SEVEN members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) State Working Committee in Imo State have resigned.
The members blamed their exit from the party on Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu, the party’s governorship candidate in the state for the election coming up on November 11.
Anyanwu, a former senator fondly called Samdadday, was the PDP National Secretary before picking the governorship ticket in April.
He represented Imo East in the 8th Senate.
Addressing journalists on Sunday, June 18, the departing party members said Anyanwu hired thugs to assassinate them, among other grave accusations.
The group comprises the publicity secretary, Collins Opurozor; secretary, Ray Emeana; deputy chairman, Martin Ejiogu; youth leader, Greg Nwadike; state women leader, Maria Mbakwe; state vice chairman, Orlu zone, Chibuisi Obido; and treasurer, Josiah Eze.
“Since Senator Anyanwu became the National Secretary of the party, he has never relented in deploying the powers of his office to fight members of this Working Committee and intimidate even ordinary members of the party. Endless strife, mindless wars and erosion of all democratic values and principles have now defined and defiled Imo PDP.
“It is heartbreaking to inform you that some of us in the State Working Committee have severally escaped assassination attempts because of the wicked lies which our National Secretary sold to his violent supporters that we misappropriated Party funds,” the group claimed.
The angry chieftains alleged that Anyanwu imposed himself on the party in the state to enable him become governor.
According to them, the candidate’s emergence as governor would worsen insecurity in the state.
Besides, they claimed that the governorship candidate was responsible for “hundreds” of party chieftains dumping the PDP.
According to the group, four serving Federal lawmakers also dumped the party “along with thousands of their supporters in a single day.”
They said things worked well in the party when the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, led the party in the state.
Besides, the politicians accused Anyanwu of ill-preparedness for the coming election.
“To be very clear, Senator Anyanwu is not running for governorship in November. If he claims to be running, it is not to our knowledge as members of the State Working Committee. The party does not know what his programme looks like, that is if he has any. Governorship campaigns have started, yet the party does not know if there is anything like a campaign council,” they said.
The ICIR contacted Anyanwu on the telephone on Sunday, June 18 afternoon, but he did not pick up the calls. He did not also respond to text, Whatsapp and e-mail messages sent to his number, which Truecaller, a caller identification application, confirmed belonged to him.
The ICIR reports that the seven aggrieved members said they would announce their new party soon.
This organisation further reports that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), headed by Governor Hope Izodinma, will seek to retain power in the state.
Izodinma is the party’s candidate in the coming election.
The Labour Party (LP), which has dominated elections in the South-East since the 2023 general elections, will hope to cause another major upset for the APC and PDP, as it did in Abia State, which the PDP had ruled since 1999 before it lost it to the LP.
The ICIR reports that the LP claimed several National Assembly seats in the region in the last election.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2022. Contact him via email @ [email protected].