19th July, 2012
JETHRO IBILEKE, Benin
Following the crushing defeat suffered by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July 14 governorship election in Edo state, the leadership of party in the state has been given a 48-hour ultimatum to resign or face expulsion.
The ultimatum was the outcome of the stakeholders’ forum called to review the defeat of the party sine 2007.
According to the forum, the current state executive and leadership “do not have the capacity and leadership drive to lead our great party to any electoral victory which is the hallmark of the existence of a political party in any political system.”
A statement signed by Kamin Bello Asunogie,a lawyer, called on the national executive of the party to constitute an interim committee to oversee the affairs of the party in the state pending when congresses will be held to elect new officers.
Besides, the statement also called on the national body of PDP to institute a probe panel to investigate the funding and finances of the party in the state in the last three years.
The statement further called on PDP national body and the federal government to disregard any list of nomination to federal boards or any appointment by the present leadership of the party in the state, “as they have failed to represent the interest and wishes of the Edo PDP members,” which the forum believed led to the result of July 14 election had clearly shown to Nigerians.
The forum therefore appealed to members of the party who had defected to other parties in the state to return and join effort in rebuilding the party, saying that an all-embracing stakeholders’ meeting of the party would hold in Benin Monday next week to chart a new chapter for the party.
In a swift reaction to the statement, Edo state PDP Director of Publicity and Strategy, Okharedia Ehimekpen, dismissed the authors of the statement as unknown members of the party who have either defected to the ACN or expelled by the PDP.
“Those who signed the statement are people who defected to the ACN and worked against the PDP after collecting money,” he said, and explained that the party “remains focused and resolved.”
He further explained that the action of the authors of the statement was not one of the ways PDP disciplines its erring members, adding that the party has laid down constitutional methods of handling issues.