T0P ST0RY: Abia PDP Tension Increases, As Guber Aspirants Meet In Abuja, Issue Strong Statement |READ FULL

All Facts Newspaper had reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), faulted claims made by governor Okezie Ikpeazu PhD in a viral video, where he adduced that the 3-man delegates election has held ahead of the party's primary.

The lingered crisis in PDP, may challenge the perceived dominance and supremacy of the party in the state, giving opposition parties to rise and possibly take over the state governance if not addressed.

Meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, some of the PDP governorship aspirants in the state, dolled support on INEC's stand, maintaining that no delegate election was held in the state.

[caption id="attachment_134695" align="alignnone" width="860"] some of the Abia Guber aspirants meeting in Abuja on Wednesday[/caption]

The aspirants at the Press conference in Abuja include; Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, Senator Emma Nwaka, Ncheta Omerekpe, Chima Anyaso, Nnanna Nwafo, and Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.

The aspirants affirmed that the Abia PDP is wallowing in 'self-inflicted' crisis which has tendencies of causing major complications for the party's future both in the state and national level.

They opposed an alleged imposition of a candidate to fly the party's ticket ahead of the 2023 guber race.

Recall that there have been speculations that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has a prefered successor in Prof. Eleazar Uche Ikonne.

The aspirants urged the National Working Committee of PDP to use only statutory delegates for the primaries to avoid looming disaster, adding that they are aware of alleged plans to manipulate the authentic statutory delegate list.

Read An Extract From The Press Statement Below:

TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY ABIA STATE PDP GOVERNORSHIP AND OTHER ASPIRANTS HELD on WEDNESDAY MAY 18TH, 2022.

ABIA STATE PDP: TIME TO AVOID SELF DESTRUCTION

It is no longer news that the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Abia State Chapter have been grappling with self-inflicted problems that could lead to a major destructive implosion.

At the centre of the vexed issues is the obvious manipulation by a tiny segment of the State Executive Committee of the party to yield to plots at subverting the democratic process, which is geared towards achieving a predetermined goal of imposition at all levels.

We are therefore here in our party's Abuja National headquarters to alert the party and the Nigerian public of this ugly development, which if not stopped could spell doom for the party ahead of the 2023 general election not only in Abia State but in the South East as a whole.

Taking our people for granted by subverting their wish and aspiration with a blatant concoctment of what never happened is the height of impunity that we all must resist, particularly the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party.

Presenting the Facts and The Truth

1) There was not and has never been any Ward Congress to elect the 3-man Adhoc delegates in Abia State. The congress, earlier scheduled to hold on 30th April, 2022 due to a court order could not hold and was re-scheduled to hold on May 4th 2022. It also failed to hold on that date because of a public holiday declared in Abia State and since then none has been held, neiher has there been any communication for another congress by PDP National Headquarters.

This can be verified vide an official letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that confirmed the last official communication between it and PDP to the effect that no congresses to elect the 3-man Ad-hoc delegates for the party primary elections has held up till today.(See Attachment)

2) We heard via rumours that there is a list of delegates flying around and in the custody of the NWC purporting it to have been a product of a congress held on 6th May 2022.

It is preposterous that what is being bandied as a list emanated from an imaginary congress conducted vide a letter of notice to the Abia State resident electoral commissioner signed by the Abia State Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Allwell Asiforo Okere. The implication being that the functions of NEC and NWC was performed by a State Chairman of the party and NOT the National Chairman and Secretary.

3) Our great party, should therefore disregard any of such list especially now that INEC has come forward to clarify that it neither received any communication from the PDP National Chairman and the National Secretary to participate nor did it monitor any such exercise as required by both the INEC Guidelines for Political Parties Section 1.2 which stipulates a mandatory 7-day notice to INEC and Section 82(5) of the Electoral Act 2022.

4) The National Legal adviser, we believe, knows the implications of going ahead to use such legally unknown delegates in the primary elections and should advise the NWC accordingly, unless the party wants to enjoy the unenviable luxury of walking towards self destruction.

5) Note: that Mr Asiforo Okere in writing and sending such notice, clearly overreached himself and by doing so flagrantly ran foul of the extant laws both that of the PDP and the Electoral Act. The Act provides for the channels of communication between the political parties and the INEC.

The commission as the Electoral Act provides relates only with the National Executives of political parties. Therefore communications for the purposes of congresses and convention must be through the National Chairman and the National Secretary. Assuming without conceding that a congress held on the 6th of May, 2022, where did the Abia State Chairman of PDP derive his powers to solely conduct a party congress and even write to invite the State Resident electoral commissioner for the same purposes?

It will be imprudent for the NWC to be seen to have allowed its powers to be so usurped knowing the dire consequences of such action on the electoral process and the quest to enhance the fortunes of the party in the 2023 General elections.

The NWC should as a matter of fact know that the State Chairman's actions with that letter failed to satisfy the requirements of the law as it is the NWC and or the NEC of the party that has the exclusive prerogative to give notice to INEC and to conduct party congresses and primaries. Any such notice given and congresses conducted by any State Executive as purportedly done in this case is null and void.

6) As party members who love and cherish our great party it is also our duty to lend our voice and contribute towards steering it out of a potentially calamitous journey which will likely lead Abia PDP to have NO candidates in the 2023 elections.

7) We therefore urge the NWC of our great party to use ONLY STATUTORY ( AUTOMATIC) delegates for the forthcoming primaries to avoid a looming disaster for all our aspirants at all levels in Abia State.

8) While doing this we also wish to let the NWC know that we have also heard of plans to doctor the authentic Statutory Delegate list.

9) We know who the statutory delegates are and have therefore as a matter of urgency applied for the Certified True Copy of the list from the National Organizing Secretary of the party and from INEC.

Signed

HE Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe ( Minority Leader, Senate & Gubernatorial Aspirant)

HE Rt Hon Ude Oko Chukwu (Deputy Governor, Abia & Gubernatorial Aspirant)

Hon Uzoma Nkem Abonta (Member, House of Representatives & HOR Aspirant)

Senator Emma Nwaka (Fmr State Chairman, PDP Abia & Gubernatorial Aspirant)

Engr Enyinna Nwafor (Gubernatorial Aspirant)

Chief Ncheta Omerekpe (Gubernatorial Aspirant)

Dr Chima Anyaso (Gubernatorial Aspirant)

Rt Hon Dr Sampson Orji ( Gubernatorial Aspirant)

Barr David Iro (State Secretary, PDP Abia)