Factional Secretary-General of apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, on Monday said the outgoing Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki and other Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftains who betrayed the Southeast are losing relevance.
He said the outcome of the Edo State governorship election had shown that PDP chieftains loyal to former presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar are losing their political relevance.
He recalled how the Southeast urged the PDP to honour the zoning formula enshrined in the party’s constitution, which advocated for an equitable and rotational presidency that would duly allow the region to present a candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
He said, “In the aftermath of the recent Edo State gubernatorial election, it has become glaringly evident that the political ramifications of betrayal are far-reaching and often unforgiving.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organization of the Igbo people, finds it imperative to address the actions of certain political actors who have wittingly or unwittingly undermined the interests of the Southeast within the context of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“In 2022, we, as custodians of the collective aspirations of the Igbo people, made a clarion call to the critical stakeholders in the PDP. We implored them to honor the zoning formula enshrined in the party’s constitution, which advocates for an equitable and rotational presidency that would duly allow the Southeast to present a candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
“Our position was fundamentally rooted in a gentlemen’s agreement, which asserts that power should circulate between the North and the South. This call for accountability was not merely a rhetorical flourish; it was an earnest appeal for integrity and fairness in the political landscape of our nation.
“Our entreaties were met with skepticism and, in many instances, outright disregard by key figures of the PDP, including former governors Udom Emmanuel and Ifeanyi Okowa, Senator Dino Melaye, and, notably, the sitting governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.
“Their actions exemplified a flagrant betrayal of the trust bestowed upon them by the citizenry, particularly the Igbo populace, and for this transgression, the consequences are now manifestly evident.”
Isiguzoro said PDP chieftains who denied the Southeast’s appeal in 2022 were now experiencing political decline and political obscurity.
He added: “With the recent loss of the Edo gubernatorial election, where Godwin Obaseki, a serving member of the PDP, could not secure victory for his party, the implications are a stark reminder of the adage that ‘what goes around comes around.’
“The political destiny of Obaseki resonates deeply with the experiences of Dino Melaye in the Kogi elections of 2023, wherein karma exacted its unyielding toll.
“We assert, without hesitation, that those who orchestrated the subversion of the Southeast’s aspirations—most notably Udom Emmanuel, Ifeanyi Okowa, and the former PDP National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu— are now witnessing a steady decline into political obscurity.
“Their choices have rendered them progressively marginalized from the very discourse they once dominated, and the latest casualty in this unfortunate saga is Governor Godwin Obaseki.”