Anenih Dares Obasanjo, Ali
Chief Tony Anenih, chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, vows to deal with Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State and his deputy over peace move in the state's chapter of the party
By Walid Ogunseri, Benin

Anthony Anenih

The latest peace plan midwifed by President Olusegun Obasanjo to stem the crisis in Edo State of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) is now causing frictions within the mainstream of the party in the State. As a direct fall-out, the outcome of the Abuja reconciliatory meeting may have pitched Chief Tony Anenih, party Board of Trustees against President Obasanjo. Recent happenings within the Edo State chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) are getting complicated as they have defiled all suggestions proffered by the national leadership of the party to resolve the unending crisis. In the process, it was gathered that President Obasanjo, as the national leader of the party, having run out of patience with the two factions is said to have instructed the national leadership of the party to ensure that the Edo crisis is put to rest once and for all. On Wednesday, July 26, 2006 a stakeholders meeting was held at the instance of Alhaji Ahmadu Ali, the national chairman of the PDP in Abuja to resolve the protracted crisis in Edo State. The gathering had come out with a peace plan, which was, however, rejected by Anenih and his supporters . Investigations by The Source revealed that soon after the PDP state rally in Benin City, Governor, Igbinedion met with President Obasanjo in Abuja and highlighted to him the object of the rally. He reportedly complained bitterly of fraustrating moves by Anenih faction against several reconciliatory moves made by him that would have ushered in the much needed peace within the party, adding that his group thus had no option than to boycott the rally when the reconciliation efforts failed. The governor was said to have explained how his group was left out of the rally, despite the fact that he bankrolled it. It was gathered that having listened to the complaints of Igbinedion, and also considered security reports which painted a worrisome picture of the PDP in Edo State, the president, who did not want Igbinedion to quit the PDP to the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) thought it necessary to stop the drift. President Obasanjo and the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Ahmadu Ali according to a source, developed deeper support for Igbinedion when they discovered that the state rally was, indeed, bankrolled by him. Therefore, the president ordered that a meeting of stakeholders be convened. Thus when Ali fixed the stakeholders meeting for July 24, 2006 both sides became apprehensive. Their apprehension was sequel to the fact that their views had never been considered when taking decision in the past.
But the July 24 meeting could not hold as a result of an alleged protest from Anenih and Ali which led to a rescheduling of the meeting for Wednesday July 26, 2006, in which seven Edo PDP leaders were invited. The leaders include, Governor Igbinedion, his deputy, Chief Oghiadomhe, Mike Anenih, Dr. S. O. Ogbemudia, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, Admiral Mike Akhigbe and Edo PDP Chairman, Chief Solomon Aguele. However, Ogbemudia was said to have travelled overseas while Aguele were conspicuously absent at the meeting. The five leaders present were said to have been given enough time to address the national officers present including Ali, Ibrahim Shetima, deputy chairman North Olabode George, deputy chairman, South, Ojo Maduekwe, national secretary and the National Auditor. An informed source said that Governor Igbinedion voiced out his concern to the gathering regarding his efforts to bring peace back to the party. Other leaders were also said to have reported the untold punishments they had received in the hands of Anenih. While Akhigbe was said to have reported Anenih’s refusal to recongnise him as the leader in Edo North, the governor’s father, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, narrated how Anenih replaced him with Sunny Uyigue as Ovia North East Local Government PDP leader. Accordingly, at this juncture, the source added , “ the meeting degenerated into a shouting match and in protest to some uncomplimentary remarks, Anenih, allegedly, walked out. But as he was leaving , Senator Ali was said to have told him that the decisions taken will be binding on him and so urged him to stay behind.
True to Ali’s warning, at the end of the meeting, far-reaching decisions were taken that greatly affects Anenih’s interest in Edo PDP. Among other directives, Ali was said to have directed that the governor should take over the party in Oredo, his father, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion should lead Ovia North East while Oghiadomhe and Akhigbe were to lead Edo North. The governor was also directed to act in consultation with Ogbemudia to nominate a new state secretary, while the meeting reaffirmed Aguele as the state PDP chairman. Governor Igbinedion was also directed to provide a new state secretariat for the party upon the order that the existing two controversial secretariats be closed down. The parley also stated that it was resolved that elected party officers should return to pre 2003 status quo to ensure a final settlement of the crisis.
However, the resolution did not go down well with Governor Igbinedion, who described Ali’s offer as a Greek gift. In fact, the governor insisted that as the leader of the party in the state, he should control the entire state and not a local government. The Governor who was on leave, thereafter travelled from Abuja to Europe, leaving his deputy, Oghiadomhe to handle the actualisation of the decisions.
