Group Plots To Resist Gov In Ebonyi

Governor Martin Elechi’s
recent endorsement of the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, as consensus candidate in next year’s guber­natorial election in Ebonyi State has split the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
A faction of the PDP headed by Chief Mike Awo has emerged in the state vowing to resist imposition of candidates or consensus arrangement ahead of next year’s general elections in the state.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the factional PDP leader said they could not sit back and allow the party suffer a huge blow, insisting that Elechi was unilaterally running the party.
“From 2007 till date, the party caucus as provided for in our party constitution has never held. The governor takes all decisions on any issue in the party alone. During the last state congress, many of us showed interest to contest for party positions, but we were not even allowed to obtain the nomination forms, let alone further our desire to contest the election,” Awo alleged.
He said the party in the state had been compromised, following the alleged dictatorial tendencies of the state governor.
“The former state chairman was intimidated to resign and pave the way for a stooge who will do the bidding of the governor. The party under the coercion and dictates of the governor has publicly adopted the purported consensus candidature of a gubernatorial aspirant against the principle and dictates of our national party. “At the state executive committee meeting of Friday, October 17, 2014, held at the party secretariat, the party declared automatic tickets for state and National Assembly members, who are said to be loyal to the governor.
“As members of this party, we owe it a duty to salvage what is left of the integrity of our party and save a situation which is on the verge of imminent collapse. “A new state executive is now in place. Accordingly, all the former state execu­tives are hereby suspended and will in due course face the disciplinary committee of our party. We want to assure all members of a level-playing field as we conduct the business of the party,” he said.