Two senators, Matthew Urhoghide (Edo South) and Ayo Akinyelure (Ondo Central), yesterday resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The lawmakers announced their resignation from the main opposition in separate letters addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and read at Wednesday’s plenary by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who presided over the plenary.
Urhoghide who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Account in a letter to the acting chairman of the party seen by Daily Trust in Benin said: “I write to formally inform you and entire members of the PDP that I am resigning my membership of the party, effective immediately.”
He explained that he left the PDP because of the “negative political energy emanating at the moment from the irreconcilable differences and squabble within the PDP at the national level, and especially in my dear state, Edo State.
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“These squabbles have spiked to the level that has made it impossible for someone who is a confirmed democrat to function and grow as I envisage in my political journey. This letter is fulfilling the promise I made to the leader of the PDP that I will consult and inform formally when and if I decided to step out of the PDP”
On his part, Akinyelure, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, said his decision to leave PDP was to enable him to settle down and look forward to other areas of human and professional endeavuor.
Daily Trust reports that the two senators will not be returning to the Red Chamber when the 10th National Assembly is inaugurated on June 13 having failed in their re-election bid.
They said that though they were not joining any political party immediately, they were not resigning from active politics.
By Abdullateef Salau (Abuja) & Usman A. Bello (Benin)