Kogiflame
PDP Ogbabo zone,Aloji ward in Ofu local government area of Kogi state has petitioned the local government chairman of the party ,Mr Gabriel Itanyi over what they termed as domineering and marginalisation of Ogbabo zone in Aloji ward.
In a lengthy petition signed by some major stakeholders numbering 11 in the ward on the 19th of July and tagged ‘impugnity and undemocratic domineering/ marginalisation acts against Aloji ward,Ogbabo zone’ by the party’s chairman in the local government Mr Gabriel Itanyi,copied the state leadership of the party, PDP chairman ofu local and ward as well as the PDP leader in Ofu, Dr Sule Odoma.
The petitioners among other things complained on the imposition of party leaders and unilateral decisions that negated the continuous successes recorded by the party in the last two decades in Ogbabo zone.
They also avered the concluded plans by the party leadership to muzzle the forthcoming congresses from ward to local government using the self imposed leader in cahot to shortchange and sustain their anti people’s activities in the most popular PDP area Ogbabo zone,Aloji ward in Ofu local government.
They urged the party leadeship to investigate,ressolve and possibly expose all anomaly perpetrated against Ogbabo zone by both the local government party chairman,Gabriel Itanyi and his preferred party leader from the area,Ali Omede to avoid narrowing down the chances of the party in the forthcoming election in 2023.
The Ogbabo unit stakeholders posited and prayed for the following actions to be taken to avoid overheating the polity of the most popular polling unit,Ogbabo zone in Ofu local government area.
(A) ‘This is termed as an illegality and an affront on the sensibility of the Zone and the entire body of the Peoples Democratic Party; and must not be allowed to see the light of the day.’
(B)’ There is urgent need for your good office to draw the attention of the said party chairman to this affront and to also address this anomaly without any delay. “Delay is dangerous”.
(C) “That he should stop using his chairmanship position from further activities to lord over the ward party leadership for peace to reign in the party; and for victories in further elections ”
(D) “That the PDP members from the Area and the ward have been embarrassed by the action of the chairman. Hence, we request that after this ugly trend is addressed to avoid litigation in the law court, he should be compelled to apologize to the area and the ward party.”
(E) “That the chairman’s insensitivities to issues that are not within his mandate as a local Government chairman should be called to order to be educated on the differences between issues that bother on the ward party leadership and LGA leadership of the party to allow participation of Ogbabo zone in all stakeholders meetings of the ward.”
(F) “That the said chairman Ofu Local Government chapter of the party (PDP) and Alih Omede should as a matter of urgency be compelled to withdraw their self centered zoning scheme to allow all ward stakeholders to participate in all decisions of the party in the ward as this maybe the only means party programs and activities could be allowed to take place in the areas.”
(G)” That the actions of Gabriel Itanyi and Alih Omede is already a threat to the long existing peace in Aloji ward since the former became the chairman of the party at the Local Government level.
Hence, the peaceful coexistence in our party is being truncated.”
PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY PDP, OGBABO AREA (POLLING UNIT-001)
19th July, 2021
The Chairman,
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
Kogi East.
Sir,
THE IMPUNITY AND UNDEMOCRATIC DOMINEERING LEADERSHIP ACTS OF THE CHAIRMAN, PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFU LOCAL GOVERNMENT CHAPTER, MR. GABRIEL ITANYI ON VARIOUS POLITICAL ACTIVITIES IN ALOJI WARD.
We the faithful members and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Ogbabo polling unit 001 in Aloji Ward-007 are compelled to bring to your notice the level of marginalization, impunity and undemocratic leadership act of Gabriel Itanyi on the above subject.
Aloji Ward has 3 political Zones which include:
Ogbabo Zone
Ikagbo Zone and
Aloji Zone respectively.
Before the said Mr. Gabriel Itanyi joined the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of Late Alhaji Umar Idegwu in late 2007, the party continued to maintain good political relationship and understanding among the aforementioned three Zones; and this has continuously fostered unity, strength and victories to the party since 2003.
However, since the said Mr. Gabriel Itanyi became the chairman of PDP of Ofu chapter, Ogbabo zone has continued to be subjected to marginalization at the ward and the Local Government Chapters of the party.
This he termed as our political rewards since Ogbabo presented a contestant in the congress that he emerged as the chairman; and also refused to accept the vice chairmanship position in the last LGA election on his own instruction as a leader of the party.
After the death of the Aloji ward political leader, late Alhaji Umar Idegwu, Mr. Gabriel Itanyi without due consultation single handedly appointed one Alih Omede, a PDP party member who never won election in his polling unit or being in control of his area as “a party leader” to replace Alhaji Umar Idegwu, the position he has been occupying without recognition to Ogbabo zone in the scheme of things in Aloji ward.
The leadership of late Alhaji Idegwu as a ward party leader emerged through an open contest between him and Hon. SULE ETUBI and he enjoyed the supports from all zones of the ward with numerous achievements and party victories in all our elections until his death.
