The conflict of confidence between the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the party, Chief Dan Orbih, was finally settled on Wednesday as the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party expelled Orbih.
Also axed alongside Chief Orbih were the former deputy governor of the state, Comrade Phillip Shaibu, and the immediate past member representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Omorgie Ogbeide-Ihama.
The expelled trio belong to the Legacy Group, a dissident group within the Edo PDP, opposed to the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led PDP administration in the state.
The main grouse of the rebel group is its claim of marginalisation of the core PDP members who received Obaseki and Shaibu into the party in 2020, when the duo were denied their bid for a second term by their former party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While Shaibu was not originally a member of the Legacy Group, his loss of the PDP governorship ticket and his eventual impeachment earlier in the year, pushed him towards the ground, with the final stroke that broke his camel’s back being his last Sunday declaration that he would be supporting the governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo, in the September 21, 2024 election.
Shaibu, had also, penultimate week, donated about 45 campaign buses and his campaign headquarters to the APC while still retaining his membership of the PDP.
The PDP, Edo State Publicity Secretary, Ogie Vasco, in a statement on Wednesday, said the decision to expel the trio was taken at a meeting attended by nine members of the State Working Committee at the party secretariat in Benin City.
“The SWC has extensively deliberated on the issue and resolved to expell with immediate effect, Chief Dan Orbih, National Vice Chairman South South, Rt Hon Phillip Shaibubu and upheld the expulsion of Hon Ogbeide-Ihama from Ward 2, Oredo LGA,” he said.
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The State Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Tony Aziegbmi who also confirmed the expulsion of the trio in a telephone interview with journalists, said they were expelled for anti party activities.
It would also be recalled that Ogbeide-lhama last week donated his governorship campaign secretariat and other facilities to the governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Monday Okpebholo, while Chief Dan Orbih’s name appeared on the list of Board members recently appointed by President Bola Tinbu.
Reacting to his alleged expulsion in a telephone interview, Chief Orbih said the SWC had no power to expel a member of the National Working Committee (NWC).
“They are amusing their pay masters. They have no power to expel a member of the national committee.
“When a group of persons who are idle and have nothing to do sits down to make pronouncements that are unconstitutional, it only shows that they are ignorant of the constitution of the party.
“They don’t have any power to even suspend or expel anybody without following strictly the provision of the constitution of the party, that is all I have said about it and nothing more,” Chief Orbih said.
