From Mba Nnenna- Abakaliki
One of the governorship aspirants under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State, Chief Austin Edeze Tuesday said the National Working Committee of the party will conduct genuine primaries to produce candidates for the 2023 general election.
PDP has witnessed several crisis in the state since the past three weeks, after an Abuja Federal High court sacked Toochukwu Okorie as the state party Chairman and declared Silas Onu as elected Chairman.
Okorie who appealed the judgment obtained a stay of execution on 23rd May 2022 on the matter.
Meanwhile, the court ruling brought division among the party faithfuls. One led by a business tycoon Ifeanyi Odii, and the other led by the Senator representing Ebonyi Central, Obinna Ogba with Onu and Okorie as their Chairmen.
The two factions conducted 3-man delegate separately and submitted their results to the National Secretariat of the party.
Consequently, the National Leadership of the party has fixed primaries for the state PDP more than three times after several attempts to unite the warring factions and fixed the primaries on May 28th and 29th 2022.
But on Sunday, the faction loyal to Ifeanyi Odii conducted the primaries at the party secretariat, Abakaliki for State House of Assembly, Senate, House of Reps, and Governorship while the Ogba/Okorie faction refused to participate in it because the National Leadership of the PDP concealed all primaries for the party in the state.
Chief Edeze in a statement on Tuesday, said NWC of the party will conduct genuine primaries for the party and that he will be elected the flag-bearer of the party for 2023.
“Let me also commend my brothers and fellow aspirants from Ebonyi North zone including Rt. Hon Chukwuma Nwazunku, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga, Dr. Emmanuel Ezeh, and Dr. Augustine Nwazunku, they saw the shenanigan and withdrew from the infamous exercise.
“I must salute most sincerely the courage and industry of my supporters across the state and call on them to remain calm as we are confident that very soon, the NWC will schedule and as well conduct a genuine primary election for the state where you will demonstrate your burning desire to elect me as PDP flagbearer of our dear State in our collective quest to take on the task of rebuilding Ebonyi state”, (he said)