Disappointedly, the appointment of one Alih Omede by Gabriel Itanyi has never been officially presented to the zones on any occasion, but even though that was not done not to talk of being accepted, he has been tolerated to bear the title especially that he (Alih Omede) hails from same zone with the former ward party leader and for peace to reign in PDP at Aloji ward.
More worrisome has been his inability to call stakeholders meetings of the party since his appointment by his favourite principal, Gabriel Itanyi.
The same Gabriel Itanyi and his political errand man, Alih Omede joined hands in the last local government chairmanship supposed “primaries” to displace an aspirant from the same zone, Hon. Ameh Musa for another aspirant from another ward on the premises that if he allowed anyone from his district, Ugwolawo especially his own ward, Aloji he would not enjoy the support of the party elders for his second term bid.
The said Mr. Gabriel Itanyi constituted elders’ Forum of the PDP at the Local Government level of the party with 3 representatives from each ward without recognition to Ogbabo zone as Aloji ward has been represented by only two of his cohorts.
For avoidance of doubt, Aloji zone is represented by one Alih Omede, Ikagbo zone is represented by Abraham Okolo while Ogbabo has no single representative. Courtesy of Gabriel Itanyi, PDP party chairman Ofu chapter and his cohorts.
We are deeply pained to report Gabriel Itanyi’s scheme in the forth coming ward and local government party congresses where he has declared that he has been endorsed to retain his office as the chairman of the party; and his personal zoning formulae of Aloji ward PDP where he and Alih Omede have pronounced over times that only two of them have the power and have zoned the leadership (ward chairman) of the party to Gabriel Itanyi’s zone without involving any party stakeholder from Ogbabo zone whose performances remain unequal in Aloji ward at all the previous elections.
The chairmanship of the ward was previously zoned on understanding among the three zones that made up of Aloji ward and never generated any heat until Itanyi’s schemes have continued to dominate the ward party leadership to our own disadvantages.
For your information, Aloji where the said Alih Omede votes is completing 21st years at the expiration of the current leadership of the party uninterruptedly.
However, Ogbabo zone which has been a major strength to the various successes recorded in Aloji ward has been neglected and undermined by Gabriel Itanyi and Alih Omede political game plan.
The development which remains undemocratic, selfish and unacceptable to our zone; and above all a means of weakening the strength of the party for mundane and parochial sense of reasoning.
We are bold to state categorically that our zone, Ogbabo has been a major strength to all PDP’s political outings since 1999 in Aloji ward till today.
For the purpose of records and proofs of the commitment of Ogbabo zone to various successes, the Local Government party chairman and the one man selected/appointed ward leader, Alih Omede should come out bold to present the results of the previous elections held from 2003 till date to contradict our claims/position.
Our worries/questions:
Has Ogbabo unit(s) been removed from Aloji ward under the leadership of Gabriel Itanyi and his cohorts?
That why has a leader of the party found it difficult to call for stakeholders meeting since he was appointed?
That was it an offense on the part of Ogbabo zone to contest in elections in Aloji ward, why should he (Gabriel Itanyi) punish Ogbabo zone because someone contested with him in 2017 LGA congress; and another declined in accepting his instruction in the last Council chairmanship election to step down?
What qualified other zones from the ward to be represented in the Elders’ Forum of the party that Ogbabo does not possess?
Why should Ogbabo not be part of decision making in the ward and Local Government chapters of the party (PDP)?
Has any poling unit in Aloji ward recorded votes/performances like Ogbabo zone since 2003 elections in Aloji Ward?
Was Dr. Sule Odoma, our overall party leader part of this GabrielAlih’s zoning arrangement?
Our Position/prayers
(A) This is termed as an illegality and an affront on the sensibility of the Zone and the entire body of the Peoples Democratic Party; and must not be allowed to see the light of the day.
(B) There is urgent need for your good office to draw the attention of the said party chairman to this affront and to also address this anomaly without any delay. “Delay is dangerous”.
(C) That he should stop using his chairmanship position from further activities to lord over the ward party leadership for peace to reign in the party; and for victories in further elections
(D) That the PDP members from the Area and the ward have been embarrassed by the action of the chairman. Hence, we request that after this ugly trend is addressed to avoid litigation in the law court, he should be compelled to apologize to the area and the ward party.
(E) That the chairman’s insensitivities to issues that are not within his mandate as a local Government chairman should be called to order to be educated on the differences between issues that bother on the ward party leadership and LGA leadership of the party to allow participation of Ogbabo zone in all stakeholders meetings of the ward.
(F) That the said chairman Ofu Local Government chapter of the party (PDP) and Alih Omede should as a matter of urgency be compelled to withdraw their self centered zoning scheme to allow all ward stakeholders to participate in all decisions of the party in the ward as this maybe the only means party programs and activities could be allowed to take place in the areas.
(G) That the actions of Gabriel Itanyi and Alih Omede is already a threat to the long existing peace in Aloji ward since the former became the chairman of the party at the Local Government level.
Hence, the peaceful coexistence in our party is being truncated.
We anticipate your necessary and urgent actions in this regard.
CC:
The State Chairman, PDP
The Chairman, PDP Ofu Chapter
The Chairman, PDP Aloji Ward
The PDP leader, Dr. Sule Odoma