Comrade Omorodion Oregbe is a Benin based human rights and political activist. As a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he spoke on the ongoing crisis rocking the PDP; what caused the intra-party problems and solutions to them. He however called on well-meaning Edo People irrespective of their political affiliations to fully support the Obaseki-led government to continue to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
Sir, what is your assessment of the performance of the governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki?
Obaseki, a governor to be remembered. The problem we have in this country today is also the problem we have in Edo State. Majority of our people don’t like change. They like to hold on to the old rotten protocol. “This is how we have been doing it” and that is what is drawing Nigeria to where we are today. Obaseki want a change. He wants to remove himself from that old system of “this is how we have been doing it”. So at the end of it, Edo people will regret and say “supposing we know, we would have supported this man to the fullest of everything he was doing”. If you see what Obaseki is doing now, you will know that he is a man who has the interest of the people at heart. Previous government focused on encouraging individuals but Obaseki is building institutions because individuals will come and go but institutions will not go but remain.
If you say Obaseki is a governor to be remembered, what are those things that he has done that will make him to be remembered or what are those things that stands him out from the others before him?
Thank you very much. Let’s start from the educational sector. Before now we have good buildings for learning, but that was all. The teachers were not motivated and monitored. But today, the story is positively different. Today, you will be able to know if a teacher is in school or not; whether a teacher is teaching the pupils or not. Look at the buildings started by our performing governor, Brigadier-General Osaigbovo Ogbemudia of blessed memory; those buildings were abandoned by previous governments. Go there today and see what Obaseki has turned those buildings to. Also, go to EDOGIS for C of O and see what he has put in that place. No government can go back from that arrangement. Take a look at the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun training centre, enter the building, don’t look at it from outside. Enter the building and see what he has put there. Then you will know that the man is focused. That man is thinking of tomorrow, he’s not thinking of today. Look at the Ossiomo Power Plant or is it the petroleum refinery? He’s making a great impact in the state. Everything he’s doing is for tomorrow, not for today. But previous governments were after ‘today’. As soon as they go, the incoming governor will abandon everything and start a new things. But Obaseki is different, he’s trying to lay a foundation that anybody that is coming after him will build on.
So, if you were to score him in percentage, how would you score him?
At least, I’ll give him 75 percent.
Now, let’s talk about the PDP; one can boldly say that before Governor Obaseki joined the PDP, the party was at peace with itself, but as at the moment, one cannot boastfully say PDP is still at peace. So, what do you think is responsible for the problem in PDP?
If you want to test a man, it’s with two or three things. Give him power, give him money or give him a woman. Then, you will now know the type of person that man is. That is just what is happening to PDP. I’m a PDP man, I’m one of the founding members of PDP. So I know much about PDP. Before Obaseki came to PDP, PDP was not interested in winning any election. They were just after “let me get the money, this one will take me to the next level”. They were not ready. Okay, somebody you know is a winner came to join you, why collecting huge amount from him? Even on the election day, in my own ward, the chairman did not vote even though he was fully mobilize. He was not at the collating center. Is that somebody who wants victory or want to win an election? That is what most of them did. They were not at their polling units. They were not at the collating centers. So, why must they be crying or shouting now? They can’t eat their cake and have it. The only thing they need to do is for them to drop their pride and say “let’s sit down. Governor sit down. How do you want this thing?” Then they can share everything together. There is nothing you cannot share but they are hiding what they have and dragging for the one with the governor. They should bring their own and let the governor also bring his own to the table. The PDP leaders just stubbornly refused to shift grounds. But rather they start relying on that old system of “I’m a leader. I have to bring commissioner A, I have to bring Special Adviser B”, then you are wasting your time because the governor said “No. I cannot stand on that old rotten protocol. I want new ways of doing things”.
So what you are saying is that Governor Obaseki is not the problem with PDP?
Obaseki is not the problem. It’s the old PDP members that are the problems.
Now, what is the way forward?
At the end of it all, they will settle.
The way forward is that they will settle. So how will the settlement come?
You know the more you stay in darkness, you beginning to see little light. All of them will soon understand the person they are dealing with. The person of the governor of Edo State. By the time they will get to know him, they will cue, they will understand, they will come up. They will give him their loyalty. He’s the governor, he’s the leader of the party. There’s nothing they will do about that.
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