The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) South-South Zonal Working Committee on Tuesday dissolved the Bayelsa State Working Committee, led by Solomon Agwanana, and replaced it with the Edo State Caretaker Committee, led by Dr Tony Aziegbemi.
Following a meeting at the PDP South-South zone secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the zonal leadership, led by National Vice Chairman (South-South) Chief Dan Orbih, cited excessive misbehaviour, poor performance, and mishandling of internal problems as reasons for the shake-up.
New caretaker committees have been formed to manage the operations of both state chapters for the next three months.
The Orbih-led committee, widely considered to have the support of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, took the measure over opposition from the party’s National Working Committee.
According to reports, Orbih, on April 16, 2025, donated a new party secretariat to the Edo State chapter and warned the Aziegbemi-led committee to desist from parading themselves as party leaders.
In what many observers see as a politically motivated purge, the zonal leadership replaced Agwanana with George Turnah, a known Wike friend and organiser of a scheduled demonstration honouring President Bola Tinubu and Wike, as head of the new Bayelsa caretaker committee.
Similarly, Nosa Ogieva took over as chairman of Edo after Aziegbemi. Sunny Okomayin was named deputy chairman, and Hillary Otsu was appointed secretary.
According to Zonal Publicity Secretary Etim Isong, the restructure was designed to stabilise and reposition the party ahead of future elections, particularly in light of what it described as a “woeful outing” in the previous Edo governorship election.
“The decision to set up caretaker committees for both states follows the dissolution of the Bayelsa State Working Committee and the Edo State Caretaker Committee due to various acts of gross misconduct by the dissolved executives—acts that clearly breached the party’s constitution—as well as the party’s poor performance in the last Edo governorship election and the mishandling of internal crises in both states,” the statement read.
It said that the PDP zonal committee made the decisions after carefully reviewing developments in both states, citing provisions of the PDP constitution as modified in 2017—specifically, Articles 10(1)(f)(g)(k), 10(4), 26(2)(a), 27(2)(a&b), 58(1)(a)(c)(i)(j), and 59(1)(f).
The new Bayelsa PDP caretaker committee also includes Tony Gabriel as deputy chairman, former Ijaw Youth Council spokesman Ebilade Ekerefe as secretary, and Didi Werilaghebofa as vice chairman (Central). Andy Majors was appointed vice chairman (East); Evelyn Bolouebi Odi, vice chairman (West); and Biobelemoye Ogoniwari, treasurer.
In Edo, Ehisota Oriakhi was named vice chairman (Central), Richard Ehimigbai as vice chairman (North), and Benjamin Ehinlebodiaye as treasurer.
