‘Our chapter is divided’ — PDP chieftain asks Atiku to suspend campaign in Edo

Omobumhe Umoru, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asked the party to suspend its campaign in Edo for the 2023 presidential election.

In a statement addressed to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the PDP; Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the party; and Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto and director-general of the PDP presidential campaign council, Umoru said the crisis in the Edo chapter of the PDP should be resolved before campaign takes place in the state.

Umoru, who is the coordinator of the PDP mobilisers in Edo, accused Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, of failing to unite the members of the party in the state.

“The Edo State Chapter of the PDP has always worked and lived in peace and approached elections as a strong force which has consistently delivered for the Party overall. 2023 is looking to be different because of the divisiveness brought in by Governor Godwin Obaseki,” the letter reads.

“This whole unfortunate saga started playing out on our stage in 2020 when the former National Chairman of our Party, in the person of H.E. Prince Uche Secondus, and some now featherweight politicians, which the members of Edo PDP refer to as Abuja Politicians, in connivance with former NC, went against the Party’s rules and foisted APC’s rejected aspirants, though they were still in office at the time, in the person of H.E Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy Phillip Shaibu, upon reasonable people because to them we must win Edo at all cost not minding whose name appears on the ticket, if he is competent or not.

“In an age where an Omoregie Ogbeide Ihama would have been the best striker in our political football team for the Edo 2020 Gubernatorial championship.”

Umoru also alleged that Ayu manipulated the state’s delegates’ list which was used for the  PDP presidential primary, adding that his actions have “brought so much division” in the Edo chapter of the party.

“You all cannot claim that you’re not aware of the level the infighting in Edo PDP has gotten to. You certainly are aware of the series of litigations the party at the State level is involved in,” Umoru said.

“If you feign knowledge of what is happening, you certainly cannot deny that the list recognised by the NC during the Presidential Primary didn’t get to cast the vote at the event that produced H.E. Atiku Abubakar, it was the legacy PDP members led by Chief Dan Osi Orbih that voted at the primary elections.

“Shortly after that, the NC Sen. Iyorchia Ayu sent the names that were not produced at the various primaries in Edo State to INEC as the flagbearers of the Edo State Chapter at various levels.

“He was aware that our State Chapter had a congress in March 2020 which produced the State, LGAs and Wards Executives. Yet the NC and his team deemed it fit to compel INEC to remove the names of those duly elected as flagbearers.

“This is, therefore, the focus of this timely open letter. The Campaign team visiting Edo State will definitely want to hand over flags to the various elected candidates of our Party at the State level as is Customary.

“Now, which of the faction are you going to hand over the flags to? We certainly are not keen at this time to welcome the NC that has brought so much division to the Party, especially in our State.”

The PDP chieftain also asked the party to “disregard” the assurance by Obaseki that the campaign will take place successfully, adding that “it will spring more disgraceful surprises to you all”.

“If you have the magic power to control the outburst or the uproar and perhaps direct confrontation that will spring forth in Edo State as a result of what the NC and our greedy featherweight politicians have caused, you can proceed with the planned campaign scheduled to hold in our dear State,” the PDP chieftain said.

“But as a loyal party member, I have the mandate of the entire members of the PDP Mobilizers Edo Chapter to demand that the proposed campaign for our State should be postponed till the court gives her verdict or the crisis rocking our boat is put under control and peace is duly served; the Southern block of the party is pacified and equity reigns; Sen. Iyorchia Ayu resigns peacefully; the unifier unites all interest groups into a single entity.”