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Tag: Anambra PDP

  • Anambra PDP stakeholders begin membership drive ahead of 2025

    Anambra PDP stakeholders begin membership drive ahead of 2025

    The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stakeholders assembled yesterday  in Awka, Anambra State capital to plan ahead of the 2025 governorship election in the state.

    The party has consequently commenced it’s fresh membership registration as well as mobilization campaign for  both old and new members across the 21 local government areas of the state.

    The State Chairman of the party, Chigozie Igwe,  disclosed this during a mini-rally  at the party’s state headquarters.

    He said they were almost ready for the battle ahead adding that the registration exercise was mainly for the 2025 governorship election in the state.

    Notable figures in the party present during the exercise, including, former Minister of Women’s affairs, Iyom Josephine Anenih, former chairman of the party, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu, former NASS members, Dr Harry Ohanezi among others.

    The chairman explained that the exercise  was in line with the directive of the National Headquarters Abuja to strengthen oneness among members.

    According to Igwe, “the primary goal of our great party, PDP is to win future elections upon which we can implement our manifesto for the betterment of our people.

    “That is the new spirit that we have imbibed in this remodeled Anambra PDP.

    “As a prelude, we will immediately embark on an elaborate tour of our party formations in the local government areas to further oil the structures that we have activated.

    “We shall also proceed immediately with fresh party registration and mobilization for both old and new members.

    “Let us be prepared and also maintain the wonderful dedication that has taken us this far.

    “It’s no longer business as usual in Anambra PDP.

    “All effort is geared towards winning the next election in Anambra state.

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    “And I can assure you that with what we are putting in place, PDP will produce the next Governor of Anambra state in 2025.

    The National Chairman of the party, Amb. Umar Damagun, while expressing joy over the large turnout of members at the rally, said PDP was fully  prepared to unseat governor Chukwuma Soludo’s APGA led-government in the state.

    Damagun  was represented by the National Auditor, Chief Obi Okechukwu.

    He said that the party had put all electoral measures in place to win the election.

    “With what I have observed in this rally today in Anambra State, I can assure you all that the bone shall rise again, and we will take over what belongs to us, come 2025,” the National Chairman said.

  • Anambra PDP berates Obiano over tax suspension

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State has described the suspension of taxes by the government few days to the House of Assembly election as deceptive.

    A statement yesterday by the party’s spokesman, Nnamdi Nwangