As Edo State Government prepares to conduct the local government election, the original Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, under the leadership of Chief Dan Osi Orbih (national vice chairman, south-south) and the new PDP under Governor Godwin Obaseki are locked in a game of wits.
The original PDP had announced the commencement of the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms for April 4, while the Obaseki-led new PDP issued a counter notice, saying the sale of the important forms would commence on April 6, 2022.
The muscle-flexing and supremacy battle for control of the party structure has sharply polarised the PDP, with the All Progressives Congress, APC, which hitherto said it was not interested in the local government poll, now expressing interest in the election.
THE CONCLAVE reports that APC may have changed its mind to be involved in order to judicially position itself to benefit from negative fallout of the burgeoning crisis in the PDP over the local government poll.
On Friday, the Edo State Executive Committee of the PDP had alerted the public to the illegal sale of forms for the planned local government election, scheduled to hold on April 19, 2022.
In a public service announcement by the Acting State Publicity Secretary, Dr Patrick Ojebobor, the party said the forms were products of mischief makers and fraudsters, working to take advantage of “our unsuspecting party members and aspirants.”
He had advised stakeholders to adhere to the Notice of Election as released by the State Organizing Secretary, Mr Tony Anenih, Jnr.
Ojebobor said the party had made report to relevant security agencies and requested them to arrest all those involved in this criminal action.
Recall that an Abuja Court had last week nullified the e-membership registration embarked upon by Governor Obaseki-led new PDP (comprising largely those who defected with him from the APC).
The governor and his camp had boasted of 500,000 new members harvested from that exercise.
The court ruling is a major setback for Governor Obaseki and his camp.in the PDP.
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