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Tag: Chief Solomon Edebiri

  • Edo 2016: PDP leaders are dishonest – Edebiri

    Edo 2016: PDP leaders are dishonest – Edebiri

    Former governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Solomon Edebiri, has finally disclosed why he resigned as a member of the party.

    Chief Edebiri attributed his decision to what he termed “dishonesty of the party leadership’’.

    Speaking to Journalists at Obayanton village in Ikpoba-Okha local government, Chief Edebiri said the events of the June 20 PDP primaries were awful and ‘a complete negation of what democratic tenet is all about.

    Chief Edebiri said he refused to join either the Modu Sherrif faction or any other party.

    He stated that he refused honour the invitation to the Abuja residence of former PDP BOT chairman, Chief Tony Anenih because of what happened in 2012.

    “In 2012, he offered me money to dump my aspiration and join the PDP but I declined. But in 2016, he still referred to that episode, accusing me of joining forces with Oshiomhole to fight the party.

    “Even after swearing with my father’s grave, he still didn’t believe me. I am a man of integrity and do not take money from one person to fight against another man.

    “Not knowing what he might also say after meeting  with him and to keep my sanctity and integrity, I thought the best decision was to avoid meeting with him or any other leader of the party,” he said.

    “My resignation followed the dishonesty of the party leadership who reneged on its pledge to provide a level playing field for all aspirants at the primary.

    “And we had all also pledged to move with the party beyond the primary provided the primary was free, fair and just.

    “There were reports that the party institution gave a specific instruction to party chairmen at the Local government level for members to vote for a particular aspirant, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

    “ So my understanding is that the primary was not free, fair and just,’’ he said adding that; “I will not blame Ize-Iyamu but the party leadership.

    “And i neither  want to fight anyone nor remain in the party,’’ he said.

  • Edo primaries: PDP begins accreditation

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has started accreditation of delegates ahead of its governorship primaries scheduled to begin soon.

    Three aspirants -Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Chief Solomon Edebiri and Matthew Iduoriyekemwen – are battling for the party governorship ticket.

    The accreditation of delegates is taking place in three different centres for each senatorial district.

    Delegates from Edo central Senatorial district are being screened at the party secretariat along First East Circular, while those from Edo South Senatorial District were screened at a former secretariat of the PDP, located at the popular five junction.

    Delegates from Edo North are at the JBS Estate, off Sapele Road, for the exercise.

    The PDP primaries will be conducted by Mr. David Umahi sent by the party’s national body led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi .

    Umahi promised to conduct a rancour free exercise.

  • Edo 2016: Edebiri warns PDP against imposition of candidate

    Edo 2016: Edebiri warns PDP against imposition of candidate

    Chief Solomon Edebiri, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant for the Edo July governorship election, has advised the party to conduct free and fair primaries.

    Edebiri who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Benin, said only a credible candidate would dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC) government in the state.

    Edebiri said that imposition of candidate would be counter-productive for PDP in the governorship election in Edo.

    “Remember it was Adams Oshiomhole’s name that won him the election in 2007 not the party.

    “Action Congress sold the party using Oshiomhole’s name, and it rode to victory even though it was PDP government at the centre.

    “PDP in like manner should shop for a credible and trusted name with the zeal to serve the people to field in the forthcoming governorship election in the state and resist the temptation of imposition of any candidate.

    “But I can assure PDP that if it can trust me with its mandate, Edo people will be grateful to the party by voting it to power this 2016,’’ he said.

    According to him, “ with all sense of modesty, I enjoy lots of public support that I am very confident that if PDP can trust me with its mandate, Edo people certainly will trust me with their larger mandate to govern the state.

    “And with my antecedents, the people now believe in that name and I am relying on that trust since APC has served out its eight- year term.

    “Edo people should be the better judge, not any man or group of individuals who should decide who they can trust with their mandate to move the state forward,’’ he said.

    Edebiri described god-fatherism and money politics as a virus “we will continue to fight. It is going to be difficult to eliminate but people like us will ensure that it becomes reduced to the barest minimum.

    “We are happy that the Ekweremadu’s report recommends that power must return to the people. I have my belief and trust in that report, I rest my case,’’ he said.

  • Edo LG polls: ACN wins in 7 areas

    Edo LG polls: ACN wins in 7 areas

    Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) on Sunday announced results of Saturday’s council polls in seven of the 14 local government areas, where the exercise took place.

    The commission had earlier cancelled the exercise in four local government areas of Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha, Esan West and Esan North-East due to logistic problems.

    It, however, said the exercise would hold in Esan West and Esan North-East on Wednesday, and on Thursday in Oredo and Ikpoba Okha local government areas.

    Announcing the results, The chairman of the commission, Chief Solomon Ogoh, said the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) won in all the seven local government areas.

    The areas are Orhionmwon, Egor, Akoko-Edo, Estako East, Estako-Central, Esan-South-East and Igueben

    In Orhionmwon, ACN won with 29,059 votes as against PDP’s 5,843 votes, while in Egor, ACN pulled 10,151 votes as against the PDP’s 1,951 votes.

    In Igueben local government area, ACN got 16,298 votes, while PDP scored 1,592 and in Estako East, ACN had 23,262 votes as against PDP’s 4,281 votes.

    Similarly, in Estako Central, ACN won with 9,293 votes and PDP got only 4,359 votes, while in Esan South-East, ACN scored 14,145 votes to defeat PDP, which got 2,776.

    In Akoko-Edo, ACN scored 41,496 votes to beat the rival PDP, which got 5,171 votes.

    The commission had earlier cleared six political parties, ACN, PDP, ANPP, CPC, LP and and AP to participate in the polls.

    However, The PDP and ANPP, on Sunday described the election as a “sham” and called for its cancellation.

    The ANPP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Solomon Edebiri, called for the immediate resignation of the chairman of the commission for incompetence.

    He also called on Gov. Adams Oshiomhole to redeem his name as the defender of democracy by sacking the chairman for “gross incompetence’’.

    The chairman of PDP, Dan Orbih, also called for the cancellation of the exercise, saying the ruling ACN manipulated the commission in its favour.