Ahead LG poll: Protest rocks Abia PDP

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9 years ago

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) triggered by the cancellation of last Friday’s councillorship/delegates’ elections of the party in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State is far from abating.

Hordes of protesters including aspirants from 18 wards on Monday stormed the state office of the party in Umuahia, chanting angry slogans and carrying placards, demanding the immediate de-annulment of the election.

Among the protesters were two councillorship aspirants: Messrs Evuru Udo and Egbu Mbakwe, who claimed they were declared winner of the primary only for the authorities to place an announcement on a local radio station that the election had been cancelled.

Meanwhile, five aggrieved chairmanship aspirants have threatened to boycott all subsequent elections in the area if the leadership of the party in the state refused to reverse the annulment “with immediate effect.”

Addressing journalists in Umuahia on Monday, Dr Ikechukwu Nwabeke, in company of other aggrieved chairmanship aspirants, observed that the cancellation was totally unacceptable because the primary was conducted in a free and fair atmosphere and devoid of violence.

The spokesman of the chairmanship aspirants said there was no evidence that the issue of Osisioma Ngwa had been brought before the committee, wondering how the cancellation came about.

“No petition was served on the elected candidates to appear before the appeal committee before the unilateral cancellation was taken by those behind the cancellation. It as total unacceptable,” he said.

Osisioma and his colleagues however accused the chairman, secretary and administrative secretary of trying to pave the way for another chairmanship contestant.

But inaugurating a seven-member appeal committee for the primary election, the state PDP chairman, Chief Johnson Onuigbo said all complaints and grievances arising from the primary election should be channel to body in line with PDP guidelines.

Onuigbo, who commended PDP members for their maturity during the primary election warned the party members against taking laws into their hands as the state government had made all arrangements to conduct a hitch-free LGA poll on December 17, 2016.