From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said Abia State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is yet to conduct its ad-hoc delegate election.

This is contrary to claims by a section of the party in the state that it held its ward congress on May 6.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was reported to have been seen in a video addressing some party members at Obingwa Ward 7 claiming delegates had been elected.

However, Secretary of the party, David Iro, told newsmenin Umuahia that the election of the three-man delegates was yet to take place in Abia. “There has never been any delegates’ conference in the PDP any where in Abia. I can state it categorically that it has not been done.”

This is even as PDP is insisting that the three-man delegate election held in the state. Barely 72 hours after making the statement, the State Working Committee (SWC) suspended Iro for one month, saying it took the action because he made unguarded utterances that brought embarrassment to the party.

INEC’s position, which has vindicated Iro, was contained in a letter written to the Wadata House, the PDP headquarters in Abuja, saying there was no three-man ad-hoc delegates’ congress in Abia State.  This has put to rest speculations on whether or not the three-man delegates’ election held in Abia.

INEC’s letter, which was said to be in response to inquiry made by a legal practitioner, and signed by its Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, made it clear that Abia PDP had not conducted its three-man ad-hoc delegates’ congress.

“Please refer to your letter dated May 11, 2022 requesting confirmation if the commission is in receipt of a letter from the PDP national chairman and national secretary that rescheduled the party’s Abia State ward congresses that failed to hold on May 4, 2022.

“This is to confirm that the last notice received from the PDP national headquarters was the one that scheduled the Abia State ward congresses for May 4, 2022.”

The three man ad-hoc delegates elections was meant to hold in the 17 local government areas in preparation for the main primary. It, however, did not hold as INEC stated that the rescheduled date was a public holiday and was expecting a new date from PDP.

The election, which was shifted to a later date did not hold as some aggrieved members owere alleged to have obtained a court injunction to stop the election.   

In the light of the above, a PDP stakeholder in the state, Charles Ogbonnaya, called on the national leadership to listen to the complaint of governorship aspirants from Abia and do away with the list submitted to it from the state as no such election took place.

Ogbonnaya, who was the past commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said submission of any document by Abia PDP as three-man delegate list was the height of impunity which should be resisted.

He urged the national leadership not to accept it if it  did not want Abia to go the way of Zamfara.

“If national leadership of the party will go ahead and accept such list, it means they don’t want PDP to have members of the state House of Assembly, House of Representatives, senators and governor in 2023.”

However, in a statement, yesterday, Abia PDP insisted it conducted the three-man delegate election in the state.

The statement signed by Ama Abraham, state vice chairman/acting state publicity secretary, insisted the delegates election held on May 6