By Godsday Orubebe, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Orubebe’s resignation from the main opposition party was contained in a letter dated June 20, 2022 and addressed to its National Chairman, lyorchia Ayu.
According to the ex-minister, the PDP disregarded the mood of the nation by electing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner, as its presidential candidate, despite calls for power shift to the South.
He noted that Atiku’s emergence resulted in two topmost positions in the party occupied by Northerners which negates the provisions of party’s constitution.
“However, the present situation in the party does not inspire confidence that the party is ready to regain power in 2023. Against the mood of the nation and in complete disregard to the provisions of the party’s constitution, the party, threw the zoning of the Presidency open, which created a situation that led to the emergence of a Northerner as the party’s Presidential flagbearer, thus making the two topmost positions in the party, after your emergence as the National Chairman, to be occupied by Northerners, contrary to section 7.3(c) of the party’s constitution,” the letter read in part.
“I salute and commend the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Nyesom Wike for Ns efforts and gallantry at the primaries. Posterity will be kind to him when the history of the party is written.
“There are lots to be said, but out of respect for the party, I leave some stories untold at this time. My belief in the sanctity of Nigeria is unshaken and I will continually work for her progress and development, even if it’s through another route.”
Orubebe, a kinsman of former President Goodluck Jonathan, had made headlines when he almost disrupted the announcement of the 2015 presidential election.
In a surprising show of notoriety, he publicly accused the then Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega of working for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari.
