Aformer Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, has debunked a recent publication by a local online news platform in Ebonyi State, which alleged that he boycotted the Peoples Democratic Party’s Zonal meeting held in Enugu on Monday.
The local online medium: Ebonyi Reporters, had reported that the former SGF boycotted the South East PDP Stakeholders Meeting as a protest against Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s preference to him as the party’s leader in the zone.
The publication also alleged that the leadership crises in the party also angered the former SGF.
In a comprehensive statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, signed by his Media Aide,Judy Oko-Amanta, Anyim described the publication as a blatant lie and sponsored falsehood from a faceless online medium, whose purveyors are appointees of the Ebonyi State Government.
The statement maintained that Anyim was conspicuously present at the meeting and fully played his role as a revered stakeholder of the party, which he has continued to exercise for the PDP across the country.
He advised the online platform and its deceitful sponsors to focus on how to clear the cancerous plague currently rocking its home rather than spreading false, ignorant and unfounded rumours.
The statement read in part: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication by EbonyiReporters.com, a faceless and mischievous online platform of state’s agents.
“There is no iota of truth in the publication, dished out by EbonyiReporters, a faceless online medium, whose purveyors are appointees of the Ebonyi State Government.
“It is important, also, to note that the South-East PDP Stakeholders Meeting, held in Enugu, on Monday, was held because of the Anambra State election that is coming up soon and it was to discuss the issues concerning the party in Anambra State.
“It is also worthy of note to Anyim’s traducers, that before and during the meeting, there was no contest about leadership.
“The party only resolved to formalise the Governor of Enugu State, who has been playing the role of the leader of the party in the zone, to continue to lead the activities of the party, even, Anambra.
“The Governor of Enugu State, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has been the natural leader of the PDP in the zone, who hosts all the meetings and therefore, there was no contest whatever about leadership.
“The PDP only formalised Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s position as the natural leader of the party, to continue to effectively direct its activities in the zone.
“This is a huge falsehood and remains the handiwork of these agents of the State Government, who are mischievously bent on causing chaos in the main opposition party in the country (the PDP).
“Everybody saw that the former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, was conspicuously present at the South-East PDP Stakeholders Meeting, in Enugu, on Monday and participated fully in all the sessions of the meeting and ensured that the went well and orderly.
“It sends a puzzle across our minds, why somebody would think a former Senate President and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, would desperately and allegedly pick offence with a party he helped to nurture, just because he wasn’t made its Leader in the zone.
“Also, we want to state categorically that there is no rift between the former Secretary to Government of the Federation and the South-East PDP. Chief Anyim does not and has never shown any interest in becoming the leader of the PDP in South-East. He has other crucial national engagements, especially from the National Secretariat of the party, which keeps him busy, than the mere issue of becoming Leader of South-East PDP where he plays advisory role, as a father.
“Chief Anyim is currently moving from zone to zone, across the country with the immediate past Senate President, Sen Bukola Saraki and others, in reconciling aggrieved members of the party, ahead of 2023. This is key for the party at this time.
“For the Oshimiri 1 of Ndigbo, the issues of stabilising the PDP and reconciling aggrieved members, is more important than who leads the party in the region.
“EbonyiReporters.com should focus on the critical issue involving the brother-in-law of the first family, who was arrested and paraded for kidnapping in Abuja, on Monday and pray the situation doesn’t get out of hand.”
- Arizona James