The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has again defended its choice of former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo as its governorship candidate for the 2010 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, even as it berrated  critics of both Prof Soludo and the Party over its decision to field Soludo.

The Party in defence of its action in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali condemned the reckless remarks made by Action Congress, AC, spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in the media about the selection process that led to the choice of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, saying that the party had consistently ignored comments by Alhaji Lai Mohammed who, like Emperor Nero seems to be fiddling while AC burns. 

“Given the fact that Lai Mohammed spends most of his time talking and thinking less of Party organization and mobilization, we do not expect him to understand the dynamics of administering a Party as large as the PDP.

“In view of this therefore, we sympathize with him for finding himself in a small party whose influence in the nation’s political environment has been dwindling to a point of extinction.

“There is no way anybody can compare the democratic credentials of the PDP, where 47 candidates were contesting to fly the Party’s flag and the AC which has a lone anointed candidate ab initio. That 47 credible citizens of Anambra State sought to be candidates of the PDP bears ample testimony to the strength and acceptability of the Party in that state. We therefore do not owe Alhaji Mohammed any apology on how our candidates emerge.

“For the avoidance of doubts, we wish to once again state that the choice of Professor Chukwuma Soludo as the PDP candidate was arrived at after all options for choosing a candidate were exhausted.

“The NWC relied on Article 17.1 of the PDP Constitution which vests on the NWC, acting on behalf of the National Executive Committee the power as the final authority for resolving all disputes relating to the choice of candidates for the Party in any election and for confirming the names or list of names of candidates for the Party in any elective public office in the federation. 

“The choice of Prof. Soludo cannot therefore be described as an imposition, neither is it a predetermined option but a product of wide consultation and the need to present a formidable candidate capable of uniting all political forces in Anambra State and ensuring our victory in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.

“We wish to advise Alhaji Lai Mohammed to concentrate on selling his candidate and desist from meddling into the internal affairs of the PDP. We also wish to ask which AC is Alhaji Mohammed speaking for? Nigerians are all aware that the Action Congress (AC) as presently constituted is an empty shell without a compressor. Leaders of the AC are known to be holding meeting for the formation of an illusionary mega Party because they have lost faith in the AC as a political platform. Alhaji Mohammed would therefore be wallowing in self delusion if he still thinks he has any one listening to his empty statements.

“On the threat by a nebulous organization called the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) to go to Court over the purported late submission of the names of the PDP flagbearers to INEC, we wish to state that the PDP adhered to the deadline given by INEC and will be ready to present its case before any court or panel that requires it.

 ”We once more appeal to our stakeholders in Anambra State to ignore the diversionary antics of discredited politicians and rally round our candidate Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and his running mate, Senator Emmanuel Anosike to ensure our victory at the forthcoming poll.”