By Lateef Ibrahim
Ahead of the 2021 governorship election in Anambra State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that it would not be blackmailed into adopting any zoning arrangement put in place by other political parties in the State.
The South-East chapter of the PDP said this in a statement made available to journalists in Enugu yesterday.
The National Vice Chairman of the party, Deacon Austin Umahi, who stated this, also indicated that the party used its internal conflict resolution mechanisms to reconcile the feuding parties in its Anambra State chapter.
He said the PDP would work assiduously to have a united house in order to win the 2021 Governorship seat of the state. Umahi declared that the primary goal of the party is to reclaim the Awka Government House which it lost 14 years ago.
The zonal Chairman, in the statement in Enugu, insisted that there is no going back on the party’s decision to throw the contest for its Governorship ticket open for any qualified Anambrarians in the party.
While warning that the party under his watch in the zone will no longer condone merchandising with the platform in Anambra, added that their position on party discipline is unshakable.
Umahi, who explained that his position as the zonal Chairman of the party is not in doubt, further stated that the zone merely intervened in the crisis brewing in the Anambra state chapter after it was invited to do so.
Part of the statement reads: “On the expelled officers, the zone only intervened on the invitation of Anambra PDP chapter and we invited all the warring factions to our zonal office and heard them out.
“Concerning all the abuses and invectives poured on me by Chukwudi Umeaba and his co-travellers because we said that we won’t tolerate crisis or faction in the party, I am not worried because a clear conscience fears no accusation. I am not perfect and will never claim to be.
“However, for the avoidance of doubt, our position as a zone is very clear: we remain firm and resolute on our ultimate interest to win the Anambra State gubernatorial election 2021 with the best candidate provided he or she is an Anambarian. We maintain that our candidate in the election could come from any part of the state. The PDP cannot be blackmailed into adopting APGA or APC zoning arrangement in Anambra state.
“Therefore, whatever action we take at the zone shall be legal and tailored towards taking Anambra state PDP to the winning side and our joy shall be fullest when it happens by the Grace of God.”
“Finally and most importantly, we will use all the internal reconciliation mechanisms in our party to get everybody together because only a united house would guarantee us victory. For united we stand divided we fall.”
