Prince Kassim Afegbua, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Commissioner for Information in the state, has said he has no need to reconcile with Governor Godwin Obaseki on his purported suspension from the party.
Speaking in an interview, Afegbua also said he remained a member of the PDP despite his public endorsement of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last governorship election in Edo state.
He said: “There is nothing to reconcile with the state Governor. I am older than him at the party. He only came because he needed a platform to contest the election. After his second term inauguration, can you name the PDP members in his administration, five months after?
“Yes, I was purportedly suspended for one month by my ward executives which terminated on the 2nd of September before the election of 19th. So there is actually nothing to treasure about suspension or no suspension”.
“I am not an employee of the PDP like the national executives who are plundering the resources of the party for self-aggrandizement. The present leadership of the party are gradually killing the party and weakening its structure on a daily basis. What is key about anyone is the validity of the single vote narrative. I am entitled to one vote and those of my followers who believe in me.
“Those who campaigned against my person saying I was a television politician, were shell shocked that we delivered Okpella to the APC. That, to me, is enough food for thought. We were able to make a point that if leaders don’t perform, the people would respond by the thumbs.”
On the claim by some PDP members that he lacks the right to comment on the party since he has left for the APC, Afegbua said.
“I still remain a PDP member despite my support for the APC candidate in the last election. I have no regret about my position, in fact, given another opportunity, I will still support the APC candidate, Pastor Ize-Iyamu. For me, it is not all about political party affiliation, but the individuals standing for election.
“The PDP leadership who were branded tax collectors provoked my decision to support the APC candidate, coupled with other factors.
“No one is a slave to any party. We are all contributors to the growth of the party and to surrender all the structures to one individual just because he has state funds to throw around, was to me, undemocratic. But that is a discussion for history”.
