The Ijaw Mandate Group has called for the expulsion and resignation of David Edevbie, the People’s Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Delta State.
The group made the call at the national secretariat of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in Abuja.
Leading the protestors Mr. Dagidi Andaye alleged that David Edevbie, one of the governorship aspirants and his supporters are moles of the ruling APC in the PDP.
Speaking passionately on behalf of the protestors Andaye said David Edevbie and his supporters are bent on subverting the gains of the PDP in Delta state southern Nigeria in favor of the ruling APC.
“We have come to call not for their suspension, we have come to call for their total expulsion from PDP, Edevbie and his group should be expelled from the PDP of Delta State from the PDP with immediate effect,” Dagidi added.
He called on the National Working Committee, NWC, to expel David Edevbie and his supporters from the party within a week and to submit to INEC Sheriff Oborevwori’s name as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2023 general election because he possesses the right qualities and credentials to lead the party to victory.
“On Sheriff we stand, Okowa’s time is going and God in his infinite mercy has given us Sheriff to be the candidate of PDP and we have come to declare our total support for Sheriff guber candidacy come 2023. Sheriff is our candidate; our candidate is Sheriff. Sheriff is eminently qualified, a man with excessive local content, a man with a lot of street credibility, a man that in the history of Delta State has ruled as the speaker of the most vibrant house of assembly in Nigeria for the past 5 years, the Sheriff we are talking about is the vice chairman of the conference of speakers in Nigeria, a man that is eminently qualified who mingles with the youth, the rich, the poor, we are here to declare our unsolicited support for Sheriff”. Dagidani said.
He announced that Sheriff polled 550 votes as against Edevbie’s 113 votes to emerge winner of the governorship primaries which shows that Deltans speaking through PDP delegates, passed a vote of confidence in Sheriff’s candidature and that the stay of execution of the high court judgment be respected by all parties in the dispute.
Dagidi Adaye expressed their confidence in the leadership of the PDP national chairman Iyorcha Ayu and members of the national working committee, who have made the PDP attractive to Nigerians through electoral victories in Osun state south west Nigeria and abuja municipal councils, calling on them to safeguard the winning streak of the PDP in Delta state by ensuring Sheriff Oborewori is on the ballot in 2023.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP Debo Ologunagba who received the group’s communique on behalf of the National Chairman, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, said the PDP is a law-abiding party promising that their petition will be studied and the outcome of the NWCs deliberations will be communicated to them in due course,
Ologunagba said “we believe from this statement that Delta is still solidly for the PDP to that extent we will take note of your statement and the concerns you have raised here and consistent with this NWC we shall look at this and respond appropriately”.
He commended the protesters for their orderly conduct and the confidence they expressed publicly and in writing on their support for the Iyorcha Ayu led NWC ‘I want to assure you that this NWC consistent with his mission will continue to be fair to all members of the party and all the decisions have been in accordance with the constitution. We are a law-abiding party. We respect court order and we act on them and we want to reiterate that this party will remain so, running according to its constitution”.
It would be recalled that The Federal High Court in Abuja Nigeria’s capital disqualified Sherrif Oborevwori as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Delta State, from contesting the 2023 election.
The judge, Taiwo Taiwo, ruled that Mr. Oborevwori was not eligible to contest the 2023 governorship election in the state because he supplied false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to back his nomination as his party’s candidate.
Mr. Taiwo’s judgment was on a suit filed by David Edevbie who came second behind Mr Oborevwori in the May 25, 2022, primary election of the PDP alleging inconsistencies in the names on the academic certificates submitted by Mr. Oborevwori to INEC.
Mr. Oborevwori has appealed the judgment, the hearing has been fixed for 19th of august.
N.O
