FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Vice Chairman, South-South, Chief Dan Orbih, yesterday accused former Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki of allegedly killing the party with support from some disgruntled PDP members in Edo State.
Orbih was instrumental to Obaseki’s emergence as governor of the Edo State during Obaseki’s re-election in 2020 as the Edo state PDP chairman who championed the former governor campaign across the 192 wards of the state.
Orbih made the remarks during the official opening of a new state Secretariat, he personally donated to Edo State chapter of the party saying this modest contribution to the party is an effort to rebuild the PDP in the state and in the South South.
He added that the state chapter of the party lacks a functional secretariat for the discharge of its duties and decried the destruction done to the PDP by Ex-Governor Godwin Obaseki and his cronies under the previous government.
Orbih lamented that the party under his watch as National Vice Chairman, South-South, cannot be homeless, hence the donation to Edo State chapter of the PDP.
The National Vice Chairman, South-South stated that Obaseki killed and buried the PDP in Edo and must account for the huge money he pledged to deliver some many projects including the GeleGele Seaport, which hitherto, he noted has not been achieved.
He called on genuine members of the party to be united in the struggle to rejig the party, noting that the PDP is a formidable party despite its internal problems.
He equally dismissed the claims that Ex-governor of Rivers State and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike was responsible for the PDP’s woes.
Orbih said that the PDP in Edo State is determined to collaborate and work with only genuine and loyal party members who have the interest of the PDP at heart.
He alleged that the Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, comprising, Tony Aziegbemi, PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman, Henry Duke Tenebe and Chris Nehikhare , Acting Secretary and Publicity Secretary respectively were incapable of delivering the party to victory as they actively played a role with Ex-governor Godwin Obaseki in destroying the party in Edo.
“Obaseki should come back and tell us what he did with the money that he was to use to develop GeleGele Seaport.
PDP is a formidable party. We have our own problems. But you must know that Nyesom Wike is not our problem”, Orbih said.
Orhih also appreciated Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, whom he described as a man of humility and honour.
He said Okpebholo has shown great humility and respect for the traditional institution in the state and has repositioned the state for greater development.
“On the 17th of January, our former state chairman, Honorable Tony Aziegbemi was chased out of our office along airport road.
And from January to this very day, the PDP in Edo State has no State Secretariat.Many leaders, party members of our great party in the Edo state have been reaching out to me.It was arising from their calls that I promised that I was going to donate an office to the Edo PDP”, Orbih said..
Orbih continued, “As we mark this historic event, I want to send a very loud message to Jarret Tenebe, the APC chairman in Edo. He should not come here. If he comes here, he must be prepared to declare for PDP.
“Let me use this opportunity to say that I have observed with disappointment, certain characters, masquerading as acting PDP chairman and acting Secretary as well as Publicity Secretary and PDP committee members of the party.
“Today, I want to publicly declare that those who collaborated with Godwin Obaseki to kill the PDP in the Edo State can not be caretakers. They are undertakers.
“Undertakers cannot take care of anything. They are those who buried the party in the Edo state.
“I want to use this event to tell them to stay away. It is time for us to rebuild, reconstruct, and reposition Edo State PDP.
“Obaseki came into our party to destroyed our party. And this character, some of them, they were calling him all sort of names like ‘Wake and See’, ‘Ematon’ and ‘Technocrat’.
“I, Chief Dan Orbih, the national vice-chairman, South-south, hereby challenge Obaseki to come back to Edo state and give an account of his stewardship”, Orbih said.
Present at the event were some PDP leaders, including Dr. Wilson Imogan, an Ex-official of the PDP South South Zone, and Barr. Nosa Ogieva, Chairman PDP Edo South Senatorial District.
Expressing appreciation to
National Vice Chairman, South-South for the new secretariat, Ogieva said Orbih has laid the foundation for a formidable PDP in Edo state.
He described the donation as a gesture that has removed shame, hopelessness, and homelessness from the Edo PDP, assuring that the PDP would be back to power again in the state.
