PDP Warri Urhobos Distance Themselves From Party Congress

By Ambrose Ologide

Warri Urhobo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) members have distanced themselves from the party congress in Warri South Local Government Area conducted on Saturday, 10th August, 2024.

The leader of Warri Urhobo PDP , Professor Israel Abido ( JP) and the leader of Warri Urhobo Political Class, Rev Canon David Otofia spoke to our correspondent on the issue in an exclusive media chat.

Abido stated that PDP Warri Urhobos were put in the dark as regards the party congress and that they were highly annoyed about the development.

He recalled that it took him time to persuade PDP Warri Urhobos to accept the emergence of an Itsekiri as the party’s chairmanship candidate in the just concluded local government council elections.

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“They accepted my plea with the hope of having an Urhobo as the party chairman in the congress.

“So I cannot guarantee their reactions in the event of imposing an Itsekiri as the party’s chairman in the local government area congress,” he added.

On his part, Rev Canon David Otofia has equally bitterly affirmed that the leadership of PDP Warri Urhobos were not consulted on the said party’ s congress.

He further asked that on what premise that the party’ s congress was conducted when there was ward delineation in the Warri Federal Constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) based on the Supreme Court judgement of December 2nd 2022.

Clifford Overo who claimed to be a chieftain of PDP Warri Urhobo, aligned himself with the leadership of PDP Warri Urhobos as he warned that the PDP Warri Urhobos will give a show down if an Itsekiri was imposed on them as the party’ s chairman in the party congress.

Overo who warned against any act of betrayal by any PDP Warri Urhobo member on their agitation, decried the alleged lopsided appointments in favour of the Itsekiris against the Warri Urhobos who he said were in majority both in population and size.

“Those in the corridor of power should not continue to subject us to the status of second class citizens in our home land.

“In the other two Warri local government areas, political positions are shared between the Itsekiris and Ijaws. So ours should not be different,” he opined.

He however appealed to Governor Sheriff Francis Oborevwori to wade into the matter in the interest of justice and equity.