Politics
17 council chairmen from Edo PDP joins APC
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Seventeen out of the 18 local government chairmen in Edo State on Wednesday defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
However, the acting Chairman of Oredo Local Government, Harrison Izekor, was notably absent from the defection ceremony, which took place at the New Festival Hall in the Government House.
The LG chairmen defection comes days after PDP lawmakers in the state House of Assembly defected to the APC, giving the ruling party majority status in the legislature.
On Wednesday, Governor Mondday Okpebholo welcomed the new members to the APC, praising their courage and political foresight in making the decision to leave the PDP.
He emphasised the transformation his administration had brought to the state in just four months, highlighting his efforts to change the state’s narrative and improve the lives of its people.
“Let me draw your minds back to where we are coming from as an administration. We practically met Edo that was not working when we came into office. What we met in Edo were insecurity, killings, looting of state treasury using consultants to deceive Edo people and other backward policies implemented by the Obaseki-led administration, but we came and changed the narrative,” he said.
Governor Okpebholo also expressed gratitude to former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Senator representing Edo North, and the APC State Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, for their continuous support.
He thanked the councillors for voicing the concerns of their communities, which ultimately led to the impeachment of the previous chairmen and the appointment of the new ones.
He said, “I also thank the councillors who spoke for their various communities through the impeachment exercises in the councils and subsequent appointment of these new chairmen across the 17 local government areas of the State.”
Okpebholo and his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, reiterated their commitment to the state’s development, stating that they had come to rescue Edo State from its previous state of decline.
He said: “We are committed to the development of Edo State. We have come to rescue the state.”
The governor expressed hope that more opposition party leaders would join the APC due to his administration’s infrastructural strides.
He added: “I am optimistic that leaders of the opposition parties in the state would join the APC fold following my infrastructural development strides in the state.”
The party’s secretary, Lawrence Okah, who received the new members, urged them to unite with existing APC members to support the governor’s vision for a developed Edo State.
He said: “The desire of the governor is to unite the State and ensure the people enjoy the dividends of democracy through his developmental strides.”
Responding on behalf of the new chairmen, the ALGON chairman and Chairman of Esan Central Local Government Area, Kelvin Iyere, thanked the governor and APC members for accepting them into the party.
He stated: “We decided to decamp from PDP because of the crisis in our party and our love for the development that Governor Okpebholo has brought to Edo State.”
Okpebholo also expressed support for President Bola Tinubu, emphasisng that the APC was poised to secure a re-election victory in 2027.
However, Publicity Secretary of the PDP Caretaker Committee in Edo State, Chris Nehikhare, accused Okpebholo of using state resources to bribe councillors into defecting to the APC.
He said: “Senator Monday Okpebholo has summoned all councillors from the 18 local councils of Edo State, in a desperate attempt to woo them with N2m each to decamp to the All Progressives Congress.”
He described the use of state funds to buy political loyalty as “reckless” and “unacceptable.”
“We condemn in the strongest terms the reckless use of state resources to purchase support and loyalty, while critical sectors of the state remain in dire need of government intervention, from security to public safety and order, revenue generation, education, and healthcare, among others,” Nehikhare said.
He urged Okpebholo to redirect resources toward addressing the state’s pressing issues, such as security, education, healthcare, and public safety, rather than using them for political gains.
“Rather than wasting resources on buying political support and loyalty, we urge him to channel these resources into meaningful projects that will positively impact the people of the State during his short period at Dennis Osadebe Avenue,” he said.
The vice presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso on Sunday met with the National Leader of the party, Seriake Dickson over the recent court ruling on the party’s registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Gistcore recalls that the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, on Friday vacated its December 10, 2025 judgment which compelled the electoral body to register the NDC as a political party.
In the ruling delivered in suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/49/2025, Justice Isah Dashen held that the earlier judgment was delivered without hearing all necessary parties, making the proceedings constitutionally defective.
The court’s decision followed an application by the Peace Movement Party, which argued that it had a legal interest in the matter and should have been joined in the suit before judgment was delivered.
The decision of the court has been raising dust as opposition parties accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of plotting to manipulate the judiciary.
In a post on his official Facebook page on Sunday, Senator Dickson confirmed the meeting with Kwankwaso, saying that they “discussed issues of mutual interest concerning our party”.
The NDC leader stated that himself and other leaders of the party have resolved to reject alleged one-party democracy.
“We reaffirmed our resolve to stand together in the fight for multi-party democracy, and I briefed him on the measures the party is taking to correct and redress the distractions occasioned by the anomalous ruling of the Federal High Court. We are on course,” he added.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has advised President Bola Bola Tinubu to emulate former presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, saying they never deregistered opposition political parties.
Atiku made the call on Saturday in reaction to an attempt to deregister the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, through the courts.
The former Vice President said attempts to restrict political competition run contrary to democratic principles and could erode public confidence in the electoral process.
Former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari never deregistered opposition political parties. Copy and learn from them.
“If you’re truly popular and your policies have positively bettered the lives of the citizens, you shouldn’t be afraid of a free and fair competition,” Atiku said.
The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has raised concerns over plans by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to establish state police through a constitutional amendment.
In a statement signed by its National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the opposition party said the Tinubu administration’s credibility and competence were at an unprecedented low in Nigeria’s democratic history.
The party acknowledged the need for a major review and overhaul of Nigeria’s security, law and order institutions to address insecurity and strengthen citizens’ confidence in leaders and critical institutions.
However, it argued that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration lacked the moral standing and public trust required to undertake a major restructuring of the country’s policing system.
“Going by precedent and record, this administration will almost certainly secure what is needed to amend the constitution and actualize its desire to establish State Police,” the statement said.
“While Nigeria needs major review and overhaul of its security and law and order institutions to address national security and create an environment that should raise citizens’ confidence and faith in leaders and critical institutions, this administration lacks the moral assets and the trust of Nigerians to undertake a major shift in the policing structure of the country.
“The APC administration has failed to manage our security structure and institutions. Its plan to engineer the emergence of State Police is suspicious and it should be rejected.”
The PRP said the forthcoming election should serve as a test of credibility and popular acceptance before the country takes decisions on major issues such as the creation of state police.
It also urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to secure citizens and bring an end to the insecurity facing the country.
President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday transmitted to the Senate a bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police services across the federation. The upper chamber passed the bill on Wednesday.
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