BREAKING NEWS: Tension Rocks Edo State As Okpebholo Resigns
Political tension is seething silently in Edo State consequent on the resignation of Deacon Darlington Okpebholo Ray, the Lead Spokesman of the Team Asue Media Organization (TAMO), from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In citing the hijack of the party by undemocratic forces.
In a letter dated July 17, 2025, and addressed to the PDP Chairman of Ward 5 in Esan North East Local Government Area, Okpebholo Ray, amidst a feeling of disappointment, bemoaned the subsisting hijack of the party by perceived undemocratic forces.
He also announced his immediate withdrawal from the party, ending a political journey that began in 1998.
“I write to formally tender my resignation as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with immediate effect,” he stated.
The UK-based media strategist, who has served in various strategic communications roles at both state and national levels, expressed disappointment over the party’s current trajectory, which he described as a betrayal of its founding ideals.
Over the years, Okpebholo played key roles in PDP’s media architecture, serving as Lead Spokesman for the Team Asue Media Organization, a media committee member for the Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu Campaign (2016), and later for the Godwin Obaseki Campaign Organization (2020).
He was also a member of the PDP Youth Mobilization Committee in 2019 and the National Coordinator of the Think Naija Think Atiku Support Group.
“These roles saw me actively representing our candidates and party at various platforms, in print and broadcast media, even as a diaspora member dedicated to Nigeria’s democratic evolution,” he noted.
He lamented that the PDP has strayed from its core principles of inclusion, internal democracy, and collective advancement.
“Sadly, the soul of the party has been surrendered to undemocratic forces and personal interests, suffocating the hopes of young Nigerians who once saw the PDP as a beacon of national redemption,” Okpebholo said.
He concluded his resignation letter with an expression of gratitude to the party for past opportunities, while declaring his readiness to explore new political horizons.
“I now turn to new possibilities, with firm belief that Nigeria deserves better.”
Okpebholo’s resignation adds to the wave of internal discontent within the PDP in Edo State, raising fresh questions about the party’s cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
