The Enugu State PDP governorship primary election is holding today. But Ekweremadu said he is no longer part of it.
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Three hitherto frontline governorship aspirants from the three Southeast states of Abia, Enugu have jettisoned their aspiration because of the absence of level playing field.
The three aspirants, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President, was aspiring for the governorship of Enugu State on the platform of the peoples Democratic Party; Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the incumbent Senate Monority leader, also threw in his hat into the Abia State governorship ring on the platform of the PDP; while Dr. Alex Otti, former Managing Director of defunct Diamond Bank, aspired to govern Abia State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
But the three aspirants dramatically threw in the towel on Wednesday, citing manipulations in the process.
The Enugu State PDP governorship primary election is holding today. But Ekweremadu said he is no longer part of it.
His non-participation followed the withdrawal of two other aspirants, Capt. Evarest Nnaji and Denge Joseph Onoh from the race.
The withdrawal is paving the way for the emergence of Mr. Peter Mbah, a businessman and former Chief of Staff to former Governor Chimaraoke Nnamani.
In a statement by Director-General of Ikeoha Campaign Organisation, Hon. Charles Ogbo Asogwa, Ekweremadu did not give reason for his withdrawal.
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He however promised to keep his supporters abreast of his next decision.
The statement reads: “We wish to inform our supporters and Nigerians that the former Deputy President of the Senate and foremost governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, will not be participating in the PDP governorship primary election scheduled for this Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
“Meanwhile, we continue to trust God as we appreciate our teeming supporters and the good people of Enugu State for the enormous goodwill they have ceaselessly invested in the actualisation of the “Pathway to a New Enugu State.
“We urge them to remain peaceful and be assured that we will keep them abreast of our decision on the way forward.”
Abaribe, the Senate Minority Leader and a frontline governorship aspirant of PDP in Abia State, said he was withdrawing from the exercise because of “imaginary delegates list and lack of transparency.”
Similarly, another leading governorship aspirant from Abia North, and former State Chairman of PDP, Senator Nwaka, has also said he will not participate in the primaries which he dismissed as a charade.
Nwaka expressed disappointment over non compliance with due process and the extant laws in the conduct of the three-man delegate congress which he insisted never held.
Senator Abaribe also said there was no three-man delegate election anywhere in the state by the PDP, alleging that the list being bandied about was cooked up by those who want to impose their candidate on the party.
The Senate Minority Leader in a strongly-worded statement, which he personally signed, said his next political move would soon be made public.
The statement titled, “Notice of Non-Participation in the Abia PDP Gubernatorial Primaries,” reads: “The last couple of weeks has been tortuous as we battled hard to navigate our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) away from a self destructive path.
“The essence was to create an unfettered democratic space and a level playing field for all aspirants vying for all elective offices in the state, to participate equally in the primary elections.
“That was not the case and of course what we are witnessing is a shambolic process driven by a procured court injunction.
“To make matters worse, the use of only an imaginary 3-man Adhoc delegates to the exclusion of the party’s statutory delegates in the primary elections to elect our candidates even when INEC, the nation’s electoral umpire, has unequivocally stated that no congress held in Abia State for that purpose, has no doubt put the party and her candidates in a quagmire.
“The implication for our party is grave and as such has put all ongoing primary exercises on quick sand.
“I am known for standing firm in defence of my convictions for the right of all people to a free and fair democratic process. That was why my campaign set sail on a democratic journey that took us to all the nooks and crannies of our dear state. We covered all the local governments and we could see the enthusiasm on the faces of our people who are desirous of change to a progressive government with a human face.
“We committed human and material resources, preaching the “Rise Up Abia” message for the total emancipation of our State from the drudgery of imposition and godfatherism, which has seen the state at the lowest wrung of infrastructural, human and material development index among the states of the federation.
“Our people were and are indeed fired up for a new lease of life that will be brought about by a people’s government.
“There was no doubt that Abians are tired of being subjected to being the butt of jokes and ridicule from their peers, particularly those from the contiguous states that were hitherto far behind Abia State in the development index in the time past.
“That was the narrative we sought to change when the campaign took off.
“Unfortunately, the ugly developments ignited by a rapacious ambition to maintain the wicked governance status quo of imposition and godfatherism have aborted this quest in PDP.
“Accordingly, I Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe will not be part of this charade.
“I am therefore withdrawing from the exercise, which means that I will not be part of the PDP governorship primary election that holds in Abia State on Wednesday 25th of May, 2022 as doing so would have amounted to endorsement of an illegality that is already being challenged in the courts.
“I therefore, ask all our people, our teeming supporters and Ndigbo to remain calm, keep the faith and wait for the new direction, which will be announced very soon.
“What is important is that the campaign to liberate Abia State would surely assume a new dimension. The time is now.
“Thank you for always being there for me and the campaign. Together we shall triumph.”
Dr Alex Otti has also announced his withdrawal from Abia All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary.
Otti, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2015 and 2019 polls, said he will pursue his governorship ambition in another party.
He withdrew less than 24 hours before the commencement of the exercise.
Otti, who joined APC only recently, in a statement by his media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, claimed that he was forced to withdraw from the APC gubernatorial primary because of what he described as the imposition of an unpopular aspirant.
The APC chieftain, who assured that he would be making his next step known to his supporters, in a statement titled, “Withdrawal from the APC governorship primaries,” said his decision was borne out of his commitment to ensuring the dawn of a new era of progressive and people-oriented leadership in the State.
“That the Constitution of the party and the electoral act have no room for coercion and imposition of candidates, hence the wise provision for either Direct Primaries, Indirect Primaries, or Consensus as acceptable modes of electing candidates.
“That while the rest of the aspirants had agreed to rally round and support any aspirant that wins the governorship primaries through a free and fair contest, a particular aspirant who obviously believes that he doesn’t stand a chance in a proper contest, rather chose to align with outside forces to be imposed on the party.
“But because we know that any product of imposition for the governorship ticket in the APC at a time like this in Abia would stand little chance in the general election, we strongly opposed it.
“That it’s my firm belief that anyone who wants to govern Abia state and Abians, must be someone who has been democratically chosen by the people, and not one imposed by undemocratic or external forces pursuing self-serving agenda that would undermine the welfare and wellbeing of Abians at the long run.
“That because I know that no true revolution has ever taken place without hitches and hiccups, my dogged determination and avowed commitment to ensuring the dawn of a new era of progressive and people-oriented leadership has rather been emboldened than dampened.
“That because we are on a voyage of Abia redemption, and because the leadership calamity that befell Abia since the return of democracy in 1999 has not abated, we do not intend to quit midway, as that would represent a tragedy of immense proportion for our people who have been on a long search for good governance that would give them a well-deserved reprieve.
“That in the light of the above-stated facts, I hereby withdraw from the predetermined governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress slated to take place in the next few days.
“This well thought decision was taken after due consultation with the army of our supporters, stakeholders, and above all, respected leaders of the APC within and outside Abia state.
“Finally, we wish to inform our teeming supporters and well-wishers that, having been roundly blessed and equipped by God, there’s no cause for alarm over this development, as we are more than ever resolved to pursue our ambition on another platform, and would give it our best to ensure we convincingly and legitimately win the mandate of our people come 2023.”