BY SIMON EBEGBULEM & GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN—AGGRIEVED members of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State led by the former South-South Vice-Chairman of the party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, yesterday, resigned en-mass their membership of the party.

Their resignation followed the seven days ultimatum given to the state governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, to cancel what they described as the alleged questionable party membership registration exercise as well as “the dubious ward and local government congresses conducted by APC under his watch.”

But reacting, the APC, through its interim state Publicity Secretary, Mr Godwin Erhahon, accused the group of being economical with the truth, saying: “It is a good omen for us and we want to assure the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that what they have inherited is an ailment and not a blessing.”

However, members of the group, including Mrs. Evelyn Omokhodion, Osaitin Edosanwan, Fidelis Ogbejele and Frank Erewele also resigned their appointments with the state government, after a former member of the House of Representatives, West Ehigie-Idahosa, moved a motion which announced their official disengagement from the party.

In a communique read by Tony Omoaghe, they alleged that no attempt was made by the governor to “redress the flawed membership registration exercise and the congresses. Nothing has been heard from the appeal panel set up to deal with complaints arising from the sham congresses. There must be an end to the governor’s naked show of power which we daily witnessed in the affairs of the party and indeed in the governance of the state.

“As democrats, we would decide our next line of action in a few days,” he stated. There are indications, however, that the group will soon declare for the PDP in the state. But describing their claim as nonsensical, Erhahon, said: “We are happy that the cancerous tumour that had plagued the APC for some time now, has melted out in submission to the fervent prayers of our women wing for quite some months now.”