Toba Owojaiye reporting
Benin City, Edo State
Engr (Barr.) Patsbolo Okpebholo, a prominent figure within the Labour Party and past chairman of Ene LGA, has officially announced his resignation from the party citing grievances with the National and State Chairmen’s leadership.
In a scathing statement made available to Truth Live News , Barr Okpebholo expressed his disillusionment with what he perceives as the leadership’s disregard for party members and their principles.
Central to his decision was the alleged selling of the Governorship right of the Esan tribe of Edo State to the highest bidder, a move he condemned as lacking dignity and focus. Okpebholo lamented the betrayal of what he refers to as Peter Obi’s, ( the national leader of the party and embodiment of the “Obi-dient” movement) vision for Nigeria, a vision he believes both the National and State Chairmen have forsaken.
The resignation comes amid controversy surrounding the choice of Labour Party’s candidate from Edo South, Barr Olumide Akpata contrary to calls for equity and fairness favoring any Edo Central candidate.
The departure of popular Edo central grassroots mobiliser and crowd puller, Pat Okpebholo, has sparked speculation among netizens, with many questioning whether it marks a singular event or the beginning of a larger exodus from the party. The uncertainty surrounding the future of the Labour Party in light of this resignation has left many anticipating potential ramifications and a possible cascade of further defections.
In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, the younger brother of an Edo born billionaire and construction mogul, Bishop Matthew Okpebholo asserted that he’s moving his crowd of supporters and followers across the five LGA to the PDP and pull their weight behind the candidature of Dr Asue Ighodalo.
He said: “As it stands, only the PDP has shown genuine commitment to ensure Esan people have a shot at the seat of power in the state and I’m going to be pulling out my resources and political structure with the five LGA in Edo central to work for the PDP and ensure Asue Ighodalo wins the coming gubernatorial election.
