From Chidi Nnadi, Enugu
AHEAD of its Tuesday state congress, crisis has erupted in the Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as some of its members have called for the cancellation of the congress, as well as the national convention.
The party members under the aegis of Enugu State PDP Reform Group at a press briefing yesterday said that their call became necessary following observed malpractices carried out by some party members during the local government congress held in the state last week.
The members of the group led by their Coordinator, Mr Henry Chibuzor and Secretary, Mr Henry Nwobodo, said: “We are committed to the enthronement of internal democracy in our great party, the PDP and, therefore, shall always conform to the fundamental principles of justice, good governance and democracy.
“We observed with dismay the turn of events at the just concluded PDP ward and local government area congresses in Enugu State with particular reference to Nkanu land.
“It is disheartening that the results of the PDP congresses both at the ward and that of Nkanu West Local Government Area has been hijacked, mutilated and completely altered by those who felt that they can change or break the collective decision of the very resilient and loyal party faithful of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who turned out en masse on April 30, 2016 and May 5, 2016 to exercise their franchise, to elect their leaders in their various wards and local government levels.
“We discovered that Mr Uchenna Nnaji who incidentally is the political adviser to the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sherrif has connived with some people within Wadata Plaza Abuja to use his recent privileged position to alter, thwart, and manipulate the collective will of the people because of their unholy desire to destroy the party and make it a weak one.”
They specifically accused Uche Nnaji to be working in league with his brother Nnoli Nnaji, who they said had left the PDP for the People for Democratic Change (PDC), “where he contested and lost the House of Representatives election for Nkanu East and West Federal Constituency to the PDP candidate.”
They wondered how Nnoli Nnaji would participate in PDP activities such as the congresses when he has not formerly returned to the PDP and was still in court with the party.
“Nnoli’s unholy romance with the state PDP party chairman, Ikeje Asogwa is much to be desired and has made us to lose confidence on the Asogwa leadership.
“We call for the restoration of the collective mandate of the PDP members during the ward congress and outright cancellation of the sham that happened in Nkanu West in the name of local government party congress,” they said.
But when contacted on phone, Nnoli Nnaji dismissed the claims of the group, calling its members bad losers.
Nnoli Nnaji also denied colluding with his brother Uche to hijack the ward and local government congresses in Nkanu West.
“I was in Bauchi as the chairman of the committee handling the congress. But from what I was told, the congress for Nkanu West was held at the local government secretariat. The chairman of the local government was there. The state secretary of the party was there and the person who presided over the exercise is a government official. All the outgoing executives were there,” he said.