The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party remains embroiled in crisis as loyalists rejected claims by the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-South, Dan Orbih, that former Governor Godwin Obaseki “destroyed” the state party.
Orbih made the remarks on Sunday during a factional congress that elected Nosa Ogieva as chairman, just weeks after another faction, loyal to Obaseki, held a congress on September 27, producing Tony Aziegbemi as chairman.
Obaseki joined the PDP in 2020 after his former party, the All Progressives Congress, denied him a second-term ticket due to a long-standing dispute with a faction loyal to former Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
However, Orbih said Obaseki’s actions caused severe friction within the Edo PDP.
“Obaseki destroyed our party. He sowed deep-rooted seeds of discord. He sinned against the party, the people, and the state. He came into the party and destroyed everything that was good. Today, our party’s umbrella is shattered, torn, and we are here to rebuild the party. What used to put us together as a family was totally destroyed by Obaseki. He fought every person except himself, and we are now at a very disadvantaged position in the politics of Edo State,” Orbih said.
He also dismissed a statement issued by the rival faction, urging members to ignore the congress:
“Just yesterday, I saw a statement issued by some funny characters advising party members not to attend this congress. Those who don’t have any moral authority to speak on behalf of the party should remain silent. PDP is going through a leadership crisis at the national level and in several states. Founding members are leaving every day due to failed leadership. We had a united party until Godwin Obaseki joined.”
Orbih further described the rival faction as “undertakers praying for the party’s collapse before joining the African Democratic Congress.”
However, the Aziegbemi faction, dismissed Orbih’s congress as illegitimate.
The faction’s Publicity Secretary Dan Osa-Ogbegie, said, “Ordinarily, I would not dignify this charade with a response. However, the desperate mischief being circulated by APC operatives makes it necessary to set the record straight. No official of the National Working Committee of the PDP organised, supervised, or authorised Dan Orbih’s so-called congress.”
He added:“What took place today was not a PDP congress. It was, at best, a gathering of disgruntled former members seeking political relevance through theatrics. Most of those who sat with Dan Orbih no longer belong to our party. If Dan Orbih were sincere about party-building, he would have participated in the PDP primaries like every loyal member. Instead, he chose to operate as an errand boy, renting a hall and recruiting former members to act out a script written in the APC Secretariat.”
With both factions claiming leadership, the Edo PDP crisis shows no signs of abating, and the courts may have to determine which faction will be recognised ahead of the National PDP Congress.
