By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over alleged intimidation, harassment and attacks on its candidates in Ebonyi State, warning that political violence ahead of the 2027 general elections must stop.
The Chairman of the PDP Forum of State Chairmen, Austin Nwachukwu, disclosed this on Tuesday during an interaction between state chairmen and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) at Wadata Plaza, Abuja.
Nwachukwu said the forum’s leadership was compelled to visit Ebonyi State last week to address what he described as a disturbing situation involving intimidation, harassment, arrests and killings under the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
He said the forum had prepared a petition to the Inspector-General of Police and other relevant security agencies, urging them to intervene and ensure the safety of opposition candidates, particularly the PDP governorship candidate.
“Some states in the country, especially where we have APC governors, are very antagonistic to our candidates,” he said.
“We have painstakingly produced very good candidates for the forthcoming elections, and this is not going well with the governors of some states.”
The PDP state chairmen’s forum chairman warned that the alleged attacks on opposition candidates could undermine the peaceful conduct of the 2027 elections if not addressed.
“The killings and harassment of our candidates and governorship candidate, especially in various states of the country, must stop,” he said.
He added that the forum would no longer take lightly any incident involving the harassment, intimidation or killing of its candidates over political contests.
“The forum will not take it lightly anymore if any of our candidates are harassed, intimidated or killed because of mere elections. It’s a contest. A winner must emerge,” Nwachukwu said.
Nwachukwu, who said 36 state chairmen, including the Federal Capital Territory representative, attended the meeting, reaffirmed the forum’s commitment to working with the national leadership to strengthen the PDP ahead of the 2027 elections.
He described the state chairmen as the party’s foot soldiers at the grassroots and pledged their cooperation in implementing the NWC’s programmes and political strategies.
Earlier in his remarks, the National Chairman of the PDP, Abdulrahman Mohammed, assured party members that the NWC would uphold the party’s constitution and established procedures in conducting its affairs.
He said no provision or process stipulated by the party’s constitution would be ignored under the current leadership, including meetings of the party caucus and expanded National Executive Committee.
“Based on the tradition of the party, which we are well guided by the constitution of our party, our meetings and processes remain as they are. No single process will be omitted under the leadership of this National Working Committee,” Mohammed said.
The national chairman commended state chairmen for successfully conducting the nomination processes for candidates contesting state assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and governorship elections across the 36 states.
He expressed appreciation for their efforts in ensuring what he described as a smooth nomination exercise and expressed optimism that the party’s candidates would emerge victorious in the 2027 elections.
Mohammed said the NWC, under his leadership and that of the National Secretary, had a responsibility to reposition the party and ensure that its performance in the forthcoming elections contributed to national development.
He also appreciated members of the NWC for their support and advice, urging party leaders to remain united and committed to their responsibilities.
The PDP leadership is expected to continue consultations with its state structures as preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
