By Mudiaga Affe
The crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has worsened following the suspension of the state chairman of the party, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi.

The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, in a statement, announced the suspension of Aziegbemi after a purported resolution by the State Working Committee meeting held at the party secretariat in Benin City.

But the embattled chairman in swift a rejoinder through the State Youth Leader, Mr. Ehis Destiny, said the statement announcing his suspension was embarrassing, provocative, misleading, and mischievous.

In the statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary, the SWC approved the Deputy state Chairman, Mr. Harrison Omagbon, as the new acting chairman.

The statement read in part, “At a State Working Committee meeting that held at the state party secretariat on Tuesday, 1 June 2021, a two-third majority of members resolved in a motion that the state chairman, Dr Tony Aziegbemi should step aside and therefore suspended from his position and Hon. Harrison Omagbon, the state Deputy Chairman, will act in his place until the determination of the allegations levied against him.

“An Investigative Committee is hereby set up, headed by the State Legal Adviser Barr. Arthur Esene, and is mandated to report back to the Working Committee within one week. Other members of the Committee are Mrs. Linsdale Tes Sorae (State Woman Leader) and Dr. Wilson Imongan (State Auditor).

“Amongst the allegations, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi was accused of gross misconduct by brewing unnecessary tension and disunity among party members in the state in a manner akin to bringing the party into disrepute.”

He said the decision to suspend the chairman was hard, but it has been designed to bring sanity back to the party.

However, in his rejoinder, the State Youth Leaders, who spoke for Aziegbemi said, “My attention has been drawn to the malicious publication signed by Mr. Chris Nehikhare, the PDP publicity secretary that, the state chairman of PDP, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi has been suspended by the state working committee of the party.

“This publication by Mr. Chris Nehikhare is embarrassing, provocative, misleading, and mischievous. There was never a time where the state working committee members met and decided that the chairman Dr. Tony Aziegbemi should be suspended. All the claims in that Mr. Chris Nehikhare’s publication was merely falsified, manipulated, and conjured by him, his paymaster, and his cohorts.

“I am a member of the PDP state working committee. Currently, l am the PDP state youth leader. We were with the state chairman yesterday the 1st day of June 2021 till the close of work at about 4 pm. While in the chairman’s office, there was nothing suggestive of the chairman being suspended.

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“It is very disturbing, disheartening, and embarrassing to read on the pages of social media this morning that, our chairman, who is a peace-loving, friendly, amiable, enthusiastic, dedicated, and pragmatic leader has been labelled and maliciously maligned by an overzealous and satanic publicity secretary, whose only stock in trade is to pull others down.”

Meanwhile, the Edo South Senatorial District of the party has thrown its weight behind Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Announcing the position of the zone after a stakeholders meeting he hosted, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, who represents the district in the Senate, said that the zone, in the three-point communiqué issued, accepted the leadership of Obaseki without reservations.

According to the senator, “the Edo South PDP expressed implicit confidence in Governor Godwin Obaseki and his ability to pilot the affairs of the PDP in the state”.

“Two, we hand over the entire structures of the PDP to him to manage and advise him to make wider consultation”

“And three, we direct all members of the State Working Committee, SWC, who are from Edo South, to go and append their signatures to the letter of apology to the governor over the letter the SWC sent to the national body”, Urhoghide added.