The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State has disowned a purported ward congress of the party in the state slated for Saturday, 19th of October, 2024. The party spoke through its former Publicity Secretary, Sir Chika Nwoba on Saturday, calling the purported congress exercise an academic effort. In his statement released on be half of the party on his verified Facebook wall, Nwoba said that the party was yet to slate a day for its congress in the state.
“ANNOUNCEMENT
The attention of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State has been drawn to a kangaroo exercise of Congress of the party going on today, Saturday, October 19th, 2024. This is not only an academic exercise, but a very distasteful attempt to disobey an order of the Federal High Court in Abakaliki which barred such an action of Congress in the state pending the vacation of same.
It’s imperative to note that the PDP National Secretariat has withdrawn itself from such a flagrant disobedience of a court order by reaching out to the relevant authorities, giving approval to the order of the court which dissolved the caretaker executive committee of the party in Ebonyi State and barred the party from conducting any Congress until the substantive matter is determined by the court. It’s in the light of this that it’s surprising to hear that a group of individuals fashioning itself as PDP in the state declared a Congress when already they’re in receipt of the order of the court, and knowing of its subsisting status.
The PDP family in Ebonyi State is distancing itself from the purported Congress outing of today consequences of which are far reaching. PDP is not conducting any Congress exercise in Ebonyi State today and anyone participating in it is doing self a harm by disobeying a court order. Therefore, PDP is not doing Congress at any level of the party today until the order is vacated and the relevant bodies that give nod to Congress come up with appropriate dates for the Congresses.”
Recall the party upon losing the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi went into a seemingly irredeemable crisis that snowballed into nominated a caretaker chairman, Barrister Steve Oruruo and Secretary, Barr Ukwuani from Enugu to run the party. This was to give a level playing ground to the warring parties for easier pacification of the critical stakeholders that felt disenchanted in one way or another. Upon taking over by the caretaker chairman, Oruruo, he was caught up in the mesh of trying to favour one of the groups led by the immediate past National Vice Chairman of the party in South East, Ali Odefa who was accused of plotting a sinister graph with the APC in Ebonyi to plunge the party in bigger crisis ahead of 2027 so the governor could enjoy a smart return for second term.
Two months after Oruruo took over as helmsman, an order of the Abakaliki Federal High Court came dissolving the caretaker executive of the party headed by Oruruo and ordered that PDP should maintain status quo till determination of the substantive suit. The court also barred the party’s National Working Committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission from organizing fresh congresses of the party in the state until the determination of the substantive matter.
Upon the subsisting court order, the faction headed by Odefa alongside a former governor of the state, Dr Sam Egwu, member of the House of Representatives for Afikpo/Edda constituency, Barr Iduma Enwo Igariwey, former member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Engr Humphrey Nwuruku and others went ahead and conducted the congress without involving the Independent National Electoral Commission and the party’s national secretariat, making the exercise a laughing stock.
When contacted by our correspondent in Abakaliki, Nwoba laughed over the purported congress at ward level, saying that the faction was working so hard to give their followers false hope that they are on track. He warned the organizers to be wary of the law and cease from disobeying an order of a federal high court that was yet to be vacated. He continued, “You know they’re busy collecting money from the governor of Ebonyi State, Mr Francis Nwifuru a and giving him false hope that he’ll have a free ride in 2027. In order to perpetuate their delusional political business and getting more money from the governor, they had to organize a kangaroo exercise and call it congress. What sort of congress is that without INEC monitoring it? What do you call a congress the party’s national secretariat didn’t send a delegation to conduct? Is this what you call congress? Of course, it’s an academic exercise and they know it’s one. When the time comes, PDP will conduct its congresses. For now, forget about the theatrics of men cashing out from the APC led state government of Ebonyi. When reality will hit them as it’ll in the near future, they’ll hide their faces in shame. PDP will bounce back and everyone will be invited to a roundtable to vent their dissatisfaction and forge a common front in the interest of the party and people of Ebonyi State who have been counting on the PDP for redemption come 2027 and beyond”.
