Crisis looms in Edo PDP as stakeholders move against executives

There are indications that a crisis is brewing in the Edo state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as stakeholders in the party are calling for a dissolution of the party executives, and conduct of a fresh congress.

They said, for unity to reign ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the State, the national leadership of the party must prevail to dissolve the current State leadership of the party as against a proposed tenure elongation.

The former vice-chairman of Ikpoba Okha local government area, Jeffrey Osamede Edorodion on Wednesday spoke to newsmen in Benin City on behalf of the PDP stakeholders in the state.

“We call on the Party candidate in the just concluded Presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, the Board of Trustees and the South-South Governors particularly the Rivers state governor, Nysom Wike and his Delta state counterpart, Ifeanyi Okowa to look into this matter, because it will take a different dimension if not urgently addressed.

”The national leadership of our great party should dissolve the Dan Orbih-led state executive and conduct new state congresses as he has served the mandatory eight years of two tenures provided for in the party’s constitution,” he said.

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Edorodion also alleged that the current executive of the party in the State was planning to elongate its tenure, arguing that such a move will see the party forever remain in the opposition.

He said, “There is nothing like tenure elongation in our party. The constitution allows a maximum eight years tenure and minimum of four years. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo tried tenure elongation but he failed. If he failed why will a state chairman of the party try it and succeed?

“The present chairman has been in the office since 2009 after the death of former Chairman. He was brought in to complete that tenure, thereafter he has been elected consecutively for two terms, in line with our Constitution.”

He decried the alleged plan to forcefully extend the tenure of the current State executive, warning that allowing the present executive to midwife the conduct of the next year’s governorship primaries without congresses will spell doom for the party in Edo.

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