Politics

2024 Guber: Group Drums Support For Edo Central Governor

Published

1 month ago

April 23, 2023

Ahead of the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, a group, Esan New Era has called on all the political parties particularly the three major ones to cede the governorship position to the Edo Central Senatorial District.

The group’s General Secretary Pastor Christopher Onoye who made the call on Sunday in Benin at a press conference, said though Edo Central District boasts of eminently qualified leaders, unfortunately it has not been opportune to govern the state since its creation except the short-lived tenure of Senator Oserheimen Osunbor who was governor for eighteen months in 2007 before he was removed by the courts.

The General Secretary who was flanked by other leaders during press conference, said the membership of the group cut across all political parties.

He added that despite the array of leaders the area has produced, they have always believed that Edo State is one as virtually all of them traced their roots from Benin City and have always taken a pan-Edo position.

Onoye said in 1998 when the 4th Republic was birthed, political leaders agreed that the governorship should start from Edo South which produced Chief Lucky Igbinedion and thereafter Osunbor.

He added: “The equation was however, interrupted with the coming into power of Adams Oshiomole which gave the Edo North their complete rightful two tenure (8 years). Governor Adams Oshiomole returned power back to the South in 2016 instead of Edo Central.

“We are here today to remind our brothers and sisters from Edo South and Edo North, that we are all children of the same parents in Edo State with equal rights to the heritage of our parents.

“We are here to remind our brothers and sisters from Edo South that when their son Lucky Igbinedion held the political powers in the state, Edo Central lent their support.

“We are here to remind our brothers and sisters from Edo North that we Edo Central supported their son Adam Oshiomohle.

“We are here to remind Governor Godwin Obaseki that in the moment of his political turmoil, we Edo central accepted him as our own brother though from Edo South to continue and complete his 2nd term.

“It is in the light of all these, that we are appealing to all the major political parties in Edo State, to Zone their 2024 governorship tickets to Edo Central Senatorial District.

“We assure you that we have the people with integrity, intellect and capacity to move our state forward as Governor.

“This is the right thing to do in the face of God and man. This will make the spirits of our late political leaders to rest in peace.”

Politics

UPDATED: Why I Resigned From PDP – Sen. Urhoghide

Published

4 hours ago

May 31, 2023

Editor

Senator Mathew Urhoghide, representing Edo South Senatorial District, on Wednesday announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

This was contained in a letter to the acting chairman of the party and made available to newsmen in Benin.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Account in the letter, said that the decision was due to the irreconcilable differences and squabbles within the PDP at the national and in the state.

His letter reads in part: “I write to formally inform you and entire member of the PDP that I am resigning my membership of the party, effective immediately.

“My decision arose out of the negative political energy emanating at the moment from the irreconcilable differences and squabbles within the PDP at the national level and especially in my dear state.

“These squabble have spiked to the level that have made it impossible for someone who is a confirmed democrat to function and grow as I envisage in my political journey

“This letter is fulfilling the promise I made to the leader of the PDP that I will consult and inform formally when and if I decided to step out of the PDP.

” I am grateful to the party which yielded me the opportunity to achieve the mission of serving as a two-term Senator .

“Which afforded me the opportunity to express my self and in a way that I have been able to affect my senatorial district,” he said.

Urhoghide noted that the opportunity has helped him to build lasting friendship within the national and state party hierarchy and at the Senate.

He added: “These friendship I shall draw on going forward, and above all imbibed in me knowledge and experience that I could not have gotten anywhere else.”

Urhighide, however, solicited for prayer as he took the bold step in the belief that it was the purpose of the almighty God in his interference in the affairs of men.

Politics

Edo 2024: Edo Senator, Urhoghide, Resigns Membership Of PDP

Published

4 hours ago

May 31, 2023

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has lost the membership of Senator Matthew Aisagbonriodion Urhoghide, an influential member and leader of the party in the state.

Urhoghide is the current senator representing Edo South in the National Assembly.

Urhoghide’s resignation is contained in a letter sent to the press of the senate today.

The former Senator is rumored to be oiling his political machinery to contest the 2024 governorship election in the stats on the platform of the Labour Party.

Politics

Wike No Longer In PDP, Says NEC member

Published

7 hours ago

May 31, 2023

Editor

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Executive Committee, Timothy Osadolor, says the immediate-past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, is no longer a member of the party, given his conduct before, during and after the 2023 general elections.

Osadolor, who gave the hint in a telephone conversation with The PUNCH on Tuesday, noted that the leadership of the party had decided to isolate Wike and render him inconsequential in the affairs of the PDP.

According to him, Wike’s recent public outings wherein he appeared to be leaning towards the All Progressives Congress, give him away as a man in perpetual craving for the spotlight at all times and regardless of the cost to his image as an opposition political leader.

He said, “The PDP has ignored Wike because the man is no longer himself. There are more ways to deal with people apart from sanctioning them. You can keep someone in isolation. He (Wike) can boast that he is the one that stayed away but is it not better to stay away than come to party activities and nobody wants to associate with you? He has been given a cold treatment because he went to court to procure a judgment that says he cannot be suspended but there is no judgment that says he cannot be avoided. That is what the PDP has been doing to him and technically, if Wike wants to say the truth, he will tell you that he is no longer a member of the PDP. No PDP leader or member behaves the way he does.”

But in a swift reaction, a chieftain of the PDP and immediate past Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Chris Finebone, said Wike remained a bona fide member of the opposition party.

Describing Osadolor’s comments as wishful thinking, Finebone said he does not have any power to speak for the party.

He stated, “We can’t identify who he represents, but I think it is wishful thinking. It is wishful thinking and the man who is said to have said that is inconsequential as far as we are concerned.

“And so, whatever he has said is of no effect. His Excellency, the former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, is 110 per cent a member of PDP and nothing has changed. And nothing can change it.”

On the accusation that Wike has been hobnobbing with Tinubu, he said it was petty and frivolous.