Defections ahead of the 2027 general elections are poised to shift the narrative in Edo Central Senatorial District, which has been a traditional stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), FRANCIS OGBUAGU reports
Politics in Edo State is dynamic, with lots of unpredictability. The state, before the 2009 coming of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (now senator representing Edo North in the Red Chamber), had been a ground for the People Democratic Party (PDP). The party won every election from top to bottom and the late enigma, Chief Tony Anenih, was the kingmaker.
He decided who got what throughout the state and some other parts of the country. This earned him the nickname “Mr Fix It.” However, the 2007 governorship election that produced Oshiomhole as the winner was a breaking point for the PDP.
After 18 months torturous legal battle, Oshiomhole of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) took over from Osareihmen Osunbor of the PDP as governor. Ironically, Osunbor is from Edo Central Senatorial district as Chief Anenih. In fact, he was Chief Anenih’s candidate and was announced winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before he was thrown out by the Court of Appeal after 18 months.
That incursion by Oshiomhole, who is from Edo North Senatorial District, a politically marginalized district then, changed the dynamics. His Afemai people since then have always voted for CAN, and by extension, the All Progressive Congress (APC), leaving the other two districts (Edo South and Central) to be controlled by the PDP.
2023 election changes narrative
It was not until the 2023 general election that produced Senator Monday Okpehbolo (now governor of Edo State) as the senator who represented Edo Central (2023-2024). Every other election was won by the PDP in the five local government areas that make up Edo Central – the Esan-speaking people. Prior to his election as senator in 2023, Okpehbolo, who is a disciple of Anenih, was involved in philanthropic works as a private citizen across the zone.
This made choosing him as opposition candidate to slug it out with Senator Clifford Ordia of the PDP, who was completing his second term as senator and was supported by the then Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, to do a third term as against a tradition in the zone since 1999, an easy one.
Mass defection
Like a flowing river, the people who made PDP the winning party in Edo Central have moved to the ruling APC, citing crisis in the camp of the opposition party.
The recent political migrants include Senator Ordia, Hon. Joe Edionwele (a former House of Representatives member, Chief Mr.s Sandra Ihenyen, among others, all from the PDP and the Labour Party (LP). Governor Okpehbolo, who spoke while receiving the defectors officially at Eguare Public School field in Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area, said the defectors have come to join him to build Edo State.
He added that his government is poised to implement his SHINE Agenda, which he said include security, health, infrastructure, natural resources/agriculture and education. He said the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu has unlocked resources now being channeled into development projects across the country, including Edo State. “I want to welcome my brothers and sisters who have come to APC to join me to build Edo State.
You are welcome! You see what we are doing across the state, the roads, the flyovers and the schools we are building. I will make sure that the SHINE agenda of this government is fully implemented. “The fuel subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu is what has unlocked the fund we are using today. That is the money we are using to work all over Nigeria today. The president’s actions reflect a strong belief in Nigeria’s future and long-term prosperity,” he said.
The defectors
Earlier, speaking, one of the defectors, Senator Ordia, said his decision was rooted in development rather than partisan sentiment, adding that he is coming to the APC with all his supporters. He said: “Today we have come with all sense of responsibility to join our brother to ensure that Edo State gets the requisite development. This is a clarion call for Esan people and all our brothers in the North and South of Edo State that the time has come for us to support what is good.”
He reinforced the message of political alignment, saying: “Is the governor not working? What are we supposed to do? We are to join him and we have joined him.” A former member representing Esan West/Esan Central/Igueben Federal Constituency, Elder Joseph Edionwele, on his part, declared that APC is now the official party in Esanland. “We are here to celebrate that henceforth, APC is the official party in Esanland.
You can see the performance. I said even when you are blind, you will see it, you will feel it,” he said. Edionwele also stressed that the move was not about rivalry or displacement but alignment with governance outcomes. “We are here to join the performing governor. We are not here to compete with anybody but to complement performance.
So, don’t be afraid of your seat. We are not here to take over your seat. “From today, chairmen should open their doors because there will be a big movement. APC will be streaming in from today henceforth,” he said. Reflecting on the defections ahead of the 2027 general election, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo , Dr Patrick Ebojele, said that beyond the rhetoric, the implications of the defection are significant.
He said: “The arrival of Ordia and Edionwele into the APC represents the convergence of two critical political assets – legislative experience and grassroots mobilisation networks – into the ruling party’s structure in Edo Central. “By all permutations, this is one shift that will reshape electoral dynamics ahead of the 2027 general election, particularly in Esan, where political loyalty has traditionally been fluid but influential figures often set the tone for broader community alignment.”
Ebojele maintained that for Governor Okpehbolo, the development is a validation of his administration’s policy direction. “The defections, in that context, are political endorsement of governance performance rather than mere party switching. Beneath the celebration lies a more complex political reality.
The PDP, once dominant in Edo Central, now faces the challenge of maintaining relevance in the absence of key figures who have historically anchored its structure in the region. Rebuilding that influence will require more than rhetoric; it will demand organisational restructuring and renewed grassroots engagement. “For us in APC, these developments represent immediate strategic advantage. The party not only gains experienced political actors but also strengthens its presence in a region long considered decisive in Edo State electoral outcomes.”
“Whether interpreted as celebration or consolidation, the message from Irrua was unmistakable: Edo Central has entered a new phase of political alignment, and the ripple effects are only beginning to unfold. In the evolving story of Edo politics, this moment may well be remembered as a turning point – one where established loyalties gave way to new calculations, and where the language of development overtook the language of opposition.” he said.
