A crisis is brewing in the Edo State chapter of the African Democratic Congress as several party leaders, including a former Chief Whip of the Senate, Rowland Owie, were shut out of a meeting held at the residence of a party leader, John Odigie-Oyegun, on Monday.
Also shut out were one of the founders and financiers of the party in the state, Sunny Aguebor, and a national leader of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria leader, Douglas Iyike, among many others.
The NGGOSSIPS gathered that Odigie-Oyegun scheduled the meeting at his residence in the Government Reservation Area.
However, when members arrived, their names were not on the list of invitees.
The aggrieved members subsequently took over the entrance to the compound of Odigie-Oyegun until a unit of police officers, reportedly sent from the state command, arrived and spoke with the members, who later left the premises.
Speaking to journalists, Owie called on the national leadership of the ADC to call Odigie-Oyegun to order.
He said, “We are founding members of the ADC. We were supposed to have a meeting today. Chief John Oyegun, who has not done anything to support the party in this state, is calling non-members to a meeting and excluding those who are statutory members.
“As a matter of fact, the senatorial meeting was supposed to be called four or five times, but he postponed it. As we are talking, we have been everywhere in this state, especially here in Edo South, raising members for the party. Ask him how many people he has attracted to this party.
“We are telling the national leadership of the party that enough is enough for John Oyegun. This was how he behaved as the national chairman of the APC, and he was removed with ease. Enough is enough; he cannot disrespect those who are building the party.”
When contacted, Odigie-Oyegun said “he was still in the party leadership meeting and would speak on the issue later.”
