Ebonyi PDP candidates dissociate from fresh primary

Governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State have rejected the reschedule primary elections by the National Working Committee (NWC), insisting that the May 28 and 29, 2022 primaries in the state were credible.

They maintained that all the delegates that participated in the primaries were legitimately elected across the 171 wards of the state, adding that the elections were conducted in the presence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and security agents.

Speaking on behalf of the candidates, former House of Representatives member and a senatorial aspirant for Ebonyi Central, Lazarus Ogbe, noted that the rumour for fresh primaries in the state was invitation of crisis.

He said: “Candidates were nominated on May 28 and 29 to fly the flag of the party from the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and governor. I want to recall that NWC scheduled the primary in Ebonyi on May 28 and 29. Because of the little crisis in the party, there was no primary election in Ebonyi when other states nominated their representatives.

“Three delegates were elected in each of the 172 wards of the state for the primaries. The state chairman conducted the primary that was monitored by INEC, security agencies and journalists. The election was certified as the most transparent in the history of the party in the state.”

According to him, reports that the same NWC, which conducted the poll, had reversed itself and directed that fresh elections be conducted on the same positions, remains a rumour.

“It is on this note that we want to appeal to the party to allow peace reign in the state. I have never seen where two persons are contesting the same position in the same party. We do not want to experience what transpired in Zamfara and Rivers states on the side of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“We want the NWC to intervene in the matter and allow those they have nominated to stand in Ebonyi PDP. All the delegates were picked from the 171 wards of the state. INEC has the list of delegates. We appealed that if there is any interest playing out, the appeal should be played down in the interest of the party.

“The governorship, the House of Assembly and all other primaries were conducted in the open. From the day the primary election was conducted, we have not heard of any infraction. We so much appeal to them to allow peace reign in Ebonyi and prepare for the general election,” Ogbe appealed.