The crisis within the Edo State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has escalated, with senior party figures trading accusations over the emergence of the state chairman.
Speaking with journalists in Benin City, Senatorial Leader of the party and member of its National Executive Council (NEC), Roland Owie, accused former national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, of attempting to impose loyalists on the party in the state.
Owie stated that the chairmanship position had earlier been zoned to Edo South Senatorial District and subsequently micro-zoned to Oredo Local Government Area.
According to him, the zoning arrangement led to the emergence of two aspirants—Dr. Mike Ehima and Tony Alile—who contested in what he described as a mini primary.
He disclosed that at the end of the exercise, Ehima secured 75 votes, while Alile garnered just four votes, insisting that the process reflected the will of party stakeholders.
He stated that the recently concluded local government congresses were largely peaceful, with consensus outcomes recorded in several councils.
More so, Owie alleged that information available to him indicated that Oyegun was backing an alternative candidate as chairman at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, a move he said could undermine internal democracy.
“He cannot function as both a national leader and the senatorial leader of the party in the state. He should choose one,” Owie said, calling on the NEC to intervene and “call him to order.”
In his response, Oyegun denied involvement in the conduct of the state congress, distancing himself from the process.
“I am not the state congress officer appointed by the national headquarters in Abuja to oversee the exercise. It is only the congress officer that can speak on that,” he said.
Speaking on the claims by former state chairman, Kelly Odion, that he remains in office on the grounds that no congress was held, Oyegun dismissed the assertion, describing it as a matter between Odion and the party’s national leadership.
“I don’t know where he got that from; it is between him and Abuja,” Oyegun added, while alleging that Odion may be aligning with another faction of the party at the national level.
The unfolding developments have heightened uncertainty within the Edo ADC, raising concerns about internal cohesion ahead of future political engagements.
