Governorship aspirant in Anambra State, Stella Oduah, has threatened to withdraw from the governorship race, alleging irregularities ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party’s primary.
Oduah stated this while speaking with journalists in Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the senator said the ward congress of the party held on Wednesday to elect three delegates per ward was fraught with “irregularities and sabotage.”
According to her, the final result of the ward congress submitted by the secretary of the panel was replaced with a doctored result.
“The exercise violated all known principles of democratic practice. Several complaints have continued to trail the exercise as most party faithful are disgruntled and agitated,’’ Oduah said.
She disclosed that she had petitioned the National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, over the matter, and threatened to withdraw from the primary if the party failed to address the problem.
“Based on the above, I wrote to notify the chairman of my intention to withdraw from the 2017 governorship primary in Anambra if the party fails to address the issues presented.
“This is because the approach employed for the party primary is not aimed at winning the main election. This will subject loyal party faithful to stressful and rancorous primary to weaken and sap the strength of the candidate that will emerge from the exercise.This has been the reason our party has been losing governorship elections in Anambra,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the PDP in Anambra State, Prof. ABC Nwosu, on Saturday, said the party would produce a candidate that would be pleasing to the people of the state.
Nwosu, who briefed journalists on the preparations for the primary of the party said the party was poised to breaking the record of unseating an incumbent governor in the state.
“Our aim is not only to field a candidate in the November 18 governorship poll, we want to produce a formidable candidate who will unseat Willie Obiano.
“The chairman of the panel to conduct the primary, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, will come with three of his members and the zonal chairman to hold a meeting with the governorship aspirants.
“All the arrangements for identification, accreditation and voting are being undertaken under security cover to make sure there is no leakage and we expect that the PDP Anambra State shall pick a governorship candidate that will be pleasing to the people of the state.”
