4 hours ago
2
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has rejected the establishment of a caretaker committee in the state by the Chief Dan Orbih-led faction of the South-South Zonal Working Committee of the party, asserting that it is solely the National Working Committee of the party that possesses the authority to remove any executive council.
DAILY POST reports that the Dan Orbih-led South-South Zonal Working Committee had, in a statement on Tuesday, 22 April 2025, announced the formation of a caretaker committee for Edo and Bayelsa states.
In response, the Dr Tony Aziegbemi-led caretaker committee in the state contended that Chief Dan Orbih lacked the power to dissolve any state executive council of the party.
Hon. Chris Nehikhare, the publicity secretary of Dr Tony Aziegbemi’s faction in the state, expressed that Orbih’s statement holds no legitimacy.
Nehikhare alleged that Dan Orbih was effectively running the All Progressives Congress, APC arm of PDP.
“Only the national body of our party has the authority, the constitutional power, to set up caretaker committees.
“It is the National Working Committee, the National Executive Committee that also organises congresses from the ward to the state and local government to the zonal and the national convention.
“What we have is the Caretaker Committee in the South-South zone headed by Emmanuel Ogidi, and not Dan Orbih,” he remarked.
He further noted that the party’s congress had not been held, especially in the South-South zone, to introduce the new party executives.
He accused Orbih of aligning with the APC following his unsolicited praise for the APC-led government in Edo State.
Nehikhare dismissed Orbih and his allies’ statement of dissolution as a ruse to deceive those unaware that Orbih had long been suspended and about the true workings of the party.
He stated, “It is not the responsibility of the zonal working committee to set up a caretaker committee for a party in any state, but that of the national working committee.
“The tenure of Chief Dan Orbih as chairman of the zonal working committee of the PDP in the South-South zone has expired, so it is concerning when people still refer to him as the chairman of the zone.
“He (Orbih) is not the chairman of the zone, and he has since been expelled from the party.”
DAILY POST recalls that the South-South Zonal Working Committee of the Party, on Tuesday, 22 April 2025, approved the appointment of caretaker committees to oversee the affairs of the party in Bayelsa and Edo states, respectively, for a period of three months.
The decision, which takes effect immediately, was announced at the conclusion of a Zonal Working Committee meeting presided over by Chief Dan Orbih, the national vice-chairman of the party.
The decision was made following the dissolution of the State Working Committee of Edo and Bayelsa. Orbih stated that the executives of the two states were dissolved due to alleged acts of gross misconduct, which he claimed were clear violations of the party’s constitution, as well as the mishandling of internal crises in both states.
.png)
English (US) ·