A group within the auspices of the Peoples Democratic Party, the PDP Action 2023, has revealed why the former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, withdrew from the state governorship primary.
According to The PUNCH, the group, in a statement by its chairman, Rufus Omeire, voiced concerns that the party’s national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, who is also a candidate and a supervisory official in the primaries, would not ensure that the primary process would be free, fair, and reasonable.
“In the first place, Ihedioha, who had been a dedicated member of PDP since 1999, was unfairly and unjustly treated by the leadership of the party.
“The National Secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, had indicated interest in vying for the governorship primaries as he is entitled to, as an indigene of Imo State. However, as a sitting national secretary, it is only proper that he should not supervise the primaries for which he is a contestant.”
The group described as shocking the fact that “Anyawu was himself screened as an aspirant and later on signed the clearance certificate of the successful aspirants, including himself.”
According to Omeire, Section 47(5) of the PDP constitution mandates that the party specify in its rules the time of resignation for any national officers running for political office.
“The party under the watch of the suspended Ayu refused to do so in order to confer undue advantage to any national officer of the party, to sit tight in office and preside over primaries for which they may be candidates,” the statement read in part.
The group maintained that “the only fair thing for the PDP to do at this stage is to open the process for another credible candidate to join the race in Imo State, if this is not done, Ayu would have succeeded in killing Imo PDP the way he has put PDP national on life support.”