A faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi chapter said that the party’s governorship and other primary elections slated to hold on Sunday, May 29 have been canceled.
The group led by Chief Tochukwu Okorie, announced the cancellation while addressing the party faithful on Sunday in Abakaliki.
He said that the cancellation was due to the directive from the national secretariat of the party.
Okorie, who on April 13 was sacked by a Federal High Court in Abuja said that the Appeal Court had recently set aside the judgment of the High Court and subsequently restored him to the seat.
He said that the party’s gubernatorial and national assembly primary elections had been temporarily put on hold based on the directive from the leadership of the party at the national level.
According to him, the gathering by some party faithful with the purpose of organizing primary elections to elect candidates for the party was gathering illegality.
“It may interest you to know that those who are gathering at our secretariat for the purpose of holding primaries are doing so illegally including those panel who are said to have come from Abuja."
“The panel members who are said to have come from Abuja are factional members; maybe one person from a panel of five members for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and governorship."
“But, if we assume without conceding that they have a full panel, it is still an illegal gathering, the reason is that they have taken wrong steps, they are dealing with the wrong people."
“It is no longer news that the Court of Appeal in a very detailed ruling maintained that between April 13 and now that nothing has happened to remove me from office."
“The purported interruption of my position as PDP chairman never actually happened and this is the import of the ruling of the Appeal Court."
“There are consequential orders made by the same court of appeal to the effect that all parties must return to the status quo."
“What that means is that from the time of the ruling of Federal High Court on April 13 till now, nothing has been done to affect my office as chairman one way or the other."
“So, we are back from where we left off as of April 13, 2022. So, notwithstanding anything going on around you; I am still the authentic chairman of PDP in Ebonyi,” Okorie said.
Okorie urged the party faithful not to panic over the recent developments in the party adding that a new date for all-party primaries in the state would be communicated.
Okorie quoted a release signed by Chief Debo Ologunagba, national Publicity Secretary saying: “After very extensive consultations, deliberations and review of all issues, the National Working Committee (NWC) PDP has approved the cancellation of all party primaries in Ebonyi."
Meanwhile, the faction loyal to Mr. Silas Onu has urged the party members to disregard the purported cancellation of the exercise stressing that all the party primaries would go on as planned.
A release by Mr. Chika Nwoba, state publicity secretary of the party on Sunday in Abakaliki said that primaries for the State and National Assembly took place at different centers.
He said: “Do kindly disregard the notice of cancellation of the Ebonyi PDP primary elections coming from the national publicity secretary."
“At no point did the National Working Committee sit to take such a decision; It’s a personal decision of the national secretary transmitted to the publicity secretary for publication."
“It’s the only court that can annul the outcome of the primaries and not a mere imagination of the secretary of the party."
“The national working committee is unaware of the annulment of the election; therefore, party members and aspirants are urged to disregard the statement of cancellation,” Nwoba said.