How Edo 2024 Guber Is Tearing Wike, Obaseki, PDP Apart

Governor preparing ground for deputy to succeed him, says PDP chieftain 

Rivers Gov. wants Dan Orbih as Obaseki’s successor – Shaibu’s side

 Babatope seeks PDP leaders’ intervention 

The battle for who succeeds Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki during the 2024 governorship election is the reason behind the power tussle in the State’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the recent war of words between Obaseki and his Rivers State counterpart, Governor Nyesom Wike.

This was disclosed to AN24 on Tuesday by reliable sources during an exclusive interview.

AN24 gathered from multiple sources within and outside Edo State that Governor Obaseki is preparing the ground to ensure that his deputy, Hon. Phillip Shuaibu succeeds him in 2024 while Governor Wike is backing PDP Vice Chairman (South-South), Chief Dan Orbih to replace Obaseki.

Both Shuaibu and Orbih are from the same ward in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo North Senatorial District.

It would be recalled that there has been a running battle between Governor Obaseki and the Orbih group over the control of PDP structure in Edo State. And during the tussle, Shuaibu threatened to leave the party.

Shuaibu’s threat was condemned by Governor Wike who called on the PDP to punish the Deputy Governor of Edo State for threatening to leave the party. Obaseki while responding supported his deputy and attacked Wike, saying PDP is not the personal property of the Rivers State Governor.

Governor Wike in response to Obaseki threw caution to the wind and descended heavily on his Edo counterpart, describing him as a serial betrayer and an ingrate.

Speaking to AN24 exclusively on the development in Edo State chapter of his party and the exchange of words between Obaseki and Wike, a PDP chieftain and former member of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), said Obaseki’s quest to control the PDP structure in Edo State is to ensure his deputy succeeds him.

The PDP chieftain who spoke on the condition of anonymity to AN24 in an exclusive interview on Tuesday alleged that Governor Obaseki apart from trying to control the PDP structure is also preparing the ground for his deputy to go back to APC to contest the 2024 governorship poll if PDP failed to give him the ticket.

“Obaseki is not a serious person. He wants to go back to APC. He is playing games. I am not a supporter of Wike and I don’t like Wike because he is bossy and proud. But in this matter, Obaseki is playing games.

“I used to respect Obaseki but I have discovered that he doesn’t deserve anybody’s respect. He is playing games with his deputy because they want to go back to APC.

“Obaseki knows that he has no stake anymore in PDP because he is not contesting again. So, he is now preparing the ground for his deputy to go back to APC and contest,” the source told AN24 on Tuesday.

Also speaking to AN24 in an exclusive interview about the power play in Edo PDP and the public attacks by Governors Obaseki and Wike, a close associate of the Edo State Governor said the foundation of the whole problem was because Wike wants Dan Orbih to succeed Obaseki.

Obaseki’s aide said Dan Orbih has refused to compromise the structure of Edo PDP by harmonisation to work with Governor Obaseki, adding that the PDP Vice Chairman (South-South) has also refused to integrate the deputy governor into the mainstream of the PDP.

“He (Wike) is fighting to make Dan Orbih, who is from the ward and local government of the deputy governor to succeed Obaseki. And that is why Dan Orbih had held on to all the structures in Edo and refused to compromise the structure by harmonisation. And the governor is saying you cannot hold the structure of the State when I am the leader of the State.

“Because Dan Orbih himself wants to be Governor and Wike also wants him to be Governor of Edo, therefore Wike has told him not to compromise the structure; he should hold the structure to himself so that in any delegate election, he can always win with such structure. That is the problem; nothing else. That is the foundation of the whole problem.

“Obaseki has not spoken on who will succeed him. He is not interested in that yet. It is Wike that wants Dan Orbih to succeed Obaseki and because of that Dan Orbih has refused to integrate the deputy governor into the mainstream because he believes the deputy governor would be powerful if he is integrated into the system of PDP. So it is the power play and game that is ongoing,” he said.

throwing more light on the personal battle between his principal and Governor Wike, the source alleged that: “Wike wants to be the first Governor to be ruling two states at the same time. He is ruling Rivers, now wants to rule Edo State and because the governor (Obaseki) has refused to be his puppet, he has gone out crying helplessly. We are not against him. He is free to cry helplessly because the governor will not allow him to govern Edo for him.”

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Transportation, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, has stressed the need for intervention of the PDP leaders to address the problem in Edo PDP and also unite Governors Wike and Obaseki.

“PDP leaders can intervene and I wish them the best of luck. But I don’t think they will succeed because they have already made up their minds on what to do,” Babatope told AN24 during an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

AN24 gathered from multiple sources that PDP leadership at the national level including the governors elected on the platform of the party have already intervened on the matter and are working towards reconciling the differences among stakeholders in Edo PDP as well as reuniting Governors Wike and Obaseki.