The crisis rocking the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may cost it the opportunity to field candidates for Senatorial seats, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly in the forthcoming elections.

Seventy-six aspirants of the party jostling for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats in the 2023 elections are in a state of confusion due to failure to screen aspirants.

The Anambra Ward congress panel of the PDP, led by Jibrin Ahmed, was on Sunday, held hostage by the party’s aspirants and stakeholders over its inability to present the original result sheets.

The scenario almost resulted into a free-for-all at the party’s Secretariat at Udoka Estate, when the Panel members reportedly claimed they left the original result sheets in their hotel room.

The panel members, had directed the aspirants, who were contesting the national assembly elections, and others to converge on the party’s office for briefing before the ward congress, but trouble started when they presented the photocopies of the results sheets.

The leadership of the party has suspended screening of aspirants.

Disturbed by the development, the aspirants held a press conference at the party’s secretariat in Awka, the state capital, on Wednesday.

They raised the alarm over delay to screen them ahead of the Party’s primaries slated for Saturday.

About 76 of the aspirants for the primaries alleged mysterious disappearance of the three member Panel for the scheduled State Congress chaired by one Jibrin Ahmed.

According to them, members of the panel disappeared with the original result sheets for the Congress after they were held hostage on Sunday May 1, 2022 at the party’s secretariat by the aggrieved aspirants.

They said the panel members refused to carry on with the exercise due to late arrival of results sheets.

In a communique, Anambra PDP aspirants for 2023 general election said they was pained and dismayed over the inability of the Jibrin-led committee to conduct the delegate election that was to hold on 30th April.

“We passionately call on the National leadership of our great party PDP to expeditiously repeat the botched exercise on Thursday, 5th May 2022 so as not to jeopardize our chances in the 2023 elections. Or in the event of exigency of time, the already existing ward and LGA executives can go ahead to conduct the primaries. The same committee for the repeat 3 Ad Hoc Congress, could equally be mandated to conduct the National delegate elections the next day.”

“We reaffirm our resolution in our meeting with the panel set up by the national leadership of our party headed by H.E. Arapaja in a stakeholders meeting held in the national office of our party on 26th April 2022 that the state Congress of our party should be concluded, which we were later informed that it has been scheduled for Wednesday 4th April 2022 by the National Working Committee.

“We pray that it should be held as scheduled so that we have a state leadership of the party to lead our campaigns for the forthcoming general elections and for peace and the stability of the party in Anambra State. We reaffirm our confidence in the leadership of our great party and trust their ability to lead us to victory in the forthcoming general elections – 30 State Assembly, 21 Reps and Three Senate Aspirants,” the communique read. (Daily Trust)

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