Barely five months to the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State, the Legacy Group faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state has demanded the reversal of the appointment of Godwin Omobayo, as the new deputy governor of the state.
DAILY POST reports that the Legacy Group faction, led by Dan Orbih, the party’s National Vice Chairman, South South Zone, made the demand on Monday at the Edo Central PDP Leaders and Stakeholders Meeting held in Irrua, the administrative headquarters of Esan Central Local Government Area.
Speaking on the resolutions of the stakeholders meeting, Orbih said the reversal of the appointment of Godwin Omobayo as the new deputy governor of the state would be one of the conditions that would make the group work for the party during the election.
Orbih, also added that the group is threatening to work against the party at the election, if their grievances were not addressed.
He opined that the new deputy governor of the state was a Labour Party member and not PDP at the time of his appointment.
While calling for the reversal of the appointment of a member of the Labour Party as the Deputy Governor of Edo State, he said the people voted for a PDP member as deputy governor.
He, however, called on Governor Godwin Obaseki to quickly address the grievances of the PDP Legacy Group if the party was to prosecute the next governorship election as one united family.
According to him, a lot of members of the PDP in Edo State were dissatisfied with the state of the party as well as the government of Edo State. To make matters worse, the government of Godwin Obaseki had not worked for the people, he claimed.
“I declined to be a member of the State PDP Campaign Council because the Obaseki-led government had not fulfilled the campaign promises he made to the people during the 2020 governorship election and would not be able to face the people again to canvass for votes for PDP.
“The future of Edo State is paramount in our heart, hence the candidate with the capacity to address the problems and give the people a strong sense of belonging would be the candidate we will work for irrespective of party in the next governorship election.
“With all that is before us today, it is not about PDP, APC or Labour party. What is before us is the future of Edo State. Whoever will address the problem of our people and give our people a strong sense of belonging is the person we are going to vote for. We cannot be fooled the second time, ” he said.
Orbih, however praised the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo, for his efforts to convince the federal government to effect repairs on the deplorable Benin-Auchi Road.
He explained that the meeting was held to send a clear message to the leadership of the PDP in Edo State, National Working Committee and NEC of the party, to correct the unfair treatment of the legacy members of the party in Edo State, or face resistance from them.
On his part, the immediate past deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu, said the candidate of the PDP was not acceptable to the party as according to him, “he is not a home boy.”
Also speaking, the former House of Representative member for Oredo Federal Constituency, Ogbeide Ihama, said Legacy PDP will not accept a candidate imported from Lagos to come and be governor in Edo State.