The United Progressive Party (UPP) Thursday reaffirmed the membership the former House of Representatives member, Hon. Chudi Offodile, and former Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka, as members of the party and the only two cleared aspirants for the party’s primary election tomorrow scheduled for Saturday, August 19, 2017 urging the public to disregard the earlier statement by the state executive that the duo had been suspended from the party.

Making the declaration yesterday in Awka, the National Publicity Secretary of UPP, Chief Ogbuefi Dike, said that the state executive lacked the capacity to suspend anybody from the party.

He denied the allegations labelled against the national executive of the party that the list of the delegates was changed saying that rather the list sent to the national secretariat was faulty.

He said: “No new person was added in the list rather some people’s name appeared twice in the list. Some names that appeared in the ward also appeared twice or thrice in the local government list, hence they were removed and we called for a fresh list from Awka.”

He accused the state chairman, Dr. Sylvester Igwilo of not being comfortable with the list because he “wants to sell off the party to someone that is not even a member of the party.”

Meanwhile, Hon. Offodile has called on the party to follow due process and ensure the observance of the party constitution in the process of electing its governorship candidate for the November 18 Anambra state governorship election.

Offodile who said he received notification of his indefinite suspension by the party in the state while on tour of some local government areas in the state said whoever came up with the idea the only two governorship aspirants in the party four days the that scheduled primaries does not wish the party well.

The two-time lawmaker who addressed journalists in Awka said that he has submitted all the teller he used in the purchase of his form as well as other necessary documents to the state executive to prove their allegations wrong adding that he is expecting a retraction from the state executive.

In his words, “Whoever came up with the idea to suspend the only two governorship aspirants in the UPP, four days to a scheduled primaries due on the 19th of August 2017, does not wish the party well and has a lot of explanation to make.

“The national headquarters of the party responded swiftly by dissolving the state executive committee with immediate effect. This terminology you may recall was popularised by the military regimes of yore and should not be part of our democratic lexicon.

“The action even if well intentioned is not in the interest of the party and the national headquarters may have acted ultra vires to its powers.”

While condemning the suspension of the state executive by the national headquarters of the party, the ex-lawmaker said it was ill timed.

Ofodile added: “If the action of the state chapter was curious, equally curious was the reaction of the national headquarters. Why dissolve the state executive committee four days to a primary election in which the state executive committee has crucial roles to play?”

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