PORT HARCOURT — The South-South Zonal Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday announced the dissolution of the Bayelsa State Working Committee led by Solomon Agwanana and replaced the caretaker committee in Edo State headed by Dr. Tony Aziegbemi.
The decisions, made during a high-level meeting at the PDP South-South zonal secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, were attributed to gross misconduct, poor performance, and failure to effectively manage internal party crises in both states.
The zonal leadership, chaired by PDP National Vice Chairman (South-South), Chief Dan Orbih, constituted new caretaker committees to oversee the affairs of the party in Bayelsa and Edo States for the next three months.
In Bayelsa, Agwanana was replaced with George Turnah, a close ally of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a known organiser of a rally in honour of President Bola Tinubu and Wike. In Edo, Aziegbemi was replaced with Nosa Ogieva as caretaker chairman.
The shake-up comes despite disapproval from the PDP National Working Committee and is widely seen as a bold assertion of zonal authority, reportedly influenced by Wike’s growing political clout in the region.
A statement signed by PDP South-South Zonal Publicity Secretary, Etim Isong, said the restructuring aims to “stabilise and reposition the party” ahead of upcoming elections, especially after what it described as a “woeful outing” in the last Edo governorship election.
“The decision to set up caretaker committees for both states follows the dissolution of the Bayelsa State Working Committee and the Edo State Caretaker Committee due to various acts of gross misconduct, breaches of the party constitution, and poor crisis management,” the statement read.
The committee cited several constitutional provisions, including Articles 10 and 58 of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017), as the legal basis for its action.
Other members of the newly constituted Bayelsa caretaker committee include Tony Gabriel (Deputy Chairman), Ebilade Ekerefe (Secretary), Didi Werilaghebofa (Vice Chairman, Central), Andy Majors (Vice Chairman, East), Evelyn Bolouebi Odi (Vice Chairman, West), and Biobelemoye Ogoniwari (Treasurer).
In Edo, the new team comprises Chief Sunny Okomayin (Deputy Chairman), Hillary Otsu (Secretary), Ehisota Oriakhi (Vice Chairman, Central), Richard Ehimigbai (Vice Chairman, North), and Benjamin Ehinlebodiaye (Treasurer).
The move signals renewed internal power dynamics within the PDP, as the party prepares for key elections in the coming months.
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