Metuh assures of transparent ward congresses in Kogi, Anambra

• PDP alleges plan by rival party to cause mayhem

PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) has urged members of its Kogi State chapter of the party to unite, shelve personal interests and work assiduously towards winning the governorship elections scheduled to take place in November.

Against the backdrop of the insinuations, National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, assured of a free and fair ward congress of the state fixed for Tuesday and Wednesday, adding it would be counter productive for the Kogi PDP to go into the congresses and the party’s governorship primaries in disarray.

While he noted that it is the prayer of the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) for the ruling PDP to experience crisis “ours is to ensure that our house is in order, if we hope to retain control of the state in 2016.”

Also, the Anambra State PDP has alleged that a former governor of the state, Senator Chris Ngige and his APC are plotting to cause mayhem and destabilize the party during the week’s planned party congresses.

Former chairman of the party, who is also a candidate this Saturday state congress, Prince Ken Emeakayi made this allegation yesterday during an interactive session with journalists in Awka.

Emeakayi, who said he was speaking for party’s National Secretary, Olisa Metuh, at the media briefing, said multiple voice calls and text messages to their various telephones over the last few weeks by some faceless persons, they believed to be political thugs of APC have been threatening their lives, apparently to scare them from restructuring and helping the PDP to rediscover itself to winning ways.

Metuh, according to Emeakayi, however, while assuring of a credible congress, also advised party supporters to work towards the consolidation and eventual victory of the party.

Already claims and counter claims from pro and anti groups to the incumbent governor, Captain Idris Wada (rtd), are trailing the postponed ward congress “that it was aimed to favour some persons.”

A source from Governor Wada’s camp said, “In light of the purported rescheduling of the ward congress, sequel to the annulling of the earlier-held ward congress by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) we are worried about it’s implication for the future of the party.”

According to the source, “The earlier ward congresses were deemed free and fair by many including the same members of the NWC who supervised the congress, only for the leadership of the party to call for the cancellation.

Meanwhile, the anti-Wada’s group has accused the NWC of dancing to the tune of the incumbent “we will not condone any attempt from any quarter to manipulate the congress or the primary in favour of anybody.”

The Guardian, reliably gathered that Wada, who is yet to officially declare his interest to run for second term but has tactically demonstrated so in action and through his body language “may likely defect if peradventure denied the party’s governorship ticket in the primary.”

Reacting on the insinuations, Metuh reiterated the need for Kogi PDP to maintain one house ahead of the governorship election “the ward congresses will kick start the process of producing delegates for the party’s primaries.