Edo Governorship Primary: PDP Governors, NWC Divided Over Zoning

In what seems to be a complex political puzzle, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria is currently grappling with a significant decision-making challenge regarding the zoning of its governorship ticket in Edo State.

According to Nigerian Tribune, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and the PDP Governors Forum (PDPGF) are at a crossroads, torn between adopting zoning or discarding it for the upcoming governorship primaries scheduled for next month.

The heart of the matter lies in a push by some PDP leaders in the state, advocating for the governorship slot to be zoned to the Central Senatorial District.

This call is anchored on the argument that since the inception of the state, the Central Senatorial District hasn’t had the opportunity to produce a governor.

This area was represented by Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor in 2007, who initially won the election under the PDP banner but was later dethroned following a court verdict in favor of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole from Edo North.

The push for zoning is viewed by its proponents as a move towards ensuring justice, equity, and fair play.

This sentiment gained traction last year but faced a recent setback due to opposing views from other PDP leaders.

These leaders, closely observing the political climate and other party strategies, argue that focusing on Edo Central for the governorship ticket could be politically detrimental.

Their reasoning is based on demographic distributions, indicating that Edo South, with approximately 52% of the state’s voter base, holds a strategic advantage compared to Edo Central’s 21% and Edo North’s 29%.

The decision the party makes could significantly influence its standing in the upcoming elections and its relationship with the diverse constituents of the state.

As the primary draws near, all eyes are on the PDP’s leadership to see which path they will choose in this challenging scenario.

A source that spoke with the platform on the issue said, “It would therefore be suicidal for any party to zone the governorship position to Edo Central given the lopsided voter population and especially when there is no statewide consensus on such an idea.”

The source added that feelers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party are showing that the two parties want to pick candidates from Edo South.

The development was however said to have divided members of the NWC and the PDPGF, as a source said that incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, whose camp favours zoning to Edo Central, and some leaders of the party under the Legacy Coalition were said to have divided the two powerful bodies.

A source said that Obaseki has been canvassing among his governor colleagues that it was only fair to allow him to produce a successor and that equity would mean that Edo Central should produce the next governor.

But members of the Legacy Coalition and loyalists of Chief Dan Obi, the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the party were said to have retained the view that demography would play a big role in the election.

Sources said that leaders of the party who are supportive of the need to pick a candidate from Edo South are also of the view that zoning may not guarantee fairness as according to them, the candidate who was prevailed upon to drop his ticket for Obaseki in 2020, who also hails from Edo South, Honourable Ogbeide Ihama should be considered in the forthcoming primaries.

One of the leaders said: “Our fairness, equity, and justice should start from 2020 by rewarding Honourable Ogbeide Ihama, the man who stepped down to enable us to bring in Obaseki as a candidate in 2020.

“What the leaders told him then was that he still had age on his side. Now that he has been elected twice into the House of Representatives from Oredo Constituency, he has shown as someone in tune with the grassroots and should be considered.”

It was learnt that the NWC meeting, which was initially scheduled for last Wednesday did not hold as a result of a lack of quorum and what a source said was related to the sharp division over the Edo governorship issue.