2 weeks Ago By Our Reporters
By Our Reporters By Baba Martins (Abuja), Usman A. Bello (Benin) & Bassey Willie (Yenagoa) The crisis rocking the South South zone of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new dimension, as a faction loyal to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has constituted parallel executive committees for the party in Edo and Bayelsa states. The PDP in the zone has remained sharply divided between two factions: one led by Chief Dan Orbih, backed by Wike, and the other loyal to Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, recognised by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
Fallout from Edo governorship primary The current crisis traces its roots to last year’s fallout over the Edo State governorship primary. Chief Dan Orbih and his loyalists openly opposed the PDP’s candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo, due to lingering issues between Orbih and then-governor Godwin Obaseki. Following his public opposition, the NWC suspended Orbih from the party.
The National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the suspension followed deliberations at the NWC’s 588th meeting. “The NWC unanimously condemned the embarrassing actions and utterances of Chief Dan Orbih relating to the Edo State governorship primary election, which were inconsistent with the provisions of the PDP Constitution and the responsibilities of a national officer of the party,” he said. A six-member committee chaired by Deputy National Chairman (South), Amb.
Taofeek Arapaja, was set up to investigate Orbih’s conduct. Pending the outcome of the investigation, the NWC barred him from all party meetings and activities. Disputed Calabar congress Despite the suspension, Orbih and his loyalists held a South South Zonal Congress in Calabar in February, which Wike attended.
Orbih was re-elected as zonal chairman at the gathering, a development swiftly rejected by the Damagum-led NWC. Reacting to the development, Ologunagba dismissed the Calabar event as a “social gathering,” insisting the PDP had not authorised any zonal congress. He cited sections 29 (2)(b) and 31 (2)(c) and (j) of the party’s constitution, noting that the congress earlier scheduled for February 22 had been postponed.
“For emphasis, the PDP states that it has not conducted its South South zonal congress and has yet to communicate a new date for the exercise,” he said. Last month, the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, inaugurated a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of its South South zone. The committee is chaired by Chief Emmanuel Ogidi.
Other members include Chief Damiete Herbert-Miller (Secretary), Nicholas Ayuwa, Godwin Akpan Udonta, Mrs Bekewei Ashanti, Mr Idehen Ebomoyi and Dame Vivian Ahanmisi. Damagum maintained that the party’s February 22 zonal congress, which re-elected Chief Dan Orbih as chairman, was “dead on arrival”. “I want to use this opportunity to tell us that, as far as this party is concerned, there was no congress or election in the South South because the tenure of the zonal committee had expired.
We still have a few weeks or about a month to the zonal congresses. “So, we found it necessary to come up with this caretaker committee,” Damagum said. Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, who spoke on behalf of the four PDP governors in the South South at the inauguration, described the move as “a good step in the right direction.
” Bayelsa rally clash But tensions soon escalated to Bayelsa, where efforts by Wike’s supporters to organise a rally in his honour were blocked by the state government, citing security concerns. The rally was also intended to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing Bayelsa indigenes to federal positions. However, a state High Court issued an order restraining Wike’s supporters from holding the rally.
On the same date and at the same venue, Governor Diri’s supporters had also planned a pro-Diri rally. To prevent a potential clash, Wike’s supporters postponed their event, citing a desire to avoid bloodshed. Pro-Wike faction sets up parallel excos Amid the turmoil, the Zonal Working Committee (ZWC) loyal to Wike, chaired by Orbih, on Tuesday announced the formation of caretaker committees for Bayelsa and Edo states.
According to the Zonal Publicity Secretary, Etim Isong, the decision followed the dissolution of the Bayelsa State Working Committee and the caretaker committee in Edo due to “gross misconduct” and poor crisis management within the party. “For Edo, we considered the party’s poor performance in the last governorship election. These decisions were taken after a thorough review of the activities in both states,” Isong said.
He expressed hope that the move would strengthen the party’s foundation and ensure effective leadership. In Bayelsa, the new caretaker committee is chaired by George Turnah, with Tony Gabriel as deputy chairman and Ebilade Ekerefe as secretary. Other members include Didi Werilaghebofa (Vice Chairman, Central), Andy Majors (Vice Chairman, East), Evelyn Odi (Vice Chairman, West), Biobelemoye Igoniwari (Treasurer), Awudumapu Agorodi (Legal Adviser), Erepagamo Eke-Spiff (Financial Secretary), Amain Oyeintariperedei (Auditor), Derri Wright (Publicity Secretary), Christian Akuraku (Organising Secretary), Ato Alfreda (Woman Leader), and Nicholas Eferebo (Youth Leader).
Turnah is the promoter of the pro-Wike rally in the state and has been fingered by the state governor for working to undermine the peace and stability of the state and the party. For Edo, the committee is led by Nosa Ogieva as chairman, Chief Sunny Okomayin as deputy chairman, and Hillary Otsu as secretary. Others include Nosa Iseleomon (Vice Chairman, South), Ehisota Oriakhi (Vice Chairman, Central), and Richard Ehimigbai (Vice Chairman, North).
NWC mum, pro-Diri faction refutes dissolution The national leadership of the PDP has yet to react officially, as calls and messages to Ologunagba and his deputy, Ibrahim Abdullahi, were not returned at the time of filing this report. However, the dissolved Bayelsa exco rejected the ZWC’s actions. Publicity Secretary Ebiye Ogoli said, “The zonal working committee does not even have the power to dissolve state excos, let alone an exco that was not recognised by the national leadership.
” He described the actions of the Orbih-led group as “laughable and futile,” insisting that the South South zonal exco was not duly constituted. “That zonal exco is a kangaroo exco. It was not validly authorised to hold a zonal congress.
We have about four PDP governors in the South South; none of them was invited because the national leadership did not sanction the congress. These are desperate people sponsored by a federal minister,” he said. Ogoli accused George Turnah, now zonal secretary, of aligning with the “sinister group” to create division in Bayelsa PDP.
“Turnah has been parading himself as zonal secretary, which is not recognised by the mainstream PDP,” he added. “As I speak, the 14-member State Working Committee in Bayelsa remains intact. For someone to claim it has been dissolved is childish.
The zonal exco has no such powers. It is the NWC that can dissolve a state exco,” he maintained. Edo faction kicks Similarly, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, chairman of the Edo caretaker committee inaugurated by Obaseki, dismissed the new appointments as illegal.
“Chief Dan Orbih lacks the authority to preside over any party meeting. He has been suspended. Setting up a caretaker committee is the sole responsibility of the NWC,” Aziegbemi said.
He added, “Orbih’s tenure as South-South zonal chairman has expired. It is worrying that some still refer to him as such. He has been expelled from the party.
” Aziegbemi recalled that on November 8, 2024, then-governor Godwin Obaseki inaugurated a 10-member caretaker committee for Edo PDP, adding that only the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has the authority to dissolve it. Unlock AI's potential! Get top prompts for content, blogs, social media, research, draft proposals and more. Boost creativity start using AI tools today! Click here to learn how it works.
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