Anti Party Activities: Isoko North PDP Group Demands Disciplinary Action, Fingers State Chairman

By Lawrence Oyibo

A political pressure group with allegiance to the Isoko North chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has reiterated its call for the intervention of the State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and the party’s State Working Committee to stern anti party activities going on in the Local Government Area.

The group, Isoko For All Group in a statement signed by its Director of Media & Publicity, Nero Emona stressed that the actions of the Isoko North PDP Chairman, Godwin Ogorugba and one Mike Ogwah, are tantamount to distablising the unity of the party in Isoko Nation.

The statement sighted by this reporter, disclosed that, the duo is allegedly working with opposition parties to truncate the victory of Jude Ogbimi, the party’s candidate in the April 11, 2021 House of Assembly Election.

While noting that the intended move to cause harm to the party’s success at the election was exposed and nipped, the group frowned at the inaction of the state executive council of the party on the reported anti party activities, allegeding that the state chapter, Kingsley Esiso may be an interested party in the brewing crisis.

The statement titled, “ANTI PARTY ACTIVITIES IN ISOKO NORTH PDP: TIME TO ACT NOW”, is reproduced below;

One of the fragrances of political party internal democracy is the opportunity of party faithfuls to freely determine who bears their flag in any election. Each bloc within the party strives through lobby and other political overtures to secure the party’s ticket whether by consensus or actual voting but only one will succeed at a time eventually.

The Isoko North Peoples Democratic Party’s selection process for the April 11 bye election for the state house of assembly which eventually produced Hon. Jude Ogbimi as the consensus candidate was no different. In fact, it was a fierce, rigorous and energy consuming process.

As should have been the case, once a candidate emerges, all blocs collapse into one formidable unit to ensure victory for the party. Sadly, this was not to be in this instance, rather, several anti party schemes and machinations were hatched to thwart the collective interest of our party.

But for the firm leadership role of our leader and governor, His Excellency, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the evil agenda of a select few against the progress of the party would have come to fruition.

However, these evil plotters, chiefly Hon. Godwin Ogorugba and Hon. Mike Ogwah, did not hide their intentions to truncate the victory of the party at the polls through the tribunal. Their first move, which has since been exposed, was to form an alliance with Allied Peoples Movement (APM), a party whose candidate was nowhere near top five in the final election result as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, to challenge Hon. Ogbimi’s victory at the tribunal.

Certainly not working alone, it has since been confirmed how Mike Ogwah held a closed door meeting with the National chairman of the APM, entreating him to allow his party challenge the PDP’s victory at the tribunal with a promise to bankroll the court process. They had attempted to prompt the All Progressive Congress to tow the same path but without success.

Of course, the plot was hatched and the matter was at the tribunal but thank God their expectations were dashed. Till date, the lsoko North PDP chairman, Mr Ogorugba who kept muted trumpet while the case lasted, is yet to make any public display of concern, at least to pretend that his hands are clean.

Although we have continued to resist the temptation to believe that the duo have found comfortable allies within the rank and file of the party executives at the state level, we are curiously concerned that no decisive action has been taken against these people or at least to stem the tide of their inimical activities to the peace and stability of the party at the local government level by the state despite the availability of overwhelming evidence.

We also will shun the idea that the state chairman, Hon. Kingsley Esso is allegedly on the payroll of one of the chief sponsors of the existing fracas in the party at the local government level and therefore urge him to do the needful in line with his responsibilities to reposition our party in Isoko north which is in dire need of decency and decorum as we look ahead to the 2023 elections.