By CHUKWUEMEKA OPARA

A former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, says he proudly supported the APC candidate, Chief Francis Nwifuru to win the March 18 governorship election in Ebonyi.

Anyim made the assertion on Friday while reacting to his suspension alongside others by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) over alleged anti-party activities.

Anyim in a statement he signed, stated that he had no regrets supporting the APC candidate because it conformed with the existing power-rotation formula in the state.

“The NWC imposed a candidate who is from the same senatorial district with the incumbent governor, contrary to the zoning formula in the state.

“Every effort made for the NWC to see reasons fell on deaf ears.

“I told the party’s national chairman on the day of our presidential rally in Ebonyi that I will boycott it because I cannot support a candidate the NWC imposed on the state.

“He said nothing and did not care that I did not attend the rally,” he said.

The former secretary to the government of the federation said that arising from the leadership style of the NWC, many party members worked against it including the committee’s members.

“It is, therefore, a display of innate cowardice for the NWC to choose soft targets to suspend and fear those who daily demonise it.

“It is difficult to explain why the NWC is in a hurry to suspend party leaders without recourse to fair hearing without which its action is null and void.

“It smacks arrogance for the NWC to put a bold face instead of showing remorse and being sober for leading the party to such colossal loss in the elections.

“This loss ultimately dashed the hopes and expectations of party members and Nigerians,” he said.

Anyim described the NWC’s action as disappointing, noting that its concern could had been how to embark on self appraisal.

“I thought the NWC could have been interested in undertaking a thorough appraisal on why it performed so poorly in the election.

“This should had been the case rather than seek to further divide the party through blames,” he added. (NAN)

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