BY EZE NNADI
Stakeholders of the Imo state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are currently at war over the composition of the state chapter of the party’s presidential campaign council and Management Committee
Imo PDP had in a statement issued Sunday by its State Publicly Secretary, Collins Opuruozor, announced the composition of the campaign council, with former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as chairman, while former State PDP chairman, Charles Ezekwem was announced as Director
But in a swift reaction to the announced composition, the Imo PDP Divine Mandate Movement, (DMM), a group loyal to the National Secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu, rejected the composition, even as it called on the general public and party members in the state to.ignore the statement
The DMM in a statementisdued by its Director of Media and Publicly, Sir Sunny Ndukwu said the announcement by Opuruozor was contrary to the adoption of any list by stakeholders and leaders of the party in the state, describing it as a script to relaunch Ihedioha’s governorship re-election agenda in the state.
“The Divine Mandate Movement expresses shock and disappointment over the uncivil conduct of the state working committee led by Engr Charles Ugwu, the state Chairman of the party for the shameful outing recorded on Sunday at the Imo PDP party secretariat where critical and respected leaders of the party who were not apologists of Emeka Ihedioha were humiliated and disrespected in a bid to showcase the magic wand as well as project the ambition of one desperate man and politician.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Divine Mandate Movement seizes this opportunity to put the record straight regarding the botched Imo PDP stakeholders meeting.
“For purposes of clarity, there was no ratification for the Presidential Campaign Council list on Sunday at Imo PDP party secretariat as captured in the purported report or press release signed by one of Ihedioha’s aides, one Collins Opuruzor claiming to be Imo PDP’s Publicity Secretary.”
According to Ndukwu, “the Presidential Campaign Management list has eleven basic Directorates as well as the various organs and structures of the campaign as designed and their functions are well defined.
“Party faithful as well as loyalists of the party who are willing to serve in the directorates available are expected to be captured in the build up of the Campaign formation not for the list to be computed at a private residence of a self acclaimed leader.
“Why should an aspirant jostling for party guber ticket impose himself as Chairman of the presidential Campaign Council of the party, this singular act confirms that such aspirant have been favoured by only God knows as the adopted Governorship candidate for the Party ahead of next year’s Imo PDP guber primaries,” he queried.
Also addressing journalists in Owerri, on Monday a group of PDP stakeholders described the list as an extension of Rt. Hon. Ihedioha’s campaign council.
Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders, Hon. Ngozi Ogbu said there was no consultation before the constitution of the list, dismissing it as fake and product of imposition.
Ogbu is the Director General of Divine Mandate Movement, a campaign structure of the National Secretary of PDP, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu.
He said stakeholders of the party were summoned to a meeting at the secretariat to discuss the composition of the campaign council, but were surprised to behold an already composed list.
Also speaking, Chief Myke Ikoku corroborated Ogbu’s claim and called on the National Working Committee of the party and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to redress the issue.
The stakeholders said: “We the Imo PDP stakeholders reject the fake Presidential Campaign Council list purportedly announced today, November, the 13th, 2022 by the State Secretary of the party, Nze Ray.
“We wish to use this medium to inform our Party that the stakeholders in Imo State were summoned to a stakeholders meeting to discuss the composition of the Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee, but to our surprise and chagrin, the Secretary of the party proceeded to read out a list of members of the Presidential Campaign Council and Management Committee list.
“This led to fracas and the vast majority of stakeholders rejected and opposed the announcement due to lack of consultation and due to imposition.
“Members frowned at an attempt to use the Presidential Campaign Council as an extension of Ihedioha’s Campaign Council.
“The Party Stakeholders reject the imposition of a governorship aspirant, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, as Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, and the directors of his campaign team as heads of the various Presidential Campaign Directorates.
“It is instructive that the members of Imo PDP Elders Committee boycotted the stakeholders meeting due to the above stated reasons.
“We therefore call on the National Working Committee and the Presidential Candidate of our Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to arrest the situation urgently to ensure victory for our Party”.