Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
A frontline governorship aspirant of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in Abia State, Professor Greg Ibe, has expressed surprise that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which he had since dumped would be “allocating votes” to him during its primaries Wednesday in Umuahia.
Describing the action as “mischievous and ridiculous” the Professor of Entrepreneur, asked PDP to keep its vote, saying he has since pursued his ambition in APGA.
He mocked PDP for “awarding votes” to him, when in fact, he did not participate “in the said primaries which can only pass for a charade’.
Professor Ibe who said he resigned his membership of the PDP since 30th March, threatened legal action against the PDP if the party fails to correct the “deliberately planted information.”
He explained that although a group obtained the PDP expression interest and nomination forms for him, he never filed nor returned both forms before dumping the PDP.
Professor Ibe in a statement by his Campaign Organisation warned the PDP against linking him with their membership.
“For the purpose of emphasis, Prof Gregory Ibe ceased to be a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on 30th March 2022 and subsequently couldn’t have participated in the party’s governorship primaries of 25th May 2022.
“The leaders of PDP in Abia state are therefore enjoined to take steps to correct this misinformation failure of which will compel Prof Gregory Ibe Campaign Organization (GICO) to seek other legal means of redress”, the statement signed by his Director of Media, Sleek Ogwo said.
It further read: “We have observed with distaste the disdainful antics of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to attempt to accord credibility and authenticity to their recently held governorship primaries in Abia State by sneaking in the name of Prof Gregory Ibe among the list of contestants in the election.
“For avoidance of doubt, Prof Gregory Ibe formally resigned his membership of the PDP through a letter dated 30th March 2022 addressed to the Abia State Chairman of the Party, which was appropriately delivered and acknowledged by the Chairman of Achara Mbaugwu Ward 7 in Isuikwuato Local Government Area. He subsequently took up membership with the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and thereafter joined the governorship race under the banner of the Party.
“It is important to point out that apart from receiving the PDP expression of interest form collected by a group of friends for him, and subsequent public declaration on 9th March 2022, Prof Ibe didn’t fill or return any nomination form to the party, and neither did he participate in the governorship screening exercise, which from all intents and purposes remain a sine qua nun for all contestants.
“One therefore wonders how the name of Prof Ibe, who since making the widely publicized declaration titled “Message of Hope and Direction” on Easter Sunday 17 April 2022, has since moved on with his bid to realize ‘A New Abia’ under the APGA platform would resurface in the result sheet of PDP governorship primaries but for the handiwork of mischief makers whose chief aim is to accord legitimacy and acceptability to a failed exercise through the ingenuity of name dropping also known in the Abia political lexicon as ‘gamjism’.
“Otherwise what would make a highly monetized delegate who immensely benefitted from the now popular special financial allocation appropriated exclusively for that purpose forget so soon the person he had been ‘purchased’ to vote for and mistakenly freely donate votes to a non participant in the contest who did not ‘see’ him? Haba!”
