New Executives for PDP in Anambra State

Fri, Jul 31, 2015

By publisher

4 MIN READ

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Ken Emeakayi emerges as the new chairman of the state Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra while Joemartins Uzodike is the secretary

| By Anayo Ezugwu | Aug 10, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT |

AT last the leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State has been resolved, as the party held a peaceful state congress on Saturday, July 25. The congress was held at Emmaus House in Awka, with all the ward and local government delegates from the 21 local councils participating. Ken Emeakayi, immediate past state chairman was re-elected following the successful conduct of the congress in Awka.

Emeakayi will lead a new 27-man state executive council, SEC, of the chapter in which Joemartins Uzodike from Idemili South in the state central zone emerged the state secretary. Although the new chairman was the sole candidate for the position of chairman in the chapter, but Ike Abonyi, chairman of the congress committee and returning officer, after reading out the guidelines and conditions for nomination as spelt out by the national working committee, NWC, of PDP, said the election would be by open secret ballot and a candidate who scores a simple majority over other candidates wins.

ThisDay of July 27, reported that at the end of the voting, a total of 968 votes were cast, 10 votes were voided, while 958 votes were accepted as valid. Abonyi while evoking the power conferred on him by the PDP constitution, declared Emeakayi winner, and said though the position of PDP chairman for the state was contested by one person, but by virtue of the party’s constitution which has no provision for affirmation, the delegates had to go through the rigours of voting.

Every other position except that of the organising secretary and woman leader which were contested by two people each went through the same process. Some of the stakeholders who witnessed the congress included, Eucharia Azodo, member representing Aguata federal constituency, her counterparts, Anayo Nebe, Awka/South, Obinna Chidoka, Idemili South/North, Chris Azubogu, Nnewi North/South-Ekwusigo, and Alex Obiogbohu among others.

Realnews had reported that the party had five factions who were competing for the soul of the party before the congress. Those leading different factions include Peter Obi, former state governor; Olisa Metuh, national publicity secretary of the party; Tony Nwoye, former governorship candidate of the party; Senator Chris Uba and Senator Annie Okonkwo.

The Nwoye-led faction, also known as the Anambra PDP Stakeholders, had accused Metuh of using his position to hijack the party in the state. They alleged that Metuh wanted Ken Emeakayi, immediate past chairman of the party in the state who is also aspiring to lead the party again to emerge as the chairman.

In a statement in Awka, the PDP Stakeholders, called the National Working Committee, NWC, to shift the proposed congresses to another week to give room for interested parties to obtain their forms. The group, in defending the request for postponement, said the PDP National Working Committee should put into consideration the two-day Sallah holiday.

The group said they were loyal party members committed to the progress of PDP in the state, and would support credible, free and fair congresses in which names were not written in a hotel room, but were at a loss as to where to pick the form since it was not stated in the publication.

Besides, they said the membership of the congress committee was not disclosed, and had expected that the committee would have met with the party stakeholders before the congresses as it used to be, adding that they were in support of a week shift in date to give room for proper, effective planning and conduct of the congresses inr the overall interest of the party.

But the Metuh faction said there was no need postponing the evil day, saying that they would want the congress to be held as scheduled. They alleged that some money bags were being used by the All Progressives Congress to destabilise the PDP in the state. Emeakayi, who is being touted as Metuh’s anointed candidate for the state chairmanship said on Monday, July 20 that some PDP bigwigs had been working for the APC in Anambra State in order to ruin Metuh.

Despite the discordant tune before the election, the state congress was conducted peacefully with delegates expressing satisfaction and reviving hope for the party ahead of the 2017 governorship election in the state.

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