By Ogochukwu Isioma
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has tackled its State Chairman, Dr Tony Aziegbemi over the forthcoming September 2 Local Government Council elections in the state, noting that the party will not scam its members.
The PDP faction loyal to the National Vice Chairman (South) of the party, Chief Dan Orbih was reacting to a release by the Governor Godwin Obaseki led faction of the PDP regarding the conduct of the party on activities leading to the forthcoming council poll.
In the release by factional State Organising Secretary, Tony Anenih Jr, announcing the sales of Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms, the PDP faction had published an account in the name of ‘Edo Grassroots Empowerment Initiative’ for payment of the prescribed fee for the forms.
Reacting, the Orbih-led faction tackled the State Chairman for allegedly overseeing the use of an unknown personal account for sales of forms for the council poll, instead of the regular bank account operated in the name of the party at the state level, saying it amounts to “fraud.”
A statement on Wednesday by the factional State Publicity Secretary, Ogie Vasco, also knocked Aziegbemi and Anenih over a purported meeting of the party leaders where it was allegedly agreed upon that only aspirants who won their polling units in the last elections would be allowed to contest the local council positions.
METROWATCHXTRA.COM recalls that the State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, on Tuesday, met with Aziegbemi, Anenih, and other members of the PDP State Executive Committee, to strategize ahead of the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
Read the statement below;
EDO PDP WILL NOT SCAM ITS MEMBERS
1. The Peoples Democratic Party is founded on its constitution and SHALL abide by it in the conduct of its activities. It has come to the notice of Edo PDP State Working Committee, that a purported State Executive Committee meeting was held at the State Secretariat yesterday, 9th May 2023. The said meeting was convened by the State Organising Secretary at the instance of the State Chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi. It is needless to talk about its propriety or legality at this point, as we are keen on rebuilding our beloved Party from the effects of the general elections.
2. The “closed door” meeting was used as a convention for prescribing new guidelines for the proposed Local Government Council elections. This attempt to change the rules in the middle of the game is a complete distortion of the PDP constitutional processes, as election guidelines MUST be released before nomination forms are sold to intending aspirants. Also, the new requirement that an aspirant MUST win his/her unit/ward is a misnomer, considering that most aspirants have already obtained forms.
3. The publication of an unknown account for the sale of forms into a private account over which Dr. Aziegbemi is superintending, amounts to fraud as we hereby put it on record that the Edo PDP State Working Committee would not defraud its members nor would it support such dubious acts. Edo PDP has a bank account which has been used for party activities in the past.
4. At this juncture, we of the State Working Committee members wish to say that it is our greatest desire to see Edo PDP bounce back to its winning ways as a virile political party.
Ogie Vasco
State Publicity Secretary
