By Emman Ovuakporie & Dapo Akinrefon
ABUJA—Former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rev. Peter Obadan, has advised that to effectively re-position the state for 2011 general elections, there is need for absolute reconciliation of all factions that have torn the party apart.

In a chat with Vanguard yesterday, Obadan stated, “The PDP was traditionally and culturally an enclave of the ruling party until of late when things fell apart and the centre could no longer hold.

“This course of traditionality changed when we lost the governorship and some by-elections in the state, but it can be reversed if the national body of PDP, the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, can step into the matter and ensure that all factions are genuinely and absolutely reconciled to change to the old course.

“If you conduct a survey on who the electorate in Edo would vote for during the next general election, you will discover that 80 percent of the people will vote for PDP, we did it here and the result was same.”

Obadan explained further: “The present ruling party was never on ground. What we had on ground before 2007 was ANPP and PDP in the state. Action Congress of Nigeria was non-existent, only one man changed that course.

“The emergence of Adams Oshiomole and the de-registration of some key members of the party helped fuel the problems in our party as those aggrieved ones went and joined AC to help fight the party believed to be a one man show in the state.”

Oshiomhole had made a mark at the national level before coming to Edo so I see him more of an independent candidate rather than being seen as an AC person because most members of his party are decampees from our party, the PDP.”

“The Action Congress we have in the state today is a creation of the PDP as we lost some of our good foot soldiers who left when they could no longer stomach the larger  than life figure of some of us who ordain candidates before elections.”

He, however, begged the national leader of the party Chief Tony Anenih “ who I will like to describe as the greatest politician ever produced from the South South to remain at the national level and allow us the field soldiers run the affairs of the state.”