Breaking: Edo ADC In Crisis As Owie, Other Leaders Shut Out Of Meeting

by Idahosa Musa

An internal crisis has erupted in the Edo State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), following the alleged exclusion of some prominent party leaders from a meeting convened in Benin City on Monday.

Those reportedly shut out of the meeting include former Chief Whip of the Senate, Sir Rowland Owie, a founding member and financier of the party in the state, Sunny Aguebor, and a national leader of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Douglas Iyike, among others.

The meeting was said to have been scheduled to hold at the residence of the National Leader of the party and former governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun.

However, it was gathered that when the affected leaders arrived at the venue, they were presented with a list of invited members, which excluded them.

Angered by the development, the leaders reportedly blocked the entrance to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence in protest.

The situation, it was learnt, attracted the intervention of police officers allegedly dispatched from the Edo State Command, who appealed to the protesters to vacate the premises. The aggrieved members later dispersed.

Speaking to journalists at the scene, Sir Rowland Owie called on the national leadership of the ADC to intervene and call Odigie-Oyegun to order over what he described as disrespect to statutory and founding members of the party.

“We that are here are founding members of the ADC. We are supposed to have a meeting today.

“Chief John Oyegun, who has not done anything to support the party in this state, is calling non-members to a meeting and excluding those who are statutory members,” Owie alleged.

He further accused the former governor of repeatedly frustrating senatorial meetings of the party in the state through postponements, while claiming that party leaders had continued grassroots mobilization across Edo State, particularly in Edo South Senatorial District.

“As we are talking, we have been everywhere in this state raising members for the party. Ask him how many people he has attracted to this party,” he said.

Owie warned that the party leadership must not allow what he termed a repeat of past leadership failures, insisting that the national leadership should act decisively to prevent further crisis in the Edo chapter.

When contacted for his reaction, Odigie-Oyegun said he was still engaged in a leadership meeting of the party and would respond to the allegations after the meeting.