ENGR. GIDEON IKHINE’S AUDACITY OF HOPE AND THE EKPOMA DECLARATION
By Amb. Tony Okonigene ANIVS
_If a man looses everything but still has hope, he will surely triumph at the end but if he has everything and looses hope, he is a walking corpse_
After the Edo State PDP party congresses in 2020, the acrimony and divisions within the party, were to put it mildly, irreconcilable. The party was heading into the September 2020 governorship elections with a load of uncertainties. Many of the founding members of the party, National Assembly members and other top leaders, boycotted the state Congress that produced Dr. Tony Aziegbemi and his Executive Committee. Many had lost hope in the ability of the party to push out the ruling APC that was controlling both the State and National governments. It was to your tents oh Israel.
On May 24, 2020, his 57th birthday, while hosting a few of his friends in his country home at Ekpoma, Engr. Gideon Ikhine stoned the audience when he formerly announced his intention to contest the 2020 governorship election under the PDP. He made a declaration that the PDP would take over the Dennis Osadebey Government House by November, 2020. Many took the declaration as a huge joke. With the state of the PDP then, no one wanted to take a risk of running under the party. The PDP ticket then was seen as worthless as the Zimbabwean dollar.
Engr. Gideon Ikhine was focused with a divine mandate to return the PDP back to the Edo State Government House.In company of a few party faithful like Hon. Herbeta Okonofua ( former PDP National Woman leader) and Hon. Victor Edos Egbomoyin, who believed in his vision, they embarked on visitations to the founding fathers of the party urging them to come out to settle the crisis rocking the party. They visited the likes of Sir Gabriel Igbinedion, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, Sen. Yisa Braimoh, Senator Oyefoh, Rt. Hon Akogun, Alhaji Ozeko, Chief Tom Ikhimi and some others urging them to return to play active roles in order to revamp the party. The visitations took them to Benin, Ekpoma, Auchi, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and some other cities across the country.
In the midst of the deadly COVID 19 pandemic, Engr. Gideon Ikhine went round the 192 wards in Edo State to wake up the party leadership and spread the message of hope. He declared in each ward that come November 2020, the PDP would take over the Edo State Government house. The tours galvanized the PDP in the state and gave a glimpse of hope that the party was still alive. At this time, no one outside Engr. Gideon Ikhine had boldly declared openly his or her intention to run for the PDP ticket with less than two months to the primaries. They all felt it was worthless. Hon. Ogbeide Ihama joined the race later after others from Edo South who were offered the ticket refused to touch it. Barr. Ken Imuasagbon was to complete the trio before the coming of Governor Godwin Obaseki into the PDP after he was disqualified to run under the APC.
The PDP was made attractive to Governor Godwin Obaseki by the activities of Engr. Gideon Ikhine. Talks had it that the Governor was initially considering moving to AA because everyone thought that the PDP was dead. The coming of Governor Godwin Obaseki into PDP further awoken most of the leaders who had given up on the PDP. In a meeting of the PDP Edo Central Senatorial leaders with Engr. Gideon Ikhine and Barr. ken Imasuagbon in Protea Hotel, Benin, the leaders appealed to the duo to step down for Governor Godwin Obaseki with the promise that they will be given the first right of refusal for the 2024 governorship race. Engr. Gideon Ikhine told the leaders that his divine vision was for the PDP to take over the Edo Government House by November, 2020. He said that if God had decided to do it earlier, he had no hesitation stepping down for the Governor. So the vision came to pass earlier than anticipated.
Yesterday, May 24,2023, Engr. Gideon Ikhine marked his 60th birthday which also was the 3rd anniversary of his famous Ekpoma declaration that the PDP would take over the Edo State Government House by November, 2020.
Happy birthday once again Engr. Gideon Ikhine FNSE
May 25, 2023
