PDP BoT member debunks Anambra committee’s allegation

A Board of Trustees member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mrs. Josephine Anenih, said yesterday that claims of the Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the Anambra State chapter of the party were not true.

She stated that the use of Caretaker in the running of the party affairs in the state ended with the Prof. ABC Nwosu committee constituted by the national leadership to work towards its victory in the 2017 governorship election and conduct of congresses in the state.

She told The Guardian that Prof. Nwosu resigned after the party lost in the election; it did not stop the committee’s assignment, as it began and concluded its congresses at the various levels in the state that produced officials.

“I was the Secretary of that committee appointed by the National Working Committee of the party. Our mandate was very clear and that was to go and hoist back the flag of the PDP in Anambra state by running in the election and conduct congresses to put back the party structure which we did. We elected PDP state executives, PDP local government executives, and ward executives throughout the state. That state congress produced Ndubisi Nwobu as the state chairman and many others. As the Secretary, who acted as Chairman when Nwosu resigned, I handed over to Nwobu and it was at that point that the work of the Caretaker ended in Anambra state PDP’’.

“So anybody talking about caretaker committee is trying to create confusion and crisis. The claim of caretaker and court is a subterfuge to ensure that there is no peace in Anambra PDP. That’s all. We were not appointed caretaker committee. There is nothing like Caretaker committee that will stay on and on. Caretaker is like an adhoc committee”, She said.

She stated further that only Chukwudi Umeaba is insisting a committee exist in Anambra PDP.

“If I co-opted him to assist us in the committee, does that make him the Caretaker Committee chairman? Who appointed him? There are certain persons in the state who have vowed that there won’t be peace in Anambra PDP because when there is peace, there won’t be opportunity to make money. They are self- acclaimed godfathers who don’t have any other business than politics. They want to remain on top and until they are removed from PDP, there won’t be peace in Anambra state chapter’’, she added.

Umeaba faulted her claims, stressing that he was duly appointed to replace Prof. Nwosu, as Chairman Anambra State Caretaker Committee of the party.

He explained that Nwobu challenged the action in court and the court recognized him as chairman of PDP. However, he claimed he refused to recognize and work with the elected ward and local government executives, which set the ground for another legal action by the affected ward and local government officials.

On December 17, 2019, a federal high court Abuja, had sacked Nwobu and asked the Umeaba executive to continue in office, adding that the matter had been fixed for July 24 for hearing.