By CHARLES IWUOHA

The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State says that plans are on top gear to re-position the party ahead of the 2023 elections.

The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Fred Udeogu, who stated this on Tuesday while speaking to journalists, vowed to re-organise party.

Udeogu, who was re-appointed for second time as the party chairman in the state, said now the crisis within the party caused by other defectors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was over, the party will strategise for further elections.

He said he is prepared to wrestle power from the ruling APC in the forthcoming 2023 election.

According to him, “The first tenure of three months as the caretaker chairman of PDP in Ebonyi state was engulfed by a lot of needless litigations and we have no cause for such. The governor that left us just decided to initiate that. When he was leaving PDP, he thought that it was going to be a push over, and that he will be there coordinating and controlling the affairs of PDP.

“I kept emphasizing that Onyekachi Nwaebonyi was never in PDP rather he is in APC as at the time of having these litigations, he kept on saying that he is in PDP but he was just a proxy member who was trying to destabilize things for the party.

“So, we still expect some fight from them. For now, we are focused as somebody with blueprints, is to look towards reorganizing the party in such a structure that we will be able to wrestle power from APC, because whether anybody like it or not, PDP is still in control of Ebonyi state.

“Very soon I’m going to organize a state meeting that will take us to a state walk in the capital and people will know that PDP is in control. We have our game plans. We are social party and by what is happening in government today, noon of us will say he is comfortable.

“In Ebonyi state, people are laughing and smiling. Look at how market women are complaining, and the level of taxations in the state are too high.

“And now, there is no record of taxations, some people will wakeup in the morning and start collecting taxes from people.”

Udeogu called on the members of the party to resist any form of intimidation and harassment from the government.

“No member of PDP left apart from governor Umahi and his appointees. No member of PDP defected to APC. I will tell you that with any amount of authority that no member of PDP registered for APC. Election will soon come; we will know what will happen,” he said.

The State PDP Caretaker Chairman also urged Ebonyi State Government to stop making hasty decisions when it comes to security of lives and properties.

He tasked the state government led by Chief David Umahi to always investigate on issues, especially when it comes to security before jumping into conclusion.

“The Effium crisis was done through mismanagement by the government, not that the government started the problem. I am not accusing the state government of being responsible but they mismanaged the whole thing.

“In the case of Ngbo, they hurriedly jumped into conclusion without making proper investigation. They would have did proper investigation on what led to the crisis,” PDP noted.

In a swift reaction, the Commissioner for Internal Security, Border Peace and Conflict Resolution, Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha, cautioned the opposition party “to refrain from making unnecessary allegations against the performing government led by Governor David Umahi.”

He reiterated the committed effort of the state government to ensure the adequate protection of lives and properties of all Ebonyians.

His words: “Who said it is herdsmen that attacked Ngbo community? Government had said the attack was not coming from herdsmen. It was a communal clashes between Agila and Ngbo community.

“By the report we got, the villagers are saying it was Agila, while few others said it is herdsmen. The PDP is saying it was not herdsmen that attacked but what was the statement the government issued?”

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