Following abysmal performance of the People’s Democratic Party in the state Assembly election in Edo state, a group under the umbrella of Edo PDP Parliament for Positive Change, has urged the state party chairman, Dan Orbih, to step aside as the chairman of the party.
The group said it was out to rescue the PDP in the state from non-winning election syndrome and turn it into a, vibrant, inclusive and transparent Party that will always win election in the State.
A communique signed by its Legal Adviser, Davison Osas Davison, and made available to journalists yesterday in Benin, said the group is opened to other party members who are passionate about the PDP and want to reverse its electoral misfortunes.
“In that past nine years, Dan Orbih has never won any reasonable election rather he has consistently pretending to be wining his polling unit and ward only to be losing his local government, senatorial district and the State to the ruling APC. It is only in Edo, that the PDP will win the Presidential elections only to be lose the State assembly election, ‘owing to seeming arrangement between him and All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, who is from his place,” he said.
“We can no longer fold our hands and allow a group of political merchants to destroy the party we laboured to form and nurtured before the so-called leaders came in from other parties to reap where they did not sow.”
He accused Orbih of using his position to enrich himself, alleging that he is known for compromise in every party primary through financial inducement from money-bag aspirants to the detriment of popular ones who could have won election without stress.
“On several occasions, the state chairman traded off the party by, “getting financial inducement from the ruling party. It is obvious that the interest of the party is not paramount to Orbih as he has continuously benefited from the failure of PDP to win elections.”
Responding, Chief Orbih, described the group as faceless, saying there is no group with such name, either at the state or national level of the party.
” They are faceless group sponsored by the state APC, as a payback for the humiliating defeat it suffered in the Presidential and National Assembly election considering the fact that APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and the stare governor, Godwin Obaseki are APC.”
On spending nine years as chairman, Orbih said with the party constitution, nobody can spend more than eight years or two tenures, adding that his tenure expires next year and that the party is looking for a competent party member to replace him.
“Party leaders from the 18 local governments of the state are with me because I continue to receive from them congratulatory messages over our performance in the last election. Our priority now is to put measures in place to take over the state government come next year,” he said