The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed as a farce the purported defection of the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, describing it as a publicity stunt orchestrated by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee in Edo State, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, the party said the APC’s announcement lacked substance and amounted to nothing more than an attempt to impress national stakeholders with what it called “an illusion worthy of a David Copperfield performance.”
“What played out in Benin City on Tuesday was not news—it was merely the official coronation of what had become a public secret,” Aziegbemi stated. He accused Agbebaku of having long abandoned the PDP in practice, suggesting his alignment with the APC was only formalised for show.
The PDP also alleged that Agbebaku had conspired with key
APC figures, including Senator Monday Okpebholo, to undermine democratic processes in the state. Central to the party’s grievance is Agbebaku’s refusal to reinstate local government council chairmen, most of whom were elected on the PDP platform but suspended under questionable circumstances.
“Under Agbebaku’s leadership, duly elected local government council chairmen—overwhelmingly PDP members—were illegally suspended. Despite the expiration of the unconstitutional suspension, he refused to reinstate them, acting with clear partisan bias,” the statement read.
The party further challenged the APC’s claim that 17 council chairmen had defected alongside Agbebaku. It described the assertion as false, demanding that Senator Okpebholo provide the names of the said defectors.
“This is pure fiction. What they parade are political appointees and stooges illegally imposed on the councils. They are Okpebholo’s loyal hirelings, not the people’s elected representatives,” Aziegbemi said.
Mocking the APC’s tactics as reminiscent of illusionists, the PDP accused it of crafting a false image of political dominance in Edo State.
“Like APC, like David Copperfield: creating optical illusions,” the statement declared.
Despite the political drama, the PDP called on its members and Edo residents to remain calm and united, pledging that justice would ultimately prevail.
Dr Aziegbemi added that the PDP would continue to seek redress through the courts over the outcome of the September 2024 governorship election, which the party insists was marred by irregularities.
PDP’s candidate in that election, Dr Asue Ighodalo, has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal challenging the decision of the Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the 21 September poll.