The leadership crisis in the People's Democratic Party involving the former Governor of Borno, Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led committee of Trustees is currently taking its toll on the party's progress in Edo State.
The All Progressives Congress in Edo State actively led by the outgoing Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has continued to soar high against the backdrop of numerical losses suffered by the opposing People's Democratic Party in the South-south State.
According to Vanguard, barely 20 days to the September 10 governorship election in Edo State, the two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have engaged in war of words over who is the authentic candidate of the party.
The Ahmed Makarfi faction of the PDP produced Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its governorship candidate while that of Ali Modu Sheriff produced Matthew Iduoriyekemwen. Iduoriyekemwen is from Ikpoba Okhai, one of the largest local government areas in the state, while Ize-Iyamu is from Orhiomwon.
The factional crisis has allowed the All Progressives Congress (APC) and itsgovernorship candidate, Mr Godwin Obaseki, to harvest more of the PDP leaders across the 192 wards of the state. Last Tuesday, Iduoriyekemwen addressed journalists in Benin City, where he accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of ignoring court orders which affirmed Sheriff as the PDP National Chairman.
While insisting that he remained the PDP candidate in the September election, Iduoriyekemwen, who is also a former state representatives in the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and a former Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, alleged that the INEC was conniving with the Markafi faction to deceive the people of Edo on the issue of the PDP flag bearer.
“INEC has been behaving in a manner that has shown clear partisanship in the internal affairs of the PDP, openly making comments that tend to rubbish the court process. You will be surprised that while we are busy campaigning, reaching out to voters, to show INEC’s bias, on the 20 of June, one Deputy Director of Public Affairs said they won’t monitor Sheriff faction’s primary. In another event, the same man said INEC was yet to take a decision since Sheriff has gone to court.
But the Electoral Act is very clear, it does not make it mandatory for INEC to be present in a primary. It said INEC may or may not attend,” he said.