Tony Aziegbemi, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State has been reportedly kidnapped by gunmen.
Aziegbemi was abducted at about 7 pm on Friday.
This is coming barely three days after the expiration of the party’s State Working Committee.
The report says that the chairman was kidnapped when he was about to enter his house shortly after a meeting with Governor Godwin Obaseki in Benin City.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the PDP chairman was kidnapped at the entrance of his house along Country Home Hotel Road, Benin City, after the meeting with the governor.
According to the source, as the driver was about to enter the compound, the kidnappers blocked the jeep and took Dr. Tony Aziegbemi away and left the driver.
He also added that the PDP candidate for the forthcoming September 21, 2024, governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, was supposed to also attend the meeting with the governor.
He said the governorship candidate was, however, not able to attend the meeting due to his meeting with the party’s leaders in Uromi, the administrative headquarters of Esan North-East Local Government Area.
A chieftain of the party, who also spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity, said the abducted PDP chairman’s meeting with the governor was on how to plan to set up a caretaker committee that would take over the affairs of the party pending the election of a new executive.
“Our plan is to set up a Caretaker Committee to take over the affairs of the party since we have a very important election coming up on September 21, 2024. The Aziegbemi-led State Exco ended on Thursday, March 14, 2024.
“As you may be aware, conducting a fresh PDP State Congress in Edo State when the governorship election is around the corner may weaken our togetherness as one party towards winning the election,” he said.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Edo State Police Command, Chidi Nwabuzor, said he should be given time to respond.