Big Interviews

I left PDP because of intolerance, selfishness- Urhoghide

 

 

A two-term Senator, who represented Edo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Matthew Urhoghide, speaks on the forthcoming September 11 governorship election in Edo State. The Senator, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), also gave reasons why he left his former party and other sundry matters in this interview on Channels TV ‘Politics Today’, monitored by David Lawani

 

 

How do you feel that you once led the campaign for the re-election of Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki after you dumped the APC, and now you have dumped the PDP, what has changed?

You are correct that I was in the PDP at a time up to last year, but circumstances will always make political actors make certain decisions- that of course, bother on movements from one party to the other. You know the way it is in our country. No matter how good-natured you are, or moral, certain political gladiators who have the power will always make you think and take some of these inevitable decisions. That is okay. I left the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) because certain actions were inimical to political growth. I had to go to the PDP and of course, I secured the ticket to the Senate in 2015, and I moved over to this side. But before I decided in 2023, the same intolerance, and selfishness were present in the PDP. I had no option but to make this painful decision to exit from the PDP and go back to the APC. Going back to the APC was a homecoming for me and my political friends we have fought battles before. It was not difficult for me to come back to the APC where I find a whole lot of politicians more mature in the state.

 

 

PDP gave you the chance to the Senate twice. Did you put that into consideration in your decision before moving to the APC?

Of course yes, I was at the forefront of the re-election of our incumbent Governor in 2020. That action I cannot say I regret today. We did what we needed to do to consolidate power. Moreover, I was elected to the Senatorial District to defend the interest of my district, and as someone from my district, I had to stand by him. I worked for the PDP, I was the public secretary of the party for four years. I had to be nominated as a candidate for other platforms. I worked for the party while in the Senate for eight years. However, I have left the party now because of intolerance and misdemeanours on the part of individuals in the party. I had to go, and I don’t have any regrets.

 

 

What exactly was your grouse for leaving the PDP for the APC? Was it the governor that upset you or what was responsible for it?

I cannot say it was a direct quarrel with the Governor or a grievance. You are aware of the irreconcilable differences in PDP in Edo State. It was getting too embarrassing for me and somebody of my status, particularly in the politics of the state, I couldn’t find myself between two gladiators. That is the political administrators in the state and the government. I would myself trapped between the two. And things that were happening were things I could not stand. And tolerate. And everyone that I had to talk to was suspicious of what was happening on the other side. And I thought of it, that these are people who I have before in politics and I told myself I am too big for this. So I had to go. Some of the things that hair you recalled in the PDP we thought could be reconciled. But the problem in the party didn’t abate because of the exuberant nature of certain individuals. We went around the whole country campaigning for our candidate at that time. But a lot happened when the party decided to go against the common interest of the party. To date, at the national level, that division is still there. And if you look at a party that is divided against itself, at the local level of the state and national level, if you are a responsible person who thinks that peace should be the order of the day in the party system then you will know you have no option than to leave the place. So I had to leave.

 

 

You have left the PDP and Philip Shaibu has joined you to leave. Is it some kind of exodus to the APC? Would you agree with the claims that your defection to the APC with others has not affected the chances of PDP’s Asue Ighodalo in any way?

At the risk of campaigning for any individual, I want to say this that until the governorship election is over come September 21, and the declaration of result on the 22nd, I cannot say, whether there is a negative effect on the part of the PDP. I am not in this business to pontificate on the issue of whether could it be this or so. Virtually every person of political relevance in Edo has moved from the PDP to the APC, and that has made the platforms thick in the years past we have all moved out of the party. It is almost the same reason. Otherwise, I will be glorifying certain persons, which I don’t want to. I am in politics in service to my people, and if anybody is there on the same platform and I find out the person occupies a position that I can no longer express myself when you are no longer working for the interest of the majority of the people, I had no option than to go with the people. We are now on the side of the people which is truth.

 

 

Isn’t this a big risk for you to take considering the incumbent party is still in power in the state? Are you not worried that you may be playing to the side with no advantage of winning the election?

Let me tell you at the risk of over-expressing myself. I am not taking any risk, and I want to say without fear of contradiction that what is happening in Edo today is that those who have verified evidence of performance like some of us are lucky to be counted. The eight years that I spent in the Senate all that I did for the people of Edo South Senatorial District which is going to be the battlefield will speak for the APC and our candidate. Because the candidate is in the same mood as myself. My stay in the Senate was all about attracting developments to the Senatorial District. And what we have done for the people will speak volumes for us. It will be our passport to victory.

 

There are those in the PDP who said elements in the APC instigated that violence. That is sad, isn’t it?

It is a very nasty narrative at this point in our National development. That ugly incident at the airport took place. I don’t want to join issues with anybody, but suffice it to say that if the police are conducting their investigations, the ultimate culprits would be exposed and Nigerians will know that these were people who performed that dastardly act, so, I am not afraid at all. There is no way that Senator Monday Okpebholo’s orderly would have shut himself down, and there is no way that his orderly who was closest to him would have raised a gun or APC to shoot Senator Monday Okpebholo’s orderly. That was the closest person to the Senator as he was coming out of the airport. A lot of these people particularly young people were hired to do these dirty jobs unfortunately, and we know what it is in our state when it comes to the expression of this violence of intolerance by politicians, we know what it is, who has done what, or who did what. The people today that are being looked for who are they? So, I am on the same side that let the police conduct their investigation, and I think their investigation will expose those who were behind this. If anything, we who are the leaders of these political parties we should tell our followers the truth. I pride myself in saying I don’t parade thugs, and I don’t have touts around me. I have been in politics since 1992 in this state and virtually every person who is a gladiator today met me in partisan politics, but for me, Senator Urhoghide, go and ask, I have never paraded thugs around me. Nobody carries a gun around me, and you are carrying these boys with guns to go and commit this crime, quite unfortunate. It only shows a leader that is not mature.

 

 

How would Senator Monday Okpebholo beat Asue Ighodalo or the former NBA President, Olumide Akpata?

Let me tell you that the Nigerian electorate has come of age. Nobody can lead them by the nose. You must have verifiable evidence of performance, and compassion before Nigerians can vote for you. Today, Monday Okpebholo enjoys the mandate of the people from Edo Central, which is one-third of the state as a sitting Senator. His running mate, Dennis Idahosa, carries the mandate of the Ovia federal constituency after he has been elected twice. They have support because they have done a lot of things in their constituencies. Senator Monday Okpebholo has built schools, he has provided water. He has given out scholarships. He is providing free transportation in the state. Of all the candidates, Monday Okpebholo has the best chance, he is only coming to Edo South to ask for more votes. Let nobody deceive you, Monday Okpebholo has the best chance in this election.

 

 

Your party at the centre is facing pressure because of the planned protest. Don’t you think this may have a direct impact on the party in the Edo election?

The Labour Party victory in the election last year, I was one of those persons who orchestrated that. Today, my senior legislative aide, who was with me in the Senate for eight years, is the Senator who replaced me, and it was this same thing that I presented that made us decide that he should go on the platform of the Labour Party to contest the senatorial elections and he won- that again is gone. People have returned to base- the Labour Party was a movement at that time. The Labour Party is different from the ‘Obidient movement’. The ‘Obidient movement’ was the one who gave all of that. We had the other districts in the Labour Party, did they win the election? No.

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button
Close

Adblock Detected

Please turn off Adblocker or whitelist this website in your Adblocker to enable us display ads