Candidates of the factional Peoples Democratic Party elected in the party’s primary elections between May 28 and 29 from the Silas Onu-led side have said they would not be part of any fresh primaries in Ebonyi State.
The group made their position known at a news conference on Thursday in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
They, therefore, appealed to the relevant organs of the party, including the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential flag bearer, to intervene to save the party from a looming crisis.
Lazarus Ogbe, spokesperson for the group and senatorial candidate for Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, noted that participating in any rescheduled party primaries meant encouraging illegality and unconstitutionality.
Ogbe said under the law, political parties were not allowed to produce two candidates for a particular elective position in a given constituency.
According to the group, the PDP primaries conducted in Ebonyi State that produced the state House of Assembly, House of Representatives, senatorial and governorship candidates met all requirements of the Electoral Act and party guidelines for the primaries.
Ogbe said that the the primary elections were credible, transparent, free, fair and remained authentic since the exercises were monitored and observed by relevant authorities, including the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies and media.
The group, which vowed to boycott any other rescheduled primaries, said their participation would amount to breaking the law .
Ogbe added: “If you see your brother or leader breaking the law will you join him to break the law too?
“After the primaries, those that were nominated went to court about it.
“So, we cannot deliberately join people that are poised to break the law to break the law equally.
“So, if they have sent another letter for the re-conduct of the primary elections, well, we have done the elections as they directed.
“May be they have some other positions they want to conduct elections for.
“But for the positions of House of assembly, House of representatives, senatorial and governorship, we have conducted in Ebonyi obeying all the party rules, guidelines and constitution.
“I don’t think that we will go back to what we have done.
“We are even preparing for our Certificates of Return so that we can go out there and start campaigning for the main election.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that aspirants loyal to Tochukwu Okorie, the other factional chairman, abstained from the primaries conducted by Onu between May 28 and 29.
Chief Ifeanyochukwu Odii, who contested against some other governorship aspirants, was elected and returned as PDP’s candidate in the election monitored and observed by INEC and security agencies including the police.
However, a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the Chairman of INEC, which was jointly signed by Senator Iyiorcha Ayu and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, PDP National Chairman and Secretary, cancelled the May 28 and 29 congresses.
The letter added that fresh primaries would be conducted between June 4 and 5 to elect the party’s candidates for the 2023 general elections.
