Imo PDP Stakeholders Slam Ihedioha Over Atiku’s Campaign Council List

BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – With political activities entering top gear for next year’s general elections, former Governor of Imo state, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has been accused by some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders of hijacking the party’s presidential campaign council list in the State for selfish reasons.

Consequently, the aggrieved stakeholders have rejected the list released on Sunday by the PDP State Secretary, Nze Ray Emeana with Hon Ihedioha as the Council Chairman.

The stakeholders told journalists in Owerri, the Imo State capital that the list is regrettably an extension of Ihedioha’s governorship Campaign Council, noting that there was no consultation before it was constituted and announced.

According to the stakeholders’ spokesperson, Hon. Ngozi Ogbu, the purported list is not only fake but also a product of imposition, adding that Party’s stakeholders were summoned to a meeting at the Secretariat to discuss the composition of the campaign council, but were surprised to behold a list already in place.

Ogbu, who is the Director General of Divine Mandate Movement, a campaign structure of the National Secretary of PDP, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, said the Stakeholders have already channeled their complaints to the PDP National Leadership as well as the Party’s Presidential candidate and hope the anomaly would be addressed urgently in the overall interest of the party.

In his remarks, a PDP chieftain in the State, Chief Myke Ikoku corroborated Ogbu’s claim and urged the Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to redress the issue without delay.

The stakeholders further said in their resolution that; “We the Imo PDP stakeholders reject the fake Presidential Campaign Council list purportedly announced today, November, 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 the 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”, the Stakeholders said.