From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State chapter, loyal to Chief Dan Osi Orbih, the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the party, yesterday elected its state working committee, headed by Barr Nosa Ogieva.
Ogieva and other 13 members of the Edo PDP Executive who were sworn in during the party’s 2025 State Congress in Benin promised to reunite members of the party, adding that PDP would soon begin to win elections again in the state.
While 11 of the members were returned unopposed, Tony Aziegbemi, Henry Tenebe and Victor Enoghama were announced to have contested for Chairmanship, Secretary and Deputy State Chairmanship respectively.
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A total of 576 delegates from the 192 wards participated in the election.
Responding on behalf of the newly elected executive members, the state party Chairman, Barr Nosa Ogieva, said their emergence marked a new chapter in Edo PDP.
He promised not to betray the party nor take it for granted, adding that his leadership would be repositioning and rebranding the party in Edo.
Ogieva sued for unity amongst the party members, maintaining that the loyalty of members is the bedrock of PDP.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Dan Orbih said that the former Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki, was responsible for the crisis in the party.
He alleged Obaseki quarrelled with everybody he met in PDP, asserting that the poor performance of the party in the recently conducted by-elections showed how unpopular the PDP had become in Edo.
Orbih urged the delegates to elect people with capacity that would reawaken the party in the state.
He carpeted an earlier statement issued by the other faction of the party, calling members to disregard the announcement for the State Congress.
He said, “Just yesterday (Saturday), I saw a statement issued by some funny characters saying they are advising party members not to attend this event. Are you not here?
Those who do not have any moral authority to speak on behalf of the party should keep their mouth shut.
As we prepare to elect our executive, I will appeal to you to vote for those with capacity to lead this party, not those who will sell out, not those who will deny members their legitimate right.
As members of our great party. There is no doubt that PDP is going through a leadership crisis, both at the national level and several other states.
Let us not deceive ourselves for the first time in the history of our great party, we have elected governors of PDP and founding leaders, founding members of this party, leaving this party every day for one simple reason, failure of leadership.
Elected governors are living. Elected senators are living. Elected members of the House are living in Edo state, we know the root of our problem.
We had a united party where everybody related with one another as brothers and sisters, until Godwin Obaseki joined our party.
Obaseki destroyed our party. He sowed the seeds of discord, deep rooted seeds of discord in our party.
He sinned against the party. He sinned against the people. He sinned against the state.”
Continuing, Orbih said, “He came into the party and destroyed everything that was good in the party. Today, our party’s umbrella is shattered, torn, and we are here today 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 at the end, we are at a very disadvantaged position in the politics of Edo state.”
Orbih described the other faction of the PDP as undertakers who he said were only praying for the party to collapse and then join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
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