Olugbenga Edema, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) governorship candidate for the upcoming Ondo State off-cycle election, has officially resigned from the party.
His decision comes shortly after the Court of Appeal threw out his legal challenge against the nomination of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his running mate, Dr. Olayide Adelami, as the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a recent judgment, the appellate court upheld a prior Federal High Court ruling which dismissed Edema’s suit over the validity of the APC’s primary election.
Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke, who led the panel, noted that Edema had failed to comply with a standing court directive.
Through his counsel, Mr. Abayomi Ojo, Edema had approached the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reverse the recognition of Aiyedatiwa and Adelami as validly nominated APC candidates, citing constitutional provisions.
However, in a letter addressed to the NNPP ward chairman in Mahin Ward 11 of Ilaje Local Government Area, Edema announced his departure from the party, blaming internal wrangling and a leadership crisis.
Edema, who once chaired the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), expressed disappointment over what he described as betrayal and persistent disunity within the NNPP since he joined in June 2024.
“In my decades of political involvement, I’ve never seen a party leadership so complicit in sabotaging its own candidate, even going as far as withdrawing a valid legal case to favour an opposition party,” Edema said in the letter.
He criticized the NNPP for what he called a deviation from the core purpose of political parties — forming government through electoral success.
Edema’s resignation follows his suspension by the party alongside his running mate, Rotimi Adeyemi, for alleged anti-party conduct and breach of party rules.
He concluded his resignation letter by stating, “It is clear that the leadership and I no longer share the same vision for what a political party should represent. I am officially ending my membership with the NNPP today. This experience, though unfortunate, has been a valuable lesson.”
Although Edema has yet to announce his next political step, he previously sought the APC governorship ticket before defecting to the NNPP after Aiyedatiwa clinched the ruling party’s nomination.