The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has acknowledged its failure to retain several of its lawmakers, including the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee in Edo, made the statement on Thursday in Benin while addressing the recent wave of defections by PDP lawmakers to the ruling APC.
Just a day prior, Speaker Agbebaku and four other PDP legislators formally announced their move to the APC.
Aziegbemi revealed that the party had held over 20 meetings with the lawmakers in a bid to persuade them to stay, but ultimately could not convince them to remain in the fold.
“As a party, we always strive to engage with our members and offer them a sense of belonging, regardless of the circumstances,” he said. “We, alongside the party’s candidate and deputy governorship candidate, had numerous meetings with the lawmakers to urge them to stay. We emphasized that remaining with the party was in their best interest and that of their families.
“However, it appears our efforts weren’t enough. We take full responsibility for not being able to retain them,” Aziegbemi admitted.
Commenting on the broader issue of political defections in Nigeria, Aziegbemi argued that the country’s core problems are not limited to corruption but are deeply rooted in a lack of integrity and shame among those in positions of power.
“We often blame corruption, but the real crisis in this country is the absence of shame and integrity among our leaders,” he said. “These ongoing defections reflect a broader failure in leadership values like honesty, kindness, and decency—traits that are unfortunately missing in many of today’s political actors.”