In yet another blow to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, the Director-General of Asue Ighodalo’s 2024 governorship campaign, Hon. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, has formally resigned from the party.
His resignation letter, dated Thursday 17 July 2025, was acknowledged by his Ward Chairman, Andrew Esemuede, in Ward 5, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area. The development comes just three months after the controversial sealing of his Eterno Hotel, located in the Government Reservation Area (GRA) of Benin City, by the Edo State Development and Building Control Agency (ESDBCA), following cult-related violence in parts of the State.
Iduoriyekemwen, a prominent figure in Edo politics and former Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly as well as a former Commissioner on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), described the decision as a difficult one.
“This is a painstaking decision for me, as the PDP has played a vital role in my political journey and personal development,” he wrote. “For this, I remain deeply grateful and will always cherish the platform the Party provided me.”
His exit further compounds the internal crisis rocking the PDP in Edo, following a series of high-profile defections and resignations. Political observers say the party is grappling with declining influence in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Just a day before Iduoriyekemwen’s resignation, former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, also quit the party in a shocking move that sent ripples through the national political space.
In a related development, the only PDP member in the House of Representatives from Edo State, Rt. Hon. Marcus Onobun—representing Esan West, Esan Central, and Igueben—has reportedly concluded plans to officially defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday, 18 July.
Sources also revealed that Onobun’s private property in Ekpoma, Esan West LGA, was recently sealed by the state government over alleged security violations—a move some opposition figures have decried as politically motivated.
With Iduoriyekemwen’s departure and a growing list of party stalwarts walking away, the PDP appears increasingly vulnerable as it prepares to re-strategise in the aftermath of its 2024 governorship election loss.
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