By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be in for serious crises as Senators Ike Ekweremadu, Enyinnaya Abaribe and Bassey Albert withdrew from it’s governorship primary election.
The trio had earlier cautioned the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party against using it’s 3+man Ad-hoc delegates for it’s primary elections. They had described the process that produces the delegates as a charade and went ahead to challenge it in the court.
The party had planned to use it’s statutory delegates in areas where the congress that produced the Ad-hoc delegates were contentious but since the non signing of the amended Electoral Act which did not recognised the use of Statutory delegates, the party announced that it will conduct all it’s primaries with only ad-hoc delegates.
It was learnt that the governors of the three states have thrown their weight behind other aspirants forcing the three lawmakers to weigh other options to actualize their governorship ambition as against suffering defeat at the polls
It was also learnt that the candidates are contemplating moving into another party but are constrained by the INEC timetable which stipulates that all primary election results must reach the commission before the end of Wednesday.
Another option the aspirants are weighing is to remain in the party and work with guber aspirants from the opposition party so as to ensure the PDP loses in Enugu, Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
However not favoured by the zoning arrangement in the state as well as the process they produced the delegates which is already a subject of litigation, Former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu on Wednesday through
Hon. Charles Asogwa, Director-General, Ikeoha Campaign Organisation in a statement announced his withdraw from the race.
He said, ‘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”.
Similarly, Abaribe who is also not favoured by the zoning in Abia state also described the delegate congress as a charade.
In his withdrawal letter, Abaribe kicked against the process that produced the delegates that warmed the party against it’s consequences.
He said, “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 ridicle 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”.
On the same note, Senator Albert who is eyeing the Akwa Ibom government house said that the court had ordered PDP to maintain status quo with regard to use of delegates for the election, arguing that participating in the exercise will be comtempt of court
In a letter addressed to the leadership of the party, he said “My attention has been drawn to widely publicised notices dated and signed by the National Organising Secretary, Hon. Umar M. Bature, wherein, it was stated that by virtue of Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act, 2022, delegates to vote in the above mentioned primaries are the three (3) AD-HOC Delegates per ward, elected at the Ward Congresses and One (1) National Delegate per Local Government, elected at the Local Government Area Congresses.
“I am in possession of a subsisting court enrolled order in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/606/22 at the Federal High Court Abuja where the Honourable Court ordered amongst others that it will be in the interest of justice for the
parties to maintain status quo antebellum pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
“I have been advised by my solicitors that a mere filing and or notice of an appeal at an upper court, and an application for the stay of order at the Federal High Court does not vacate or serve as a stay of the subsisting order of the lower court.
‘I have also been advised by my solicitors that the conduct of the primaries with AD-HOC Delegates as proposed by the Party shall be in breach of the subsisting order and also a contempt of court with the consequences of nullifying the outcome of the primaries and therefore jeopardising the chances of our great Party fielding Candidates during the forth coming election
“I have also been advised that the Local Government Area Congresses that elected the One (1) National Delegate per Local Government, was largely made up of statutory delegates as voters as against the Electoral Act which dose not recognise statutory delegates as voters in such election” he said.
