Austin Edeze, one of the governorship aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State, Tuesday said the National Working Committee of the party will conduct genuine primaries to produce candidates for the 2023 general election.
PDP has been in crisis in the party in Ebonyi state in the past three weeks since an Abuja federal high court sacked Toochukwu Okorie as the state party Chairman and declared Bar Silas Onu as elected chairman.
But Okorie has appealed the judgment and obtained a stay of execution on 23rd May 2022 on the matter.
Meanwhile, the court ruling brought division into the party, one led by a business mogul, Ifeanyi Odii, and the other led by the Senator representing Ebonyi Central, Obinna Ogba with Onu and Okorie as their chairmen.
The two factions conducted 3-man delegations separately and submitted their results to the National Secretariat of the party.
Consequently, the national leadership of the party has fixed primaries for the state PDP more than three times after several attempts to unite the warring factions and fixed the primaries on May 28 and 29.
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But on Sunday, the faction loyal to Ifeanyi Odii conducted the primaries at the party secretariat, Abakaliki for State House of Assembly, Senate, House of Reps, and Governorship while the Ogba/Okorie faction refused to participate in it because the National Leadership of the PDP concealed all primaries for the party in the state.
Chief Edeze in a statement on Tuesday, said NWC of the party will conduct genuine primaries for the party and that he will be elected the flag-bearer of the party for 2023.
“Let me also commend my brothers and fellow aspirants from Ebonyi North zone including Chukwuma Nwazunku, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga, Emmanuel Ezeh, and Augustine Nwazunku saw the shenanigan and withdrew from the infamous exercise.
“I must salute most sincerely the courage and industry of my supporters across the state and call on them to remain calm as we are confident that very soon, the NWC will schedule and as well conduct a genuine primary election for the state where you will demonstrate your burning desire to elect me as PDP flag bearer of our state in our collective quest to take on the task of rebuilding Ebonyi state”, he said.
