Former Senate chief whip, Owie, returns to PDP

The governorship ambition of Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki received a big boost yesterday as the former Chief Whip of the Senate and national leader of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Sir Roland Owie, on Saturday, returned to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Owie, who made the declaration in his home town of Ilobi-Isi, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State, urged his supporters to work for the second term bid of Governor Obaseki.

He said that he was a founding member of the PDP but unfortunately he and other top members, like former Senate President Chuba Okadigbo, were forced out of the party.

At the ceremony which witnessed the presence of Edo PDP south senatorial district leader, Mr Owere Dickson Imasogie, the former Chief Whip said that he arrived at the decision after due consultation across the country that there is an agreement that founding members of the party should return to salvage Nigeria.

He said: “I have spent the better part of the last 17 years outside of the PDP family – save for a brief return between 2011 and 2015. Recent developments in the polity of our dear nation have reignited my conviction to realign with positive and progressive mainstream political forces on a rescue mission.

“Impunity came into the PDP, the leadership became abusive, vindictive and all we were hearing was no vacancy in government house, no vacancy in presidency to the extent that a sitting governor was deregistered.”

He continued: “But PDP has woken up because the APC has adopted the same style of impunity to the extent that the party will be saying it is the High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. APC is dead.

“Over the past 15 months, I have been consulting with political associates, former colleagues and Elder Statesmen on the need to get our Nation back on track.

“A recurring issue that emanated from that consultative process was the need for all founding members of the PDP to return to the party so that it can achieve its strategic goal of emancipating Nigerians.”

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