LAGOS JANUARY 23RD (URHOBOTODAY)-SOME Peoples Democratic Party Stakeholders in South senatorial district, Delta State have asked the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to prevail on the Deputy National Organizing Secretary, Chief Ighoyota Amori, to decide between functioning as party official at the national level or Chairman, Delta Central-23, a 2023 governorship lobby group of Delta Central senatorial district in the state.

The stakeholders, mainly of Ijaw extraction, led by Chief Johnny Aribogha, in a letter, January 17, to Senator Ayu, argued that functioning as national organizing secretary of the party and chairman, DC-23, an Urhobo ethnic grouping agitating for governor of Delta state in 2023 at the same time were at variance.

“In the interest of the cohesion and unity of the PDP in Delta state, we most humbly request that you use your good office to prevail on Chief Amori to decide on whether he wants to continue as Chairman of the sectional and ethnic-based organization known as DC-23 or as holder of the esteemed office of Deputy National Organizing Secretary of the PDP.

“Before the election of Chief Amori as deputy national organizing secretary, he was leading a sectional organization which goes by the name DC-23 with a sole mission to produce a governor of Delta State from the Urhobo ethnic Nationality in 2023. We had no problem with Chief Amori leading whatever group he desires to lead in the exercise of his right of choice.

“However, upon his election and subsequent swearing-in as deputy national organizing secretary of our party and a member of the National Executive Committee, in line with the provisions of the Constitution of our party and the expectation of his office as one of the leaders of our party, it was expected of Chief Amori to discontinue his conflicting role as chairman and leader of the sectional, DC-23 group in Delta state.

“We were surprised to read that on the 4th day of January 2022 and subsequent dates, Chief Amori now as deputy national organizing secretary of the PDP led the DC-23 to lobby leaders and members of the PDP in Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East and Ukwani local government areas of Delta State to support a Delta state governor of Urhobo extraction in 2023.

“It is in the interest of the party in Delta state for this issue to be urgently resolved. As a people, we have no doubt about Chief Amori’s competence to function as a deputy national organizing secretary of our party, but our objection is that he cannot function in the two conflicting capacities at the same time. It would amount to him acting as a judge in his own case has taken a position to support only an Urhobo for governor in 2023 in Delta state.

“As a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our party, Chief Amori is one of those who will sit at the committee meetings and make regulations appointing officials to conduct primaries, including the Delta state governorship primaries later part of this year.

“Chief Amori has taken an unequivocal position that the next governor of Delta state should come from his Urhobo ethnic group of Delta Central senatorial district of Delta State. There are also aspirants who are aspiring to be governor of Delta state from the Delta South senatorial district.

“Therefore, for Chief Amori to continue to function as deputy national organizing secretary of our party and participating as a member of the National Executive Committee and at the same time functioning as the leader of the sectional DC-23 lobby organization in Delta state amounts to acting as judge in his own case. Aspirants from the Delta South senatorial district would not have confidence in a process superintended by one of the interested parties.

“We make bold to state that high ranking party officials are expected to maintain neutrality in order for party members to have confidence in the party internal electioneering process. To appreciate the absurdity of Chief Amori’s situation, Mr. Chairman should just imagine for one moment that as national chairman, if you are at the same time the leader of the North-Central for President 2023 lobby team, how would other geographical zones and presidential aspirants other than those from your North-Central zone have confidence in a presidential primary that would be conducted by the party under your leadership.

“To take this point further, assuming that the state chairman of the PDP, Delta state is the chairman of the DC-23, can anybody still have confidence in the PDP under his leadership to ensure a level playing field during the primaries for all aspirants in Delta state? The answer to the foregoing posers is a capital NO. Chief Amori as deputy national organizing secretary is party official like your humble self as national chairman and the state chairman of the party in Delta state,” the stakeholders said.

Vanguard News