By CHARLES IWUOHA

The immediate past caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, Mr Peter Nwele, has accused the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr Ifeanyi Odii, of harbouring hidden agenda to destabilize the party in the state.

Speaking in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital on Saturday, Nwele noted that Odii’s emergence as the governorship candidate led to the cataclysmic defeat of the party in the last general election.

The former PDP boss also added that the development saw the exit of foundation members of the party.

“His emergence as a governorship candidate of the party in 2023 saw the exit of foundation members of the party, including the likes of the former President of the Senate and former Secretary to the Government of the federal republic, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Senator Obinna Ogba, who has been a party chairman, council chairman, Slyvester Ogbaga, was a four time house of representatives member, former house of assembly members and many people left the party”.

“He forcefully came, maneouvered his way and grabbed the ticket of the party and what was the result. How many votes was he able to gather? He was only able to narrowly win one local government, the rest he lost because he breached the principle of rotation in the governorship of Ebonyi State. And the result was obvious and they want to do the something again”, PDP boss said.

However, Nwele denied the allegations that the National Vice chairman of PDP in the south east, Ali Odefa; former governor Sam Egwu and the member representing Afikpo North and Edda federal constituency, Idu Igariwey were masterminding the crisis in the state chapter of the party.

He said that the accusation was just a mere distraction so that they will be able to weaken the party ahead of 2027 general election.

He described Odii, his running mate, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu and other cohorts as the real enemies of PDP in the state.

He said that Odii was just greedy to be struggling for PDP structure in the state when he remains an appointee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Government in Lagos state.

According to him: “It is just sheer greed and the anxiety and quest to carry out their already hatched plan. If not, how would our candidate in the 2023 gubernatorial election be an appointee of the Lagos State APC Government.

“He is and always been a member of the govering board of the Lagos State University. He is the first known Igbo man to be appointed into that board. The records are there. He is an appointee of the Lagos State APC and he is looking for structure in Ebonyi”.

Nwele added that Senator Igwe Nwagu were also key decision makers of the APC in Ebonyi state including endorsing a councillorship aspirant for the party in the forthcoming local government elections.

He noted that the appointment of caretaker executives which was the bone of contention remains the exclusive rights of the National Working Committee of the party on behalf of NEC.

“Today, they are castigating the NWC, they are castigating national Organizing Secretary. But it is the same NWC through the instrumentality of the organization that helped him to become a candidate in 2022”.

“I cannot understand why they are fretting and making so much noise. The National Working Committee in her wisdom is trying to make peace and bring everybody to a round table discussion, advocated that there should be nominees from each local government-one person from each local government, making it thirteen”.

“Now, they went behind and did all the nominations by themselves and when other stakeholders complained, the NWC said that the NVC is supposed to nominate from his local government, Senator Dr. Sam Egwu as leader of the party, former governor, former senator and Idu Igariwey, the only person that survived the Obideint movement and won his election, they should now nominate”.

“Out of the 13, the complainants have 9 and this other side has 4 because we believe in majority participation not to heat up the system. If we start agitating the way they are agitating, we will heat up the system and it will result to bad ripple effects on our party and that is what we do not want”, Nwele said.

The former chairman lauded the south-east NVC and other key stakeholders of the party for intensifying the membership drives as directed by the NWC in the zone and Ebonyi inclusive.

However, when contacted, the South-east PDP NVC, Ali Odefa dismissed the allegations stressing that he was too busy to be distracted by disgruntled elements who are desperate to grab power by all means.

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