The former Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate and Anambra South senatorial aspirant, Valentine Ozigbo, has withdrawn from participating in the party’s primaries.
He cited sabotage, mockery of due process, and blatant disregard for decency as reasons for his withdrawal.
It was gathered that other aspirants like Tony Nwoye, Idu Emeka, Val Ayika, Hon. George Ozodinobi and Dr. Obiora Chira had earlier withdrawn from the party primaries citing the same reason.
Ozigbo said specifically that the PDP National Organising Secretary, Captain Umar Bature, was complicit in his dangerous and divisive approach to conducting the internal elections of the party.
He said, “May this ugly episode in PDP Anambra be an opportunity to commit to reclaiming the soul of our party from those sworn to its destruction, and it begins with telling the true story of how we got here.”
In a letter he addressed to the party’s national chairman, Dr Iyiorcha Ayu and made available to journalists on Thursday, Ozigbo said, “The actions of Chris Uba and the NWC-appointed minions have put the candidacy of many of our party faithful in legal jeopardy!
“Our real problem lies in the blatant disregard for the rule of law. Instead of joining Chris Uba’s devious game of musical chairs, we ought instead to focus on how to clean house and restoring peace, order, and unity to the PDP.”
He added that the problems the party is facing cannot be solved by acquiescing to the discredited notion that regards every long-standing member of the PDP as a “leader” or “stakeholder”.
He said, “It is time we define what leadership means to us in the PDP.”
The letter read in part, “I refuse to dignify the rot of the process by participating in Anambra South Senatorial Primary. Evil comes in many colours. In PDP Anambra, its primary colour is Chris Uba. The secondary colours are in the National Working Committee of the Party that enabled him and his cohorts.
“I am afraid that the entire process leading up to preparing the PDP Anambra Chapter for the primary is fundamentally flawed and I will not dignify this mockery of due process and blatant disregard for decency with my continued participation.
“Yesterday, I formally wrote to the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, of my withdrawal from contesting the primary for the ticket for the senatorial seat of Anambra South.
“The actions of Chris Uba and the NWC-appointed minions have put the candidacy of many of our party faithful in legal jeopardy!”
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