Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Part (PDP) in Ebonyi State, Tochukwu Okorie, has endorsed the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Francis Nwifuru, in Saturday’s gubernatorial election.
He gave the endorsement in a statement he issued on Thursday in Abakaliki, capital of the state.
Mr Okorie, who has been having a running battle with the governorship candidate of the PDP, Ifeanyi Ọdịi, urged the people of the State to vote for Nwifuru.
He noted that it is only fair that Ebonyi North where Mr Nwifuru comes from gets the ticket for the governorship.
He argued that the power rotation otherwise known as charter of equity in the State is too fragile to be toyed with.
He said: “It is no longer a secret that all the good people of Ebonyi State have now agreed and decided that the power sharing formula of the state is too fragile to be toyed with and remains the only guarantee for peace and mutual co-existence, and therefore must be sustained.
“It has been generally agreed that it is only fair that Ebonyi North should produce the next governor in the spirit of Equity.
“I hereby lend my voice in calling on the few who are yet to fully grasp the importance of this decision to join hands in ensuring that we do not mortgage the future by subverting the power equation of the state as conceived by our founding fathers.
“It is only fair that Ebonyi North be allowed to give us the next governor. I congratulate in advance, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru.
May God bless Ebonyi State,” he said.
Mr Okorie further noted that the PDP candidate is hampered by court cases pending in various courts across the country.
He denied responsibility for the myriad of court cases which have bedeviled and obstructed Mr Odii’s quest to govern the state.
“It is on record however that it was Mr. Ifeanyi Odii who, after claiming victory in a canceled primary election, ran to court the following morning to challenge his own victory”
“That was the beginning of all pre-election matters before the courts to which I was never and I am still not a party
“The voting public deserves to know that the person whom they used to convene a kangaroo State Congress that purportedly hosted the governorship primary which produced Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii was and remains an impostor totally unknown to the party”
“This is the subject of the matter now pending before the Supreme Court after the Honourable Justice Nyako held that an impostor could not have convened a valid State Congress”
“And since you cannot build something on nothing and expect it to stand, the primary that purportedly held at that Congress and which produced Odii is invalid and of no effect whatsoever”
“Whether now or later, that question must be answered. Then the scam and the scammers will be exposed for whom they truly are”
“For the avoidance of doubt, it bears reiterating that the Peoples Democratic Party has no valid gubernatorial candidate in Ebonyi State. Anyone genuinely hoping to hop on that sunk ship will only blame himself or herself very soon,” he said.
Background
The PDP had an acrimonious primaries last year. The first primaries which Mr Odii was declared winner was canceled mid way by the National Leadership of the party.
The party ordered a fresh one a few days later which Mr Obinna Ọgba, a serving Senator won.
However Mr Odii approached the court to declare him winner of the election and authentic candidate which the Federal High Court Abakaliki so ordered.
However, the other faction have been challenging Mr Odii’s candidacy in court and in December Justice Binta Nyarko nullified all primaries of the party and ordered for a fresh one.
This led to Mr Odii being delisted temporarily from the list of candidates for tomorrow’s election by INEC.
However, the Federal High Court Abakaliki ordered that Mr Odii be relisted as the candidate of the party.
Mr Okorie was earlier this year suspended by the PDP as Chairman of the party pending investigations into his alleged anti-party activities.
He has challenged his suspension in court.
