Delta LGA Polls: Isoko North PDP, Group Tangle Over Chairmanship Position

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Isoko North Local Government Council and a pressure group, the Isoko Renaissance Group, are currently in a war of words over the chairmanship position of the council.

BIGPENNGR.COM had earlier reported that the group in a open letter to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, accused former House of Representatives minority leader, Leo Ogor and Majority Leader in the Delta state House of Assembly, Tim Owhefere of using their influence to oppress and suppress the interest of the people of Iyede in elective positions in Isoko North Council Area.

Specifically, the group had allegedly accused Ogor and Owhefere for trading off the interest of other communities that made up Isoko North for their own self-fish interest, calling on the governor to end the era where every elective positions have to rotate between Ozoro and Owhe to the detriment of others.

But reacting to the claims of the pressure group, a statement signed by Francis Okpobrisi, the party’s Publicity Secretary in the Local Government, said the claims of the group was a misrepresentation of facts and an attempt to malign the party’s leadership.

The statement reads: “The Isoko North Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP have read on several social media platforms, a misdirected and malicious publication, lies and attacks against the leadership of the Party and two of its prominent leaders by some faceless characters hiding under a pseudo, Isoko Renaissance Group, IRG on the position of the party in the forthcoming Local Government and is constrained to make certain clarification for the information and knowledge of the party’s teeming members, supporters and the general public:

“Zoning of elective and appointive positions including offices of the executive of the party remains an integral feature of the party as  enshrined in the party’s constitution. It is aimed at promoting fairness, equity and justice.

“For emphasis sake, Section 7 (2) (c) of the PDP Constitution states that ”in pursuant of the principles of equity, justice and fairness the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels”

“The PDP in Isoko North has since its formation in 1998 effectively zoned elective, appointive and party positions between the two Constituencies, i.e, Isoko North Constituency I of Ozoro,,Ofagbe, Ellu, Oyede and Okpe-Isoko and Constituency II of Owhe, Emevor and Iyede.

“The decision not to alter the present arrangements of political offices between the two constituencies in the Local Government till 2024 was mutted by the Isoko North leadership causus of the party and was ratified by the party Local Government Executive, the Local Elders Council, the respective Ward Executives of the party and other organs of leadership of the Party.

However, in a counter reaction, IRG, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Aghogho Oletu, said that the rejoinder of the Isoko North PDP which its claimed was shabbily put together by one Francis Okpobrisi, deserved no response not for the sake of posterity and to put the records straight.

The group said this was because the PDP in Isoko north has remained “rudderless and a vehicle for lies and falsehood since the reign of the current leadership led by Deacon Godwin Ogorugba”.

“Since you have rightly quoted section 7 (2) (c) of the PDP Constitution which states that ”in pursuant of the principles of equity, justice and fairness the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels”, we charge you to take notice of the phrase “…ROTATION AND ZONING…”, which you either deliberately or ignorantly omitted

“It’s pure act of wizardry to mislead the public into believing that the party has adhered to this aspect of the constitution, whereas, since 2003, just as the House of Representative seat has been in Ozoro, the House of Assembly seat has remained in Owhe clan in the person of Hon. Tim Owhefere, whose leadership remains impotent and lame, despite several attempts to heal him, like the biblical Apostle Paul did to the man at the gate called Beautiful in Lystria.

“Maybe it’s an act of total adherence to the constitution, in your opinion, that the party’s chairmanship position has remained in Owhe clan since 1999.

“A simple pass in comprehension would have enabled you and your executive to understand that our call is not restricted to Iyede clan but a statement of the obvious that it is the turn of constituency 2 to produce the council chairman.

“Also, we are amazed that you and your leaders who are only respected among the comity of the ungodly and unreasonable are yet to see the handwriting on the wall that the people have rejected their gimmicks and have an avowed commitment to resisting vehemently their plot this time.

“Finally, we want to use this medium to renew our call to His Excellency Sen.(Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa to thrash, without hesitation, the idea or ploy sold to him by these agent of disaffection and disunity to choose the party’s chairmanship candidate from anywhere near constituency 1 which have produced the council chairman in an overwhelming majority of times in the local government”.