Senate Minority Leader and a frontline governorship aspirant
of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State, Senator Enyinnaya
Abaribe, has formally withdrawn from the PDP governorship primaries scheduled
for today (Wednesday).
Abaribe who disclosed his withdrawal from the exercise in a
press statement cited use of “imaginary delegates list and lack of
transparency” as reasons for his action.
Similarly, another leading governorship aspirant from Abia
North, and former State Chairman of PDP, Senator Nwaka, has also said he would
not participate in the primaries which he dismissed as a charade.
Nwaka expressed disappointment over non compliance with due
process and the extant laws in the conduct of the three-man delegate congress
which he insisted never held.
Senator Abaribe also said there was no three-man delegate
election anywhere in the state by PDP, alleging that the list being bandied
about was cooked up by those who want to impose their candidate on the party.
The Senate Minority Leader in a strongly-worded statement
personally signed by him, said his next political move would soon be made
public.
Below is a full text of the statement made available to
Vanguard in Umuahia:
“Notice of Non-Participation in the Abia PDP Gubernatorial
Primaries
“The last couple of weeks has been tortuous as we battled hard
to navigate our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) away from a self
destructive path.
“The essence was to create an unfettered democratic space
and a level playing field for all aspirants vying for all elective offices in
the state, to participate equally in the primary elections.
“That was not the case and of course what we are witnessing
is a shambolic process driven by a procured court injunction.
“To make matters worse, the use of only an imaginary 3-man
Adhoc delegates to the exclusion of the party’s statutory delegates in the
primary elections to elect our candidates even when INEC the nation’s electoral
umpire, has unequivocally stated that no congress held in Abia State for that
purpose, has no doubt put the party and her candidates in a quagmire.
“The implication for our party is grave and as such has put
all ongoing primary exercises on quick sand.
“I am known for standing firm in defence of my convictions
for the right of all people to a free and fair democratic process. That was why
my campaign set sail on a democratic journey that took us to all the nooks and
crannies of our dear state. We covered all the local governments and we could
see the enthusiasm on the faces of our people who are desirous of change to a
progressive government with a human face.
“We committed human
and material resources, preaching the “Rise Up Abia” message for the total
emancipation of our State from the drudgery of imposition and godfatherism,
which has seen the state at the lowest wrung of infrastructural, human and
material development index among the states of the federation.
“Our people were and are indeed fired up for a new lease of
life that will be brought about by a people’s government.
“There was no doubt that Abians are tired of being subjected
to being the butt of jokes and ridicle from their peers, particularly those
from the contiguous states that were hitherto far behind Abia State in the
development index in the time past.
“That was the narrative we sought to change when the
campaign took off.
“Unfortunately, the ugly developments ignited by a rapacious
ambition to maintain the wicked governance status quo of imposition and
godfatherism have aborted this quest in PDP.
“Accordingly, I Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe will not
be part of this charade.
“I am therefore withdrawing from the exercise, which means
that I will not be part of the PDP governorship primary election that holds in
Abia State on Wednesday 25th of May, 2022 as doing so would have amounted to
endorsement of an illegality that is already being challenged in the courts.
“I therefore, ask all our people, our teeming supporters and
Ndigbo to remain calm, keep the faith and wait for the new direction, which
will be announced very soon.
“What is important is that the campaign to liberate Abia
State would surely assume a new dimension. The time is now.
“Thank you for always being there for me and the campaign.
Together we shall triumph.
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