Since yesterday the media has been abuzz with Nyesom Wike’s outburst at the weekend over Philip Shaibu’s protest, the explosive vituperations by Nyesom Wike is a clear pointer that all is not well.
Before I go further let me introduce myself properly, I am Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah and happen to be the Chairman / CEO of Bush Radio Academy, I am not a member of the APC nor am I a member of PDP.
It is better we get this fact clear before I proceed further as this article is not meant to fan the embers of disunity or to thrill my audience with the fascinating drama unfolding.
The essence of this post is to point out the dangers ahead for Philip Shaibu and ways he can be able to avert trouble.
So we must take our minds out of any political sentiment and see my opinion strictly from the point of view of an analyst.
This whole drama started about a week ago when the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt Hon Philip Shaibu started a series of complaints to his Boss and the PDP on his alienation from the party.
He said “We feel not accepted in PDP and that is the reason we are actually thinking that it is time to just throw the curtain to leave.”
That was day one, while that video was still trending with bloggers cashing out from the content, Philip Shaibu was a guest at Channels TV where he reiterated the cries of my “people want to leave.”
Then day three was at the rally held in honour of the PDP national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu when he visited Edo State. At Garrick memorial secondary school the Deputy Governor cried out again.
Hon Philip Shaibu’s Fears:
The fear of the newly amended electoral act is the beginning of wisdom, this act has made electioneering for the 2023 general elections draw closer.
By May the parties are expected to have started their primaries and by June they should be warming up for the main elections.
So let’s do our maths, today is March 13th which practically can be said to be half of the month gone. So we have about two months for judgement day which happens to be the primaries.
Now, this electoral act is time-bound, who needs to resign from his political party to seek elections on another platform needs to do that ASAP or else…
Expectations and Reality:
Now, this is the whole twist as regards the battle in PDP. First and foremost it’s a three-horse race, Obaseki his Deputy, Philip Shaibu and PDP leaders. Obaseki needs his feet in the PDP.
All fine and good, Obaseki funny enough still has the knife and the yam at his disposal because he controls the levers of government and as a sitting governor he can negotiate his way at any level be it state or national the only underlying factor here is his ability to compromise.
The coming local government council elections would give him an edge because his structure would definitely sweep the polls which gives him more leverage to negotiate upon.
Let me start from the genesis then break it down with Wike’s response and the twisted battle ahead.
“For me as Philip Shaibu, I have no plans now to leave. But for Philip Shaibu and his followers and the followers of Obaseki, that left APC to the PDP, they all plan to leave PDP, but to where I don’t know,” Philip Shaibu.
Now let us take Wike’s response and see the fears.
“These are the same people when they were denied ticket under APC, they were running helter-skelter, begging everybody to give them an umbrella and we gave them umbrella; we went and made sure that they won that election, today that Deputy Governor is ranting.
A Deputy Governor will come out on national television to tell PDP there are alternatives. I have written to the National Chairman of the party, if they do not constitute a disciplinary committee against the Deputy Governor, I will invoke sections of the party and ensure that they must discipline that Deputy Governor.
This statement to be candid is quite denigrating for Wike to pronounce, although I heard from the grapevine that Wike’s anger was the way and manner Philip Shaibu protested publicly against the party.
Hear Wike “This is the first time I will see a Deputy Governor come out on television to threaten the party; who is his father? Now that he has started the trouble, let him wait. We will make sure he will never have rest,” he vowed.
Wike’s statement clearly states that Philip Shaibu started the trouble.
The battle ahead
From Wike’s response and the rally held in honour of the PDP national chairman then it is obvious that there is an intense battle ahead. It, therefore, means some party stakeholders have enormous control in Abuja and are working assiduously to hold on to the control of the party.
We probably forgot that the House of Assembly polls and National Assembly polls would be held as well and this time around all constituencies would be represented.
If the other camp holds the party structure for candidates to emerge then Obaseki has no choice but to enter into a bargain with the PDP, he can not be cajoled to leave the party, coming with the recent judgement asking Umahi to step aside because of his defection to the APC then only an unwise Governor would take that risk after being elected and has not yet served out his term.
Obaseki goes nowhere, all he needs to do is stretch out his hands of fellowship on more appointments and incorporate the party in the coming LGA polls.
What Philip Shaibu must do
Philip Shaibu must be smart enough on how to drag Obaseki into this battle, he should take a lesson from Ukraine and do not listen to all these social media lilliputians who may hail him to further crisis.
We keep hearing of impeachment talks against the DG, and this should not be swept under the carpet as the law of attraction is still very valid.
The PDP from day one made it clear that Obaseki can not bring the deputy and also the SSG, what this translates to is that invariably Philip Shaibu’s job is still very much at stake.
As a matter of urgency, Philip Shaibu must call his attack media goons to order and refrain from dragging the PDP national body into this mess, Edo State you accept it or not is home to the most vibrant social media space amongst all the states.
Heating up the embers of discord by casting aspersions on Wike would not help matters, Wike’s ego is twice the ego of Obaseki and Philip Shaibu. Wike might let go but without giving a corresponding response.
Philip Shaibu’s Govenroship ambition may be at the crux of the whole palaver and until he fashions a way out to handle this then more crises seems to be coming his way.
Comparing Wike with Lagos is a no go area and should be discouraged.” Edo No Be Rivers ” should never be used at all in this developing titanic battle.
Obaseki needs the PDP just as much as the PDP needs Obaseki, Wike should not be encouraged to go deeper with this combat for any reason whatsoever, saying “Edo is not Rivers” is clearly putting OBASEKI on the hot spot.
Philip Shaibu’s supporters should not recreate the story of the Tortoise and his in-laws.
What elders can see sitting under a tree, children will not see sitting on the top of the roof of the house.
This battle should not be a social media battle, “no be every fight dem dey flex ego for public”, Philip Shaibu should play his cards well as there are no permanent enemies or friends in politics.
You see some Nigerians always have a problem with reading, the majority do not read with the intent to decipher but instead, they read with the intent to respond to the messenger.
This article is for affirmative actions to whom it may concern. Philip Shaibu still has time on his hands to do the needful, the attack on Wike should come to a halt with alacrity if at all the battle should be fought let it be after crossing the bridge.
My name na Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah and na me be the principal of Bush Radio Academy.
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