Breaking: Abaribe withdraws from Abia PDP guber race, hours to primaries

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, and former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Abia State hairman, Senator Emma Nwaka, have pulled out of the party’s 2023 governorship primaries holding today in the state capital, Umuahia.

Abaribe in a statement titled “Notice of Non-Participation in the Abia PDP Gubernatorial Primaries”, Senator Abaribe” said: “The last couple of weeks has been tortuous as we battled hard to navigate our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) away from a self destructive path.

“The essence was to create an unfettered democratic space and a level playing field for all aspirants vying for all elective offices in the state, to participate equally in the primary elections.

“That was not the case and of course what we are witnessing is a shambolic process driven by a procured court injunction. To make matters worse, the use of only an imaginary 3-man Adhoc delegates to the exclusion of the party’s statutory delegates in the primary elections to elect our candidates even when INEC the nation’s electoral umpire, has unequivocally stated that no congress held in Abia State for that purpose, has no doubt put the party and her candidates in a quagmire.”

According to Abaribe, “The implication for our party is grave and as such has put all ongoing primary exercises on quick sand.”

He continued: “I am known for standing firm in defence of my convictions for the right of all people to a free and fair democratic process. That was why my campaign set sail on a democratic journey that took us to all the nooks and crannies of our dear state. We covered all the local governments and we could see the enthusiasm on the faces of our people who are desirous of change to a progressive government with a human face.”

“Accordingly, I Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe will not be part of this charade.

“I am therefore not participating in the exercise, which means that I will not be part of the PDP governorship primary election that holds in Abia State on Wednesday 25th of May, 2022 as doing so would have amounted to endorsement of an illegality that is already being challenged in the courts,” Abaribe said.

The Senate Minority Leader asked his teeming supporters and Ndigbo in general “to remain calm, keep the faith and wait for the new direction, which will be announced very soon.” “What is important is that the campaign to liberate Abia State would surely assume a new dimension. The time is now,” he concluded.

On his part, Nwaka in a letter dated May 24,2022, and addressed to the Abia State PDP Chairman, wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I hereby inform my teeming supporters of

my painful decision not to participate in Abia PDP gubernatorial primary election scheduled for May 25,2022.

“My reasons are as follows:

1. The ad Hoc three-man delegates election was not conducted, if at all, in accordance with extant laws and regulations
2. No forms for the ad hoc election were sold talk less of being completed by Intendlng delegates
3. Rather, some individuals came up with a list purporting same to be those who were successful in a phantom delegates election
4. The irrefutable fact stated in 3 above made it impossible for me and other gubernatorial aspirants to know who the true delegates are in order for us to canvass for their support
5. It is true that the ad hoc three man delegates election scheduled originally for April 30, 2022 did not take place because of court injunction whereupon same was shifted to May 4, 2022
6. According to the Electoral Act as amended, if a party primary or congress is called off for any reason, it is mandatory for the party to give seven days’ notice to INEC which has a bounden duty to be present at the venue to observe and put up a report concerning the proceedings
7. It is crystal clear and obvious that the mandatory seven days’ notice about the change in date was not given to INEC.
8. Even at that, the exercise did not hold on the new date of May 4, 2022 in that that day was declared a public holiday in Abia State.
9. Contrary to the mandatory stipulation that the channel of communication between INEC and political parties shall be between the headquarters of both entities as regards the holding

of congresses and primaries, the Abia State Chapter of PDP in flagrant disregard of the law chose to write to INEC office at Umuahia based on which they purportedly held an imaginary ad hoc delegates election on May 6, 2022

10. It is against the backdrop of these avoidable infractions that eight of us out of the nine governorship aspirants stormed the national headquarters of PDP to address a press conference condemning the ongoing charade
11. We had expected that our party would take steps to remedy the situation, all to no avail
12. The consequence ls that our party at the end of the day may be said not to have legitimate candidates for the upcoming general elections as was the case in Zamfara and Rivers State
13. So far, a multiplicity of court actions are pending in court concerning this anomaly.
14. Having consulted widely with my supporters and family members, it was decided that my participation in the gubernatorial primary election will lend credence to what is obviously an illegality
15. Accordingly, I hereby declare that I shall not take part in the May 25, 2022 PDP gubernatorial primary election taking place in Umuahia.
16. I must stress that this painful decision was not taken lightly considering that I have helped to grow the party to a level of high strength and acceptability and so do not deserve to be treated so shabbily.
17. Our party’s descent down the slippery slope of anomie started when the governorship position was strangely zoned to two different zones against considered advice from party elders
18. It is still my hope that the party shall summon the courage to reverse this ill-wind that will otherwise have calamitous consequences for the party going forward.”