Recall that the national leadership of the PDP has on Saturday, 22 , February dismissed claims that it conducted its South-South Zonal Congress,( which brought Orbi and other members of the executive to power) stating that a reported gathering in Calabar, Cross River State, was not an official event of the party.
Chief Orbi speaking at the event in Benin City, Edo State said members of the caretaker committee connived with the former governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki to destroy the PDP but that he was determined to join hands with committed members to rebuild the party.
He said the donation of the facility along 175, Airport Road was in fulfillment of a pledge he made a few weeks ago when he promised some leaders and members of the party who have been calling him to show concern on the poor state of the party.
He called on the Acting National Chairman of the party to organize a proper congress that would bring a new state leadership to the party.
According to Orbih, “A few weeks ago, I made a promise in one of our meetings that I was going to donate a secretariat to the party. I can tell you after today, you can go back home and say it was a promise made and a promise fulfilled.
“You know, like I know that PDP cannot be a homeless party. On the 17th of January, our former state chairman. Honourable Tony Azegbemi was chasedout at an office along Airport Road Benin City, and from January to this very day, Edo, PDP, have no State Secretariat,
“I want to use this opportunity to say that with the official handing over of this Secretariat to Edo PDP, we are going to put an end to that sad chapter when we’ve not been without a party Secretariat for the past few months.
“I have been seeing some statements lately signed by one man who calls himself Acting Chairman of the party. The other one calls himself Acting Secretary of the party, I want to say here in my capacity as the Zonal Vice Chairman South – South that those people have no standing in PDP, they are pretenders.
“I want to publicly declare that those who collaborated with Godwin Obaseki to kill the PDP in Edo state cannot be caretakers.
“They are undertakers. Undertakers cannot take care of anything. They are those who buried the party in Edo state. I want to use this event to tell them to stay away. It is time for us to rebuild, reconstruct and reposition Edo state PDP.”
On how to get a new leadership for the party, Orbih said “I want to use this opportunity to send this message to the Acting National Chairman of our great party. This is the time for him to rebuild our party. He should roll out a program for the congresses that will throw up new leaders in Edo state. We can no longer tolerate these characters who collaborated with Obaseki to kill our party.”
Reacting, the PDP caretaker committee chairman, Tony Aziegbemi said that his exco would respond when it deems fit.
He noted, “Our response will be at the time of our choice. We will let you know please.”
