Chidi Samuel| The governorship party primaries in the South east on Wednesday witnessed high-profile withdrawals from candidates hoping to clinch their party’s tickets.
Enyinnaya Abaribe, a governorship hopeful on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia, Ike Ekweremadu, another governorship hopeful of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu, and Dr. Alex Otti of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) have all announced their withdrawal from the race.
Abaribe, the Senate minority leader announced his withdrawal from the governorship race in a statement obtained by Alabingo.com.
Abaribe attributed his withdrawal from the race to “imaginary” delegates, whom he said will vote in the primary.
“The last couple of weeks has been tortuous as we battled hard to navigate our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) away from a self-destructive path. The essence was to create an unfettered democratic space and a level playing field for all aspirants vying for all elective offices in the state, to participate equally in the primary elections,” the statement reads.
“That was not the case and of course what we are witnessing is a shambolic process driven by a procured court injunction. To make matters worse, the use of only imaginary 3-man Adhoc delegates to the exclusion of the party’s statutory delegates in the primary elections to elect our candidates even when INEC the nation’s electoral umpire, has unequivocally stated that no congress held in Abia State for that purpose, has no doubt put the party and her candidates in a quagmire.
“The implication for our party is grave and as such has put all ongoing primary exercises on quicksand. I am known for standing firm in defence of my convictions for the right of all people to a free and fair democratic process. That was why my campaign set sail on a democratic journey that took us to all the nooks and crannies of our dear state. We covered all the local governments and we could see the enthusiasm on the faces of our people who are desirous of change to a progressive government with a human face.
“We committed human and material resources, preaching the “Rise Up Abia” message for the total emancipation of our State from the drudgery of imposition and godfatherism, which has seen the state at the lowest wrung of infrastructural, human, and material development index among the states of the federation.
“Our people were and are indeed fired up for a new lease of life that will be brought about by a people’s government. There was no doubt that Abians are tired of being subjected to being the butt of jokes and ridicule from their peers, particularly those from the contiguous states that were hitherto far behind Abia State in the development index at the time past. That was the narrative we sought to change when the campaign took off.
“Unfortunately, the ugly developments ignited by a rapacious ambition to maintain the wicked governance status quo of imposition and godfatherism have aborted this quest in PDP.
“Accordingly, I Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe will not be part of this charade. I am therefore withdrawing from the exercise, which means that I will not be part of the PDP governorship primary election that holds in Abia State on Wednesday 25th of May, 2022 as doing so would have amounted to an endorsement of illegality that is already being challenged in the courts.”
Abaribe asked members of the party and his supporters to “remain calm, keep the faith and wait for the new direction, which will be announced very soon”.
Also in Enugu, Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also withdrew from the race to elect the party’s flagbearer.
Ekweremadu’s decision to pull out of the race was contained in a statement issued by Charles Ogbo Asogwa, director-general of his campaign organisation.
-Ekweremadu
Asogwa thanked supporters of the former deputy president of the senate for investing in the actualisation of the “Pathway to a New Enugu State.”
The director-general asked supporters to remain peaceful, adding that the campaign organisation would announce the senator’s decision on the way forward.
“We wish to inform our supporters and Nigerians that the former deputy president of the senate and foremost governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, will not be participating in the PDP governorship primary election scheduled for this Wednesday, May 25, 2022,” he said.
“Meanwhile, we continue to trust God as we appreciate our teeming supporters and the good people of Enugu State for the enormous goodwill they have ceaselessly invested in the actualisation of the ‘Pathway to a New Enugu State’.
“We urge them to remain peaceful and be assured that we will keep them abreast of our decision on the way forward.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Alex Otti of the All Progressives Congress (APC) announced his withdrawal from the governorship primary in Abia state on Wednesday.
-Alex Otti
According to a statement by his media aide, Ferdinald Ekeoma, Otti, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2015 and 2019 polls, will pursue his governorship ambition in another party.
Ottis’s withdrawal came less than 24 hours before the commencement of the exercise.
The statement further claimed Otti was forced to withdraw from the APC gubernatorial primary because of what he described as the imposition of an unpopular aspirant.
Otti, who assured that he would be making his next step known to his supporters, in a statement titled: “Withdrawal from the APC governorship primaries,” said his decision was borne out of his commitment to ensuring the dawn of a new era of progressive and people-oriented leadership in the State.
“That the Constitution of the party and the electoral act have no room for coercion and imposition of candidates, hence the wise provision for either Direct Primaries, Indirect Primaries, or Consensus as acceptable modes of electing candidates.
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