There was disquiet in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday as an aspirant contesting for National Secretary, Chief Okey Muo-Aroh, tackled the party’s screening appeal panel over his disqualification.
The PDP screening panel last week disqualified Muo-Aroh for allegedly taking the party to court in time past, an allegation the aspirant vehemently repudiated.
Consequently, Muo-Aroh, on Tuesday, appeared before the screening appeal committee chaired by Senator Ike Ekweremadu to protest his disqualification.
Narrating his experience with The Nation shortly after appearing before the 24-member committee, Muo-Aroh said the panel admitted that he was qualified but pleaded with him to withdraw from the race.
Muo-Aroh said: “I have just met with the committee and they all admitted that I was unjustly disqualified because my accusers failed to prove that I ever took the PDP to court at any point in time.
“At a point, Senator Ekweremadu, who is the chairman of the committee, excused himself and pleaded that they should allow him have a private discussion with me over the matter, as a result of which he took me to a separate room.
“There and there, he apologised to me for the wrongful disqualification but pleaded with me to let go. But I told him that I needed to clear my name. They have told the whole world that I was disqualified for taking the PDP to court, which was false.
“Why would they strip me naked in public and cover me with velvet in secret? If I don’t clear my name now, some people might use the false allegation of my taking PDP to court to jeopardise my standing in the party in the future.
“I am demanding the reversal of my disqualification and a chance to contest for National Secretary in the convention coming up at the weekend. I want nothing less and I made that clear to Senator Ekweremadu”.
Continuing, Muo-Aroh alleged it was rather Senator Samuel Anyanwu who indeed took the PDP Imo state governorship candidate in the 2019 election, Mr Emeka Ihedioha to court, a development which he said, contributed to the PDP’s loss of Imo State to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mou-Aroh is contesting the National Secretary with Anyanwu and he insisted that he was disqualified just to give Anyanwu a smooth ride, adding that he had filed a petition to that effect with the Ekweremadu committee, demanding Anyanwu’s disqualification.
Anyanwu has been cleared as consensus candidate for National Secretary, based on the recommendation of PDP leaders in the Southeast zone.
“It was Anyanwu that took the PDP and Ihedioha to court over the 2019 Imo state governorship nominations, which the PDP eventually lost at the Supreme Court.
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“I filed a petition against him (Anyanwu) with the Ekweremadu committee and that petition is still before them as I speak. I attached copies of the court processes which Anyanwu filed against Ihedioha and the PDP in 2019.
“Now with the facts before them, let them justify why they cleared Anyanwu and disqualified me. What have I done to deserve this treatment? Why am I being persecuted for no just cause?” Muo-Aroh queried.
Recalling some of his earlier discussions with the Ekweremadu committee, Muo-Aroh said they initially based his disqualification on the ground that he violated the party’s decision to micro-zone the National Secretary to Imo state where Anyanwu comes from. Muo-Aroh is from Anambra.
“If that is the rule, then why are they allowing Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola from Osun state and Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja from Oyo state to contest for Deputy National Chairman (South) without disqualifying neither of them? Why is my case different?” Muo-Aroh demanded.
Briefing journalists shortly before the screening appeal panel began its sitting earlier in the day, Ekweremadu confirmed that the panel was in receipt of a petition against Anyanwu for allegedly taking the PDP to court.
The sitting of the panel was still ongoing as of the time of filing this report.