Akoko-Edo APC wants Domingo out through membership validation

By DADA AYOKHAI

The much touted APC membership revalidation and registration exercise, scheduled to start on January 25 after several postponements may serves as an  avenue to weed out those considered as disloyal.

The APC nationwide registration exercise was designed to revalidate the status of old members as well as register new ones. The exercise, however, suffered a major setback as a result of the raging feud between some concerned stakeholders and members of the National Caretaker Committee of the party, with accusations that NCC members were seeking to elongate their tenure while also using the exercise to shut the door of the party against perceived opponents. 

In Edo North district, for instance, it is alleged that some leaders  of the party have bandied together to hijack the process in order to settle old political scores,.

some party members are afraid that the noble objective behind the exercise may resultantly lead to the miscarriage of justice and the extreme cases of witch hunting.

In Akoko Edo local government area, it is highly gathered that some  party leaders in the locality have already started compiling a shortlist of those they think should be shown the exit door via the membership revalidation exercise.

 A top APC stalwart in the zone, Deacon Domingo Obende, is the main target of those who have an axe to grind with the former senator who represented Edo North in the national assembly.

Deacon Obende holds the record of being the first Akoko Edo person to represent Edo North between 2011 and 2015. 

The main grouse of those pushing for Obende's exit from the APC through the 'backdoor' was his perceived role at the  last governorship election in which the APC was dusted and overhauled by the PDP which swept the poll, even in Obende's 'political backyard'. 

As a result of this, his traducers have clamoured for his removal, maintaining further that he was a close political ally of Gov Obaseki during the latter's days in the APC. 

To further buttress their argument, the group pointed at the chummy relationship between Obende and the governor, stressing it constituted a major stumbling block to the victory of the party irrespective of the fact that Comrade Oshiomole was instrumental to how he (Obende) emerged as a senator. 

On the other hand, the supporters of Senator  Obende have not forgiven the comrade governor for his role in the debacle which eventually denied their principal a second term ticket and, ensured instead, that his kinsman, Senator Francis Alimikhena, got the party's ticket in a most crude and undemocratic manner.

Though Sen Obende refused to defect to the PDP along with Gov Obaseki, many of the APC faithfuls in Akoko Edo accused him of playing the Ostrich by working against the party's candidates. 

They point to how the PDP won his polling booth, unit and ward during the election as  a proof that his soul had long departed from the APC and all he was concerned about is to play the spoiler's role.