• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Crisis brews in Edo PDP as Egor LGA chapter removes its leader

PDP crisis deepens as embattled chairman Ayu ousted

Members of the Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party in Egor Local Government Area on Wednesday moved a motion of no confidence in Odion Olaye, a leader of the council.

Odion Olaye was a former All Progressives Congress chairman in the council before defecting alongside Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki to the PDP prior to the September 19, 2020 governorship election in the state.

Addressing members and executives of the party in Benin, Edo Aguebor, spokesperson for the executives in the council, claimed Olaye paraded parallel executives both at the ward and LGA level with a view to destabilizing the party in Egor.

Aguebor, a former Special Senior Assistant to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Egor matters, said despite several reconciliatory efforts made by them, the former APC chairman in the LGA failed to give listening ears.

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However, Odion Olaye, in a telephone call, said the PDP leadership in the state has invited him for a meeting on the matter and would comment later.

The party members, including former political appointees and former leaders in a voice vote, passed a vote of no confidence in him and unanimously passed a vote of confidence in Chris Imalele as the leader of the party in the council.

Aguebor lamented that the local government is lagging in terms of infrastructure and appointments, hoping that a new leadership would steer the party at the council level to progress.

According to him, we are former members of the All Progressives Congress who defected along with governor Godwin Obaseki to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“For some time, we have observed that Odion Olaye, the erstwhile chairman of APC, who equally defected with the governor to the PDP, has made every effort to maintain peace impossible.

“Every effort by the PDP, including entreaties to make peace has been refused by him instead he has decided to parade factional meetings, receive aspirants in his house and intimidate members. We just can’t allow this to go on.

“This is the reason why we invited all former political appointees and former leaders to come to a conclusion that Odion Olaye cannot continue to lead us, let us appoint a new leader.

“This time around we need a man who has a peaceful disposition, temperaments and patience to listen to the people. This is a time for healing and not the time for fighting. That is why we have unanimously appointed Chris Imalele to lead us in this peace effort. This is our time to move Egor forward because our local government is in trouble,” Aguebor said.