A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, Dr Fred Latimore Oghensivbe, in this interview by ALPHONSUS AGBORH, talks about the recent action of some defectors from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) . Excerpts:
As a stakeholder and publicity secretary of Ethiope Federal Constituency PDP Forum in Delta State, what is your take on the defection of Honorable Erhiatake Ibori Suenu representing the constituency in the House of Representatives from your party to the All Progressives Congress (APC)?
Honourable Erhiatake-Ibori Seunu’s defection didn’t come to PDP and Ethiope federal constituency as a surprise. It’s something that we foresaw because of her conduct immediately after the presidential and National Assembly elections in 2023. Before that election, we had a member in the House of Representatives, that was performing very well. His name is Honourable Ben Igbakpa, who was doing pretty well as our representative at the National Assembly when suddenly Chief James Ibori, the former governor of the state, decided that his daughter should run for that same office.
As a political family and leaders of Ethiope Federal Constituency, we felt there was no need to drop Igbakpa after his first tenure, because he was good enough for second tenure. We have a rotation agreement in Ethiope East and West LGAs when it comes to representation at the National Assembly. That is, if Ethiope East does two tenure, it goes back to Ethiope West for two tenure, that’s the way we have been rotating it. It was Chief James Ibori who announced the decision of Ethiope West to the leaders of PDP in Ethiope East, at a crucial meeting we held at the private residence of Ethiope East PDP leader, Chief Bernard Edewor in Eku of Agbon Kingdom. After that meeting Chief Ibori summoned another meeting at his residence in Oghara and all of us were there. I was in that meeting where he also appealed to the leaders of Ethiope Federal Constituency to allow the daughter to replace Honourable Ben Igbakpa, and that the leaders of Ethiope West have all agreed that Igbakpa from Ethiope West should step down for his daughter, Honourable Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu who is also from Ethiope West.
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Before her defection to APC, has she been associating with PDP members?
Since she became a member of the House of Representatives, Rhiatake-Ibori Suenu has never attended any party meeting she was invited to. She has not attended any public function of PDP, either at ward, local government or state level. All the invitations were turned down. She played a smart game with PDP, but 2027 is around the corner.
She was not at the governor’s birthday celebration and other events of the party. When the leadership of the party changed baton wherein Barrister Kingsley Esiso handed over the chairmanship to Chief Solomon Areyenka, we didn’t see her around. Her defection was planned ahead 2023 general election.
At the reception party organised for our new state party chairman, Chief Solomon Arenyeka, Honourable Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu was conspicuously absent. At the church thanksgiving service, she was not there. You can see clearly that she distanced themselves from the party long time ago, and she is just coming out to say she has defected from PDP to APC. Time shall tell. 2027 is around the corner. We saw that coming but the issue is that she has no political weight whatsoever. It was PDP members and supporters that mobilised to vote for her to represent PDP at the House of Representatives. So, we have constituted ourselves into a proper body known as Ethiope federal constituency PDP leaders forum. This forum is chaired by our leader in the person of Senator Ighoyota Amori. The forum is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the political supremacy of PDP in Ethiope federal constituency is sustained. When 2027 general election begins, those who defected to APC in the federal constituency will get to know that of a truth PDP is the political landlord of Delta State when it comes to grassroots politics.
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Though in APC as we speak, she is still representing the constituency at the green chamber?
As we speak, we in PDP strongly believe that our party’s seat at the House of Representatives is vacant as far as we are concerned in accordance with section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. The section is to the effect that when a lawmaker or an elected representative who was sponsored and elected under the platform of a political party eventually defects to another political party, that individual automatically looses his or her privileges and the seat stand vacant for a by-election. The proviso is that you may only defect if there is obvious crises in the party at the national level that had made it ungovernable and unable to present candidates for elections. That is to say where there are two or more factions in that political party. Apart from having factions, the political party must be seen to have been so divided that it can’t even participate in any election. But we don’t have two party chairmen in PDP at the national or state level as at the time she defected, and we do not have factions in the PDP at the national and state level as at today, and it will never happen in our party.
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