Join Me In PDP Or Be Fired, Obaseki Tells Councillors, Appointees

Indications emerged last night that councillors, political appointees and others may have obeyed an “Executive Order” to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where the incumbent governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, recently moved to in the wake of his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), as a means of securing their jobs.

The development, which is coming ahead of the September 19 governorship election in the state, saw the affected officials complying with the directive when Saturday Telegraph conducted an on the- spot investigations.

It was also gathered that the “directive” is aimed at ensuring that the PDP wins the governorship election with little or no stress from the APC. Saturday Telegraph checks, however, revealed that most councillors, political appointees and other elected APC members, who were employed under the governor, while in APC, were seen filling forms of the PDP membership cards and writing resignation letters.

One of such councillors, who pleaded anonymity, said: “My brother you can see that we are very busy now; we are obeying the order of the governor.

I’m an APC card-carrying party member, but with the situation, we find ourselves now, we have the option than to follow suit. “We just finished meetings with our Executive Chairman (LG boss) now where he has directed that if we hope to keep our jobs as political appointees, that the governor has directed that we must all go and obtain PDP membership cards, write a letter of resignation from the APC and follow him to PDP. “All the local government councillors, political appointees and all other persons employed by the governor have to follow suit if you wish to keep your job.

“We are not comfortable doing it, but for the sake of our various jobs, we have to obey.”

Meanwhile, efforts to get the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr Crusoe Osagie, on government’s response failed as calls to his mobile telephone were not responded to.