Peoples Democratic Party National Vice Chairman (Southsouth) Dan Orbih yesterday gave the party a snub ahead of the September 21 governorship election with his rejection of an appointment as a member of the governorship campaign council.
Orbih, leader of the anti-Obaseki’s Legacy Coalition in the party, had been named a member of the campaign council last week, apparently in a bid by the party to carry along all interest groups in the run up to the polls.
He said yesterday that that no one consulted him before his name was announced as a member of the council.
“Nobody told me of any governorship campaign council membership in Edo PDP. I am not aware of it,” he said.
“Some persons, who saw my name on the list, called me. I have not seen the list, and I am not aware of it. I am not party to the composition of the campaign council.”
Orbih, an ally of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, is not on good terms with Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Their disagreement stemmed from Obaseki’s takeover of the PDP structure in the state following his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2020.
Some other members of the PDP in the state are not impressed with what they term as Obaseki’s imposition of Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the party’s flag bearer in the governorship election.
Besides Obaseki, Edo PDP’s governorship campaign council’s advisory committee also has as members the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, and National Leader of the party, Chief Tom Ikimi, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Other members include a former Senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District, Senator Odion Ugbesia; ex-representative of Edo South Senatorial District, Senator Daisy Danjuma; a former Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Yisa Braimoh; and a former Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Tunde Akogun.
Edo PDP’s Organising Secretary, Tony Anenih Jnr., described the campaign council members as versatile politicians who were carefully chosen to make election of the candidate a reality.
Apart from the advisory committee, the campaign council also has a management committee; a state campaign council made up of 200 eminent members of the PDP; the women wing to be headed by the Edo First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, and Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ighodalo, and the youth wing to be led by the Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor.
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