From Dom Ekpunobi, Onitsha
The cloud over who represents the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming Anambra Central Senatorial Zone election became thicker when posters of former governor Peter Obi adorned major streets of Awka and Onitsha as well as strategic positions in some local government areas of the state.
The posters were said to have been pasted by youths operating under the aegis of Anambra Youths Progressives Movement, who wanted the former governor to run for the senatorial election as a substitute for Uche Ekwunife, who resigned from PDP and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the court nullified her election and ordered a rerun.
Daily Sun gathered that Mr. Obi had accepted to participate in the senatorial election and even received the endorsement of the National Executive Council (NEC) of PDP, which conducted a primary for the election in February this year.
Anambra State chairman of PDP, Chief Ejike Oguebego, however, told Daily Sun that Senator Annie Okonkwo remained the candidate of the party for Anambra Central in the rerun election.
Chief Oguebego said as far as the Anambra State executive of the party was concerned, it was not in a position to conduct any other primary outside the one that produced Chief Annie Okonkwo in 2015.
Reacting to Chief Oguebego’s statement, however, a PDP stalwart and former Anambra State commissioner for Information and Culture, Chief Jeomartins Uzodike, said the state leadership of the party was not in a position to select who would contest senatorial election for the party, as it was the prerogative of the NEC of the party.
He said primaries for electing the candidate of the party for Anambra Central Senatorial zone had been held in February this year, where Obi emerged, adding that the party would soon submit his name to INEC as a substitute to Ekwunife, who resigned from PDP and joined the APC.
Chief Uzodike said what the NEC of PDP had done so far was in accordance with the constitution of the party.