Back home, the deputy governor convened senatorial meeting where he unveiled the outcome of the Abuja meeting and the new hope that Ali had given to the Igbinedion group of the party. He told the gathering that the Abuja meeting reaffirmed the position of the state governor as the leader of the party. He also said that the governor had nominated Dr. Richard Iyagbaye to take over as the secretary of the party, to whom the state Chairman, Aguele should hand over the keys of the new secretariat, for which the governor had already provided a place at Ikpoba Slope. Indeed, a press release purportedly signed by Dan Aigbavoboa, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor and dated July 28, 2006, gave a detailed report of the Abuja meeting, list of persons that attended and the decisions reached at the gathering. Consequently, the press release from the Deputy Governor’s office, coupled with his report on the outcome of the reconciliatory meeting sent worries and anxieties among leaders and members of the Anenih faction, who saw Oghiadomhe’s report as potraying a battle won by the governor and his allies. Also, owing to the Deputy Governor’s report, there had been speculations that the Edo state PDP is to be restructured in a way that would see the majority of Anenih's loyalists losing their present positions of influence. One party member from Orhionmwon local government chapter and loyal to the Anenih group but who does not want his name on print said. “ We heard that the struggle we fought for over the years have been traded away by our leaders at Abuja. We are used and dumped, but I can assure you it is not going to be easy with such leaders. In fact, the recent bloody fracas at Abudu that greeted the announcement of the outcome of Abuja meeting is nothing yet. But I strongly advise our leaders to move with speed to reverse the situation, as we are tired of being led by non performers.”
Meanwhile, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr. Francis Omo-Osunde Iyasere, had in a press statement issued on Friday, July 28, 2006 denounced the rumours making the rounds that the state PDP was set to undergo a restructuring. The PDP spokesman stated that it was a strategy by some persons to undermine the strength of the party and deny any peace move that offered any concession to Igbinedion and Oghiadomhe and therefore urged members of the Anenih faction to remain steadfast. Following this release, Anenih hurriedly fixed a meeting for his Uromi country home on Sunday, July 30, 2006 to prepare a common ground. Edo South Senatorial district was well represented, and with support coming from Edo South leaders of his own faction who may eventually loose out if the latest peace move succeeds, Anenih vowed to battle Ali and the presidency for stepping on his tail. It was also alleged that he promised to deal with the governor and his deputy for ridiculing him. A source at the State House of Assembly has it that an impeachment plot against the governor and his deputy is in the offing.
Presently resistance by Igbinedion’s faction to regain their lost position may have started to sub-divide the zones especially in Edo South senatorial district of the party. In Oredo, Chief Osamede Adun aka, Bob Izua will have to battle with Samson Esemuede, and Captain Hosa Okunbo. Also, there will be problems at Okada between Uyigue and the Esama of Benin Kingdom. In Uhunmwonde, it will be difficult to enforce the new order as Dr. S O. Ogbemudia and his son, Eghosa Ogbemudia are in firm control. In Egor, the new order may help to reconcile the differences between the governor and Godwin Edosa over the latter's disgraceful removal as managing director of Edoline Transport Company. Some political observers have, indeed, predicted that Anenih will recover from the shock to launch a counter attack that will force the national officers to reverse themselves on all or some of the decisions they reportedly took at the Abuja meeting. The National Secretary of the party, Maduekwe has in a press statement reacted to the press release signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor of Edo State and faulted the inclusion of the name of the state chairman of the party in the list of those who attended the Abuja meeting as according to him, Aguele was not at the meeting. Maduekwe: “I have a responsibility as National Secretary who attended what was principally a confidence building meeting that was aimed at finding solution off the camera, that much of what is contained in the press release of the Deputy Governor was not a fair representation of the facts." Maduekwe added. “If there was need to release to the public decisions of the said meeting, it was not for the Deputy Governor to do. That press release is therefore unauthorised and should be ignored”, adding that “in the meantime, the party through the leadership of the National Chairman continues to work for now, sometime off camera, to find enduring solutions to not only Edo state PDP, but where the conflict mechanism facilities of the party may be required to intervene. The National Secretary on behalf of the party thus asked all party faithfuls, in Edo State to remain calm, law-abiding, and respectful of constituted authority, both of government and of party and await the outcome of the deliberations.
Surprisingly, the Deputy Governor was recently vindicated in his brief to PDP leaders in 18 local government areas on the resolution of the National Executive Council (NEC)- inspired peace meeting in Abuja with major stakeholders on the crisis in the state PDP.
In a letter addressed to the State governor and copied to the major stake- holders in the crisis, the National chairman, Ali corroborated the brief by Oghiadomhe. In the letter entitled "Edo State PDP: Matters Outstanding," Ali acknowledged receipt of a copy of a letter written by the governor to the State Party Chairman. The letter, according to the PDP National chairman, suggested that some progress was being made on some of the issues that were agreed upon at the peace meeting, and expressed the hope that it would facilitate a more harmonious relationship in the party hierarchy.
The three items listed in the letter as decisions of NEC were that "you should in consultation with party leaders like Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia nominate a state party secretary.” Second item was that the party chairman of Oredo, Ovia North East and Estako Central local government areas be replaced by nominees of the governor, the Esama of Benin and the State Deputy Governor respectively, adding that, “I need confirmation that action is being expedited on this”. The third item was to the effect that a new secretariat be provided and furnished by the governor, while the old secretariat be closed down after moving to the new secretariat. The governor was to confirm to the national chairman as soon as possible that he (Governor) has effected the furnishing of the new office, with a view to facilitating the closure of the old secretariat. The national chairman by the letter to the governor, asked the National Vice Chairman (South south), Chief Godspower Ake, to inspect the new secretariat after the furnishing and as soon as possible report to him so that he will brief the National Working Committee (NWC).
When The Source contacted the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Aigbavboa for his comments on the issue, he declined comment and referred the Reporter to the national secretariat of the party.