… Say Idawene can’t stop his petition at tribunal
Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), in Delta State, Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi, has fired back at the embattled chairman of the party in the State, Mr. Oke Idawene, saying he could not stop his petition before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
Gbagi, a renowned Criminologist, had reacted to a statement credited to Idawene, that he would testify against Gbagi in court, said the erstwhile chairman lacked capacity to stop him from achieving his ambition.
This is as political analysts in the State urged Idawene and his sacked excos to review their stand, saying the crisis plaguing the party would not be as complicated or serious if the actors would consider the issues from the perspective of party interest vis-â-vis the constitution of the SDP.
Gbagi, a security expert has dismissed as laughable the comments of Delta State SDP Chairman, Mr. Oke Idawene that the party was not part of his petition at the tribunal challenging the declaration of Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori as governor-elect.
During a visit to Oborevwori, on May 3, Idawene with other members of the state executive committee said the Delta SDP had written officially to the tribunal that “we are not part of any litigation against your (Oborevwori’s) emergence.”
Speaking on the issue, Gbagi, said that Idawene and members of his executive committee had been suspended and the chairman was not a signatory to his petition.
Alleging that Idawene is a member of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and had been working with the ruling party to undermine the SDP, Gbagi said: “It is a notorious fact that the petition at the tribunal is jointly signed by the National legal adviser of SDP and the Governorship candidate of the party…Oke as it has become confirmed, is a member of the PDP and all such persons working with him being PDP members to bring down SDP.
“I congratulate the leadership of the national working committee, I congratulate our new chairman, Esther Ikule and the new state exco, I submit myself as a principled loyal friend and a member of the SDP.
“The party members are further notified that the sacking of Oke and his agents is not reversible and the letter of his sack has reached the State Director of the DSS, State commissioner of police, State commissioner of INEC, State commissioner of NSDCD, State Ipac, National Chairman of INEC and all relevant authorities in Delta and the country respectively.
“Oke having been validly sacked becomes history and his ranting is the ranting and last breath of a dead animal. Disregard him in totality while we set up machinery for SDP to claim his stolen mandate and build the membership swell of this great party. The SDP has come to stay.”
NWC suspends Idawene
On May 2, the National Working Committee, NWC, of the SDP in a letter by Dr Olu Agunloye, national secretary, suspended Mr. Oke Idawene from the party over the alleged “untoward roles” he “played in the protracted crisis within the Delta State chapter, which bordered on indiscipline, anti-party activities and gross disrespect to constituted authorities. In particular, the National Working Committee has received formal reports in respect of your activities from the National Vice Chairman, South-South zone, the Governorship Candidate of Delta State and other sources. These activities are considered not in the interest of the Social Democratic Party.
Appoints caretaker committee
Also, the NWC in another letter dated May 2, 2023 by Dr Olu Agunloye, appointed a caretaker committee chaired by Mrs. Esther Ikule to reorganize and streamline the party’s operations and activities in Delta in accordance with guidelines from the National secretariat.
The letter read in part: “The attention of the National Working Committee has been drawn to the protracted crisis within the Delta State chapter, the inability of erstwhile State Chairman, Mr. Oke Idawene to get this under control and, worse more, the unworthy roles being played by members of the State Executive Committee in this matter. Consequently, the NWC, in consonance with the 2022 Constitution of the party, has approved the dissolution of the Delta State Executive Committee with immediate effect, and has also approved the constitution of Delta State Caretaker Committee and the appointment of Mrs. Esther Ikule, as the acting state chairman of Delta State chapter.”
Members of the caretaker committee include Tony Onyisi (vice chairman, North); Solomon Daubri (vice chairman, South); Mike Dugbo (Vice chairman, Central); Enebraye Kembigha (secretary); and Oghenekaro Ighogboja (organising secretary). The committee’s tenure is 90 days.
Credit: Vanguard newspaper
