History
The OPDO was created in early 1982 after the growing dissatisfaction in Oromia with their relations to the existing Oromo Liberation Front against the Derg regime. At first a weak organization, according to Paul B. Henze, the OPDO attracted defectors from Derg military units and gained supporters when in 1991 the EPRDF occupied parts of the provinces of Wollo and Shewa which had significant Oromo majorities.
In 2001, the OPDO was rocked by a series of corruption scandals, which led to the ouster of then secretary general Kuma Demeksa on charges of corruption, "anti-democratic practices", abuse of power and nepotism. Major-General Abadula Gemeda at the time resigned his commission in the Ethiopian National Defense Force and took control of the entroubled OPDO.
The OPDO held their fourth congress on 23 February 2006 in Adama.
In the 2008 by-elections, the OPDO won 23 seats in the Oromia Regional legislature, and 613 seats from 108 kebeles for elections to the Kebeles Peoples' Representatives Council.
Read more about this topic: Oromo Peoples' Democratic Organization
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