By Uche AmunikeThe news of Ex-Minister Godsday Orubebe’s resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been confirmed in a letter dated June 20, which was addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Iyorcha Ayu.
It partly read: ‘I am by this letter, intimating you of my total withdrawal from all activities at the Ward, Local, State and National levels of the PDP.’
He went on to explain that after the party lost power to the All progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, he prayed it would use the opposition period to take back power at the earliest opportunity, but that the present situation in the party does not show any motivation that the party is ready to regain power in 2023.
He further stated, that the act of the PDP deciding to throw open the Presidential ticket created a situation that caused the emergence of a northerner as the party’s presidential flag-bearer, ‘thus, making the two top most positions in the party, after your emergence as the National Chairman to be occupied by northerners, contrary to section 7.3(c) of the party’s constitution.’
In spite of Godsday Orubebe’s resignation, he promised to continually work for the progress and development of Nigeria, ‘even if it is through another route’, maintaining that he believes in the sanctity of the country.
The former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs is aggrieved like some other members of the party and displeased with the party’s leadership for not only throwing open the presidential ticket, but failing to choose Nyesom Wike as the Vice Presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, following Godsday Orubebe’s resignation, a mass exodus seem to be looming in the PDP because of the outcome of the process leading to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, emerging as the Vice Presidential candidate of the party for the 2023 election.
Orubebe is not the only supporter of Nyesom Wike, who came second in the primary election, that is aggrieved and threatening to leave the party.
Life and Times reliably gathered that the supporters intend to meet today to decide the next line of action. Godsday Orubebe’s resignation came before the meeting of the aggrieved members and as it stands, Edo state former Commissioner, Kassim Afegbua has also dumped the party, stating in a letter he addressed to the chairman of Ward 5 PDP, Awuyemi-Okpella, that he was leaving the party because it was the turn of the Southern part of Nigeria to be the next President according to the provisions of article 7 of the party’s constitution.
Afegbua’s words: ‘the party has jettisoned the provision and manipulated the convention by eliminating zoning, so my aspiration as a member is impaired.’
‘For the above reasons only, I align myself with the considered standpoint of the All Progressives Congress (APC) northern governors, who spoke so eloquently about the need to allow power to rotate to the south, in the true Spirit of fairness, equity and justice’, Orubebe concluded.
