3rd April, 2022
Fresh crisis is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as elders and stakeholders of the party in Anambra have accused some National Working Committee (NWC) members of sabotage.
They claimed the officials are trading away the party’s interest ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In the dock are the party’s National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu and the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN.
The PDP elders accused them of hijacking the PDP structures nationwide, starting with Anambra congresses.
The stakeholders under the aegis of Anambra PDP Stakeholders Forum, in a statement by its coordinator Chief Emeka Nwankwo, on Sunday, appealed to the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu to immediately intervene.
He said party members in Anambra are already threatening to leave en masse if the PDP fails to immediately conclude the Anambra State congress and elect a new State Exco in the state.
The Forum accused the PDP National Secretary and the National Legal Adviser of working with some “fraudulent individuals in the Anambra Chapter to use the courts to frustrate the party and hijack its structure in the state”.
It also accused the two national officers of “orchestrating the continued delay to conclude party congresses in Anambra state, as well as last Friday’s indefinite suspension of the State Congress by the NWC without any official reasons.”
According to the Forum, “It is instructive to state that elders of our party in Anambra state have been making efforts to curtail the excesses of these fraudulent individuals in the Anambra Chapter but their plots are now being aided by the two national officers.
“About two months ago, Party elders from Anambra led by His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, visited the National Chairman and the NWC over an alleged plot by some members, particularly Chief Chris Ubah and Linus Ukachukwu to use the court to frustrate the conduct of the Anambra State congresses.
“The National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, had in that meeting reassured that no court can stop the congress, promising that his leadership will ensure a free, fair and transparent congress thereby bringing lasting peace to the Anambra PDP.
“Relying on the assurance of the National Chairman, the party elders worked hard in expectation of free, fair and credible congresses only to discover that the process is being sabotaged/hijacked by these individuals.
“Any time the congress is scheduled, the National Secretary and National Legal Adviser will throw up issues that will end up frustrating and stalling the process.
“Strangely, individuals indicted for absconding with sensitive materials at various stages of the exercise were reappointed as electoral committee members instead of being sanctioned.
“Such persons signed fictitious result sheets which were used by Chief Chris Ubah and Linus Ukachukwu against our party in court.
“While the committee is yet to officially submit its report to the NWC, Chris Ubah and Linus Ukachukwu had used fictitious results made available to them by their agents in the NWC to obtain a strange and fraudulent Court order.
“Most curiously is that a counsel, Mr Adedamola Fanokun was sent by the National Legal Adviser to collude with the said plaintiffs against our party in court.
“This Forum therefore strongly urges the National Chairman to restore the confidence in the conduct of the forthcoming party primaries across the nation by starting with Anambra state Congress.
“Most instructive is that the Supreme Court had ruled in a case sponsored by Chief Chris Uba against the candidate of the PDP in the last Anambra governorship election that the FCT High Court does not have territorial jurisdiction and powers to interfere in the processes of the Anambra PDP.
“We urge the NWC to conduct an open hearing into the role being played by the National Secretary and the National Legal Adviser regarding the PDP congresses in Anambra state. We have the evidence and records to show at such a public hearing.
“Finally, we caution that if this is not done immediately, these same individuals will use the same method to frustrate the transparent conduct of PDP congresses across the country and hijack the National Convention”, the Forum stated.