between the two people. I think that was the major difference.

There is the perception that because of the role played by the governors in deciding who got what, the new executive could ultimately be at the mercy of these governors. What is your take?

I am not aware. I think the elected party officials have been given a mandate by members of the party, across board in the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT).  The governors we have are just about 11, so you find out that you have a greater number of states that don’t have governors, who spearheaded this process of bringing this new executive on board.

There is the negative toga, that the PDP  has  transformed itself into a regional platform?

How?

Well, they look at Secondus from South-South, both Senate Minority leader and House of Representative Leader are from the same zone. The Deputy Senate President is from South-East. Don’t you think the South-West has lost out? How do you intend to address this?

Well, this is a political party where we had in the past sat down to look at our strategy for the next general election. We have also taken into account of giving the party the necessary spread to win votes in that election. And very long, ago at the Port Harcourt convention, the party leaders decided that the presidency is zoned to the North. So, I don’t think a party  that on its own conceded the highest position to another region can be branded in the way and manner you are trying to place it.

Well, in specific terms, how do you want to placate the South-West?

Well, you can see we have that democratic mechanism of resolving issues of this nature. Even before the convention, the party had put in place a reconciliation committee headed by Governor Seriake Dickson and it is very clear that we have taken proactive steps to bring everybody on board.

The APC in appraising the PDP convention came to the conclusion that you have learnt no lesson from the impunity of the past that it noted was responsible for the PDP electoral misfortune in the recent past. What is your reaction?

Well, I don’t know when it has become the problem of APC to take what they see as a PDP problem as their own.  What I can tell you is that we had a well organised convention, the best of its kind. I can also tell you that APC today as a result of their failure cannot even organise NEC meeting as at when due.

You must give credit to PDP that we have had cause to do two conventions in one year! They cannot call National Executive Committee, (NEC)   or zonal executive  meetings not to talk of putting together a convention. Instead of them to admit and come for tutorials on how the PDP is able to put together this world-class convention and we have done it twice without any rancour within the rank and file of the party, that’s what they should do: come and be given lessons on how to go about organising a convention. What I expect them to do is to formally and officially commend the PDP leadership for organising a successful convention  and leading the way again on party organisation. What we did remains a reference point in Africa democracy.

Finally, at the end of the first tenure of Governor Obaseki of Edo state, the PDP would have been out of power in Edo state for 12 years running . As chairman of the party in the state, do you nurse the hope of reclaiming that state from the APC?

It is clear that Edo is PDP. As we speak, we have two of the senators out of three. We have majority of the members of House of Representatives:  five out of eight. It may also interest you to know that during the last presidential election, we defeated APC with over 50% of the total votes cast in an election that took place with a two-term sitting governor. So, it is very clear that the PDP is strong and alive in Edo state.  During the last governorship election, they were forced to postpone the election when it became so clear that the PDP was coasting home to  victory.

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