Politics

Edo PDP: Controversy Trails Obaseki’s Stakeholders Meeting, Orbih, Other Leaders Absent

Published

3 years ago

October 3, 2021

A stakeholders meeting called by Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki has been trailed by controversy as some leaders of the party have openly disagreed with the meeting and its outcome.

Obaseki had reportedly convened a Stakeholders Meeting with a said aim of harmonising the party ahead of a National Convention slated for October ending.

But the said Stakeholders Meeting was said to have not gone well with some party leaders as it was reported that delegate list compiled by Secretary of the party- Peoples Democratic Party, PDP – in the state was different from the one circulated which was believed to have emanated from the Governor’s office.

The State Secretary of the PDP, Hillary Otsu had released a list of 233 selected leaders of the party for a meeting with the governor in Government House over the weekend.

It was gathered that in the said meeting, some prominent leaders of the PDP including the secretary himself, Chief Dan Orbih and others did not attend the meeting where the Governor was said to have made it clear that he as the leader of the party has taken charge of the party and gave one week ultimatum for the leaders to integrate members of the party that came with him from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the ward and local government excos.

One of the leaders who was in the meeting said, “The governor made himself very clear that he is the leader of the party and he is taking charge. He gave a one week deadline for all the leaders to integrate the new members into the leadership, this he said would lead to the release of the remaining commissioners to now have a full state cabinet”

But a statement by the Special Adviser to Obaseki on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, said the stakeholders meeting was for harmonization ahead of the party’s National Convention slated to hold at the end of October 2021.

“PDP is organising its convention at the end of October and this meeting is to prepare us for the convention. There were few house-keeping issues that we needed to discuss and clear, so it was important to get everybody across the divide to have a session like this, to get feedback and also take decisions on what to do and make progress in the state,” the statement reads.

The statement continues, “Naturally not all will be happy in a situation like this and we have tried to address some of the concerns of our people who feel unhappy as a result of certain things that may have happened.”

“The key issue was that of harmonization, seeing how to bring in all parties to the table to have an expanded party in the state. The commitment obtained from them is that within a week, those areas not cleared will be dealt with and they will come back to me with their resolution,” the governor disclosed.

But Otsu, in another statement said a list was compiled by himself and the Secretary to Government, based on defined categories but that the list which was circulated before the meeting did not represent the full list as compiled.

“Some names were left out, despite belonging to the categories of invitees that were identified. Essentially, the final fist was not endorsed by me before it was circulated.”

Politics

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

5 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.

Politics

Defection: Edo Govt, Ex-PDP BoT Member, Idahosa In Verbal War

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Edo State government and a former member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Monday traded words over the latter defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that Idahosa resigned
formally resigned who had last month resigned from PDP, rejoined the APC on Monday in Benin City.

Speaking during his formal presentation to the APC in Benin City, he noted that he left the party four years ago due to internal crisis.

Idahosa added that he dumped the PDP because of what he described as the “damning deeds of the Obaseki-led administration in the last four years”.

He took a swipe at Obaseki for saying that PDP would win the forthcoming September governorship election with 80 per cent of votes.

“I thank God, four years later we all are wiser now. Like the Secretary said, I was a founding member of ACD, ACN and APC. The damage we did four years ago, the APC never remained the same.

“But I am glad we are back to the family. I was nominated to the Board of the Railway when I was in the APC. When I moved to the PDP, I wrote to resign my membership but it was rejected and showed my wide acceptance.

“At 71, I am not here to contest position with anybody, I am here to work. I want to urge APC to keep their eyes on the ball. It is not over until it is over.”

While lambasting Governor Obaseki for his comment that those leaving PDP have been given money, he noted that his greatest regret was not allowing the governor to resign after his first four years in office.

“When he came to beg me like a weather beaten chicken, how much did he give to me? Anytime he goes religious gathering he would say those leaving PDP have been given money.

“He came to me three times in my house to say he wants to resign, that he was tired of being governor but I appealed to him, telling him it was not about him but Benin interest.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare alleged that Idahosa was never a PDP member.

Nehikhare noted that Idahosa was also never a BOT member of the party, because the party in the state rejected his nomination.

He alleged that it was as a result of the rejection that he found his way back to APC.

“I heard that he claimed to be a member of BOT of PDP but I want to challenge him to tell us when he was sworn in as a member of PDP BOT. He was not a fit and proper person. Even though he was nominated he was shunned by the party.

“It was this that drove him back to APC which he never left in the first place. He was holding on to the board appointment which was offered him while in APC prior to 2020 governorship election.

“He has reached the end of his political career. He has nothing to offer any political party or any group he joins because he believes in bread and butter politics,” Nehikhare said.