By Omoniyi Salaudeen

Controversies have continued to trail the alleged malpractice that characterized the conduct of the Anambra State delegate congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a petition made available to Sunday Sun, one of the governorship aspirants of the party, Senator Stella Oduah, accused the Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Prof Prof. A.B.C Nwosu of manipulating the process to favour a particular contender.

It read in part: “I am one of the aspirants for the governorship race by name Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah. In line with the instructions and guidelines of the panel led by His Excellency, Governor Wilson Wike, I humble purchased my delegate form believing that electorate would go for proper contest. But to my greatest chagrin, the adhoc staff that was meant to carry out the assignments was abandoned only to instruct the campaign team of one of the aspirants to move and conduct the congress.”

According to her, while party supporters were anxiously waiting for the arrival of materials in Awka, the state capital, “they were busy in their various hotels writing the list and results of the delegate without going to the field.”

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She, therefore, insisted that the results of the congress should not be allowed to stand. “In the light of the above, I humbly wish to appeal to your good office to discountenance any result that may emanate from the purported congress,” she said.

Stella further accused Nwosu of unlawfully removing two chairmen from Anambra North Senatorial District and subsequently handing over the party register to different persons.

These are Chief Benedict Okafor from Ayamelum Local Government and Dr. Emeka Agbanu from Onitsha South Local Government.

In a related development, some 21 aggrieved members of the caretaker committee have also filed a petition against the Nwosu-led committee, alleging its unilateral approval of composite list of local government and ward caretaker committees, adding that all attempt to protest against the impunity proved abortive. According to them, the list of affected areas where the party registers had been doctored included: Onitsha South Local Government, Ayamelum Local Government, Ekwusigo Local Government and Ihiala Wards, among others.

In a similar letter to the Appeal Panel Committee, Benedict Okafor claimed that he had been fraudulently removed as Chairman of Ayamelum Local Government. The action, they noted, was already creating confusion within the state chapter of the party. He therefore called for immediate intervention.