The crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over the integration of the defecting All Progressive Congress (APC), members into the State Executive Council (SEC) of the party, escalated on Tuesday with a faction suspending the Egor council leadership.
The APC members, angling to be accommodated in the PDP Edo SEC, had defected with Governor Godwin Obaseki from the APC when the governor was disqualified from seeking a second term in office by the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee, NWC, in the build up to the 2020 governorship race in the state.
The Egor Local Government Area chapter, rising from a congress called by some leaders of the party on Tuesday, suspended the chairman of the party in the local government, Manfred Ekundayo and the Secretary, Moses Osarumwense.
Addressing members of the party at the party secretariat near Five Junction in Uselu, the Assistant Secretary of the PDP in Egor, Ikponmwosa Eguavoen, also announced the former Deputy Chairman of the PDP, Ayo Efosa as the acting chairman of the party and pledged their support for Governor Godwin Obaseki.
A statement endorsed by eight members of the party executive including Efosa, Eguavoen, auditor of the party, Dickson Obazee, three ex-officio members, Hon Paul Osaremwenda, Alhaji O. Ebomwonyi and Funmi Usiabulu including Idemudia Stanley and Ekhator Stanley who are both ward chairmen, accused the suspended officials of not allowing the national leadership of the party to resolve the crisis in the PDP in the state.
They also accused them of “Extortion of money from various aspirants in the coming local government council and state house of assembly election in the local government areas”.
Other allegations levied against the suspended officials include was to the effect that they suspended “ward chairmen who are not in agreement with their terms and conditions; embarrassing elected political office holders who they feel are not sufficiently funding their selfish interest”.
“We also want use this medium to therefore unanimously pass vote of implicit confidence on our amiable governor of Edo state, Godwin N. Obaseki, the Deputy Governor, Hon Comrade Philip Shaib, Secretary to State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq. and the PDP Co-ordinator Egor Local Government Area, Chief Odion Olaye”, the statement added.
Reacting to the development the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, described what happened at Egor as a “charade”, saying that “the party has a procedure for suspension and removal of officials”.
“The fact that some persons came up on television and they were recorded does not give legitimacy to what they have done as there are rules and regulations guiding the party in all its dealings”, Nehikhare maintained.
The Edo PDP spokesman stressed that the purported suspension amounted “to some group of pirates going to raid an island. Nothing comes out of it. As we speak, we have not received any written complaint about any misconduct against the chairman and secretary of Egor local government”.
“We only heard there was a suspension; and as a party, we don’t operate that way. Not until there is a formal complaint about any misdemeanour against them is received by the party and those involved are summoned, whatever is done cannot hold. They remain Egor Local Government chairman and secretary of PDP”, Nehikhare declared.
Governor Obaseki, who had last week, muted the idea of dissolving the entire executive structures of the party from the ward to the state levels, beat a hasty retreat, when the leadership of the party in the state petitioned the National Secretarial of the party.
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