From Okey Sampson (Umuahia) and Obinna Odogwu (Awka) and Ighomuaye Lucky (Benin)
There was confusion and controversy within the Abia State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), following the suspension, by the national leadership of the party, of the party’s three-man delegate election, nationwide yesterday.
Abia election could not hold following allegation of a plot to manipulate the outcome of the election in favour of a certain “anointed candidate.”
As a result, those opposed to the move, in a bid to stop the masterminds from having their way, chose to go to the court.
Sunday Sun gathered that they took the step forestall delegates from being handpicked by anybody, to enable them vote during the primaries without any external influence or monetary inducements.
Following the court order, the National Organising Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Umar Bature, was quoted to have said in an interview that the national leadership of the party decided to put the 3-man delegate election for Abia on hold to enable it set up a panel to conduct the exercise on a later date.
He was equally quoted as saying there was a court order restraining the party from conducting the exercise in Abia, but that the order had been vacated.
Bature informed that following the setting aside of the court order, the party would now set up an ad hoc committee to organise the exercise on a future date.
Despite Bature’s statement, Abia State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Hon Fabian Nwankwo, appeared to have a different view, insisting that the exercise would go on as earlier planned.
Clarifying the issue with journalists, he said the 17 local government chairmen of the party had been directed to proceed to the party secretariat in Umuahia for the collection of election materials for their respective councils.
He based his decision on the fact he was told that the court order against the exercise had been vacated.
However, speaking on the issue, the State Secretary of the party, Mr David Iroh, while admitting there was uncertainty over the exercise as at Friday night, added that the State Chairman of the party, Hon. Asiforo Okere, had called him yesterday morning to inform that the exercise would hold.
Meanwhile, the Enugu State Electoral Committee from the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the conduct of the ward congresses of the party in the state has described the exercise, which was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across the state, as peaceful, transparent and credible.
Speaking when members of the PDP electoral committee supervised the ward congresses held to elect three-man ad hoc delegates, the Chairman of the panel, Prince Vincent Yandev Amaabai, expressed delight at the peaceful atmosphere of the exercise across the 260 electoral wards in Enugu State.
The Chairman added that the electoral processes were well organized, commending the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi-led PDP leadership in Enugu State for the peaceful outcome of the ward congresses in the state.
He disclosed that they would submit the names of those who emerged winners from the ward congresses to the National Secretariat.
In a related development, the ward congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled to hold in each of the 326 wards in Anambra State yesterday did not hold.
It was not clear why it was so as the members of the Anambra State Ward Congresses Electoral Committee led by Jibrin Ahmed as chairman were not seen, even at the party’s state secretariat in Udoka Housing Estate, Awka.
When the reporter visited the party’s secretariat, many members of the party including some of its leaders in the state were present. They told the reporter that they were waiting for Ahmed and his team.
Some of them said that they had been there since morning waiting for the ward congress committee to brief them on how the congresses would hold and what they should expect from them.
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday held the ward congress election across the 192 wards in the state to elect adhoc delegates ahead of the party primaries.
Chairman of the Edo PDP Ward Congress Electoral Committee, Dr. Kingsley Emu, who addressed the State Working Committee at the party secretariat in Benin City ahead of the commencement of the exercise, said the ward congresses would produce 576 adhoc delegates from the 192 wards in Edo State.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the exercise across the 192 wards.