From Maurice Okafor,Enugu.
The next Enugu state council election scheduled to hold on February 29, this year is generating ripples on method of choice of candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party[PDP] in Nsukka local government area of the state. Some of the candidates who want to vie on the platform of PDP are crying wolf with allegations that the immediate past chairman,Mr Patrick Omeje,who is seeking for a second term was favoured unduly by the state government,instead of conducting a free and fair primaries for all the aspirants.
THE AUTHORITY checks revealed that two other chairmanship aspirants of the local government Hon Chineme Onyeke and Hon Agbo Amos are threatening to take the party,PDP,which is the ruling party in Enugu state over the method of selection of candidates. Both are accusing the immediate past chairman,Mr Patrick Omeje of not have done much in gingering rural development in Nsukka local government through grass root oriented projects,insisting that under free and fair primaries either of them will defeat him.
Agbo stated,’ I have told my legal team to institute an action in court to address the injustice. I am taking PDP to court not because I hate the party but because I don’t have any one to speak for me in the party’
‘I know that a court of competent jurisdiction is the last hope of the common man. Between now and Monday I know PDP would be served,to know why they refused to sell form to me in an election that I am well qualified. What is happening in Nsukka local government area is evil and should be condemned in totality’.
Stating his own grievance, Mr Onyeke alleged that the party leadership in the state hijacked the forms from PDP National secretariat at Abuja
His words,’Is this how to run a political party under democracy in this 21st century. It is this kind of impunity that brought PDP to it’s sordid state in Nigeria.
He stated further,’ We have reliable information that the state chairman has taken the forms to where they are calling their cronies in each local government to come and fill the forms there. These are people who are daily criticizing and demonizing President Buhari,alleging that he is a tyrant. Are they not now worse than detractors? This is terrible for democracy in Enugu state?
Efforts to reach the Enugu state PDP chairman, Mr Augustine Nnamani, to comment on the development before filing this report proved abortive.
THE AUTHORITY further checks revealed that the battle for non return of Patrick Omeje as council chairman of Nsukka at the weekend degenerated to a display of a mock coffin by some Youths of the local government,urging Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to halt the re election bid of Mr Patrick Omeje. It was gathered that the Nsukka Youths took their protest up to Opi junction before they were dispersed by police men who also seized the coffin.
THE AUTHORITY findings revealed that the PDP party chairman office in Nsukka local government area was gutted by fire over the weekend. The party council chairman, Mr Onah who confirmed it to news men in Nsukka said before he could get to his office after he was alerted, the whole documents in his office were gutted by fire. The police said they have commenced investigation to find out the cause of the fire incident.
