The internal crisis within the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, deepened on Sunday as the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, known as the Legacy Group, elected a new state working committee headed by Barrister Nosa Ogieva.

 

 

Ogieva emerged alongside 13 other executive members during the party’s 2025 State Congress held in Benin City.

 

The new leadership vowed to reunite party members and restore the PDP’s winning strength in the state.

 

 

Out of the 14 positions filled, 11 candidates were returned unopposed, while Tony Aziegbemi, Henry Tenebe, and Victor Enoghama contested for the positions of State Chairman, Secretary, and Deputy State Chairman, respectively. A total of 576 delegates drawn from the 192 wards across Edo State participated in the congress.

 

In his acceptance speech, the newly elected Chairman, Barrister Nosa Ogieva, described their victory as the beginning of a new era for the Edo PDP.

 

He pledged to reposition and rebrand the party, assuring members that his leadership would remain loyal and accountable.

 

 

“We will not betray the trust of party members. Unity and loyalty remain the foundation of our great party, and under our watch, PDP in Edo will be rebuilt to win elections again,” Ogieva said.

 

Earlier, party chieftain Chief Dan Orbih blamed former Governor Godwin Obaseki for the lingering internal crisis, accusing him of falling out with virtually every stakeholder he met in the PDP.

 

Orbih noted that the party’s poor outing in the recent by-elections reflected its dwindling popularity under the current state leadership.

 

 

He therefore urged delegates to elect capable leaders who could revive the PDP and restore its influence in Edo State.