Some stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State, have rejected the recently announced list of the party’s presidential campaign council for the state.
The state secretary of the party, Nze Ray Emeana had released the list on Sunday, November 13, 2022, with the immediate past governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha as chairman of the council.
Addressing journalists in Owerri, the stakeholders described the list as an extension of Rt. Hon. Ihedioha’s campaign council.
Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders, Hon. Ngozi Ogbu said there was no consultation before the constitution of the list, dismissing it as fake and product of imposition.
Ogbu is the Director General of Divine Mandate Movement, a campaign structure of the National Secretary of PDP, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu.
He said stakeholders of the party were summoned to a meeting at the secretariat to discuss the composition of the campaign council, but were surprised to behold an already composed list.
Also speaking, Chief Myke Ikoku corroborated Ogbu’s claim and called on the National Working Committee of the party and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to redress the issue.
The stakeholders said: “We the Imo PDP stakeholders reject the fake Presidential Campaign Council list purportedly announced today, November, the 13th, 2022 by the State Secretary of the party, Nze Ray Emeana.
“We wish to use this medium to inform our Party that the stakeholders in Imo State were summoned to a stakeholders meeting to discuss the composition of the Presidential Campaign Council and Campaign Management Committee, but to our surprise and chagrin, the Secretary of the party proceeded to read out a list of members of the Presidential Campaign Council and Management Committee list.
“This led to fracas and the vast majority of stakeholders rejected and opposed the announcement due to lack of consultation and imposition.
“Members frowned at an attempt to use the Presidential Campaign Council as an extension of Ihedioha’s Campaign Council.
“The Party Stakeholders reject the imposition of a governorship aspirant, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, as Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, and the directors of his campaign team as heads of the various Presidential Campaign Directorates.
“It is instructive that the members of Imo PDP Elders Committee boycotted the stakeholders meeting due to the above stated reasons.
“We, therefore, call on the National Working Committee and the Presidential Candidate of our Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to arrest the situation urgently to ensure victory for our Party”.
