Crisis over appts: Anenih meets with Edo PDP leaders

By SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY
FORMER Chairman Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, will today meet with the leaders of the party in the state, with a view to resolve the present crisis rocking the party over the list of Ministerial nominees and the nomination of a former Commissioner for Environment in Edo state, Mrs Sarah Adetugbougbou as Ambassador designate.

Meanwhile, in a statement signed by Barr.Bisi Idaomi, the leader of the Democratic Movement, a group under the PDP, appealed to the leaders of the party not to allow political appointments tear the party apart, admonishing however that “ all appointments must be equitably distributed around the state and to deserving members who have over the years showed complete loyalty to the party. Any thing less is totally unacceptable and will be resisted”.

Fresh crisis erupted in the party in the state when some party leaders who are opposed to the appointment of a Minister from Edo Central, where Chief Anenih hails from, learnt that the former Minister of State for Defense, Arch.Mike Onolemenmen has been endorsed for the job.

Their grouse was that Edo Central had produced four Ministers in the past while Edo North is yet to produce any. Consequently, majority of the party members believed that Prof.Julius Ihonbvere should have been given the slot since he is better qualified than any of the nominees from the state and also from the marginalized area of Edo North.

Chief Anenih earlier called the meeting last Wednesday but the leaders of the party from Edo South boycotted the meeting forcing Chief Anenih to reschedule the meeting for today. But the faction of the party led by Dr Samuel Ogbemudia/Admiral Mike Akhigbe are not part of the arrangement though.