‘All legal impediments to PDP convention cleared’

Crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said, yesterday, that it had cleared all legal impediments to a successful convention of the party in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, stressing that the Makarfi-led faction is the authentic group.

This is as Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, shunned the South East zonal meeting of the party attended by governors of Enugu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekwerwmadu; former governor, Peter Obi; Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Chief Ben Ndi Obi; members of the National Assembly; and leadership of the party in the zone.

No reason was adduced for the absence of Ikpeazu, who also did not make any representation.National secretary of the caretaker committee of the party, Ben Ndi Obi, who dropped the hint in Enugu, said the list of candidates released for the Edo governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in which the candidate elected by the Makarafi-led faction was shortlisted signposted the claim.

He spoke as the South East zone of the party, yesterday, in Enugu harmonised all positions allocated to the party, with a declaration that it would go to the national convention with one voice.

Speaking on the sidelines, moments after the meeting, Obi declared: “The faction led by Ali Modu Sheriff is not a threat to the convention of the party, as it would not nullify what INEC has done.

“We have three judgments recognising us. We are not parading interlocutory orders that other people are parading. We have judgment that recognises us as the people duly appointed to take charge and run the affairs of the PDP. And only few day ago, INEC released list of candidates for Edo State election. It will tell you where we stand and where authority lies. So, the issue of court should not be an issue at this point.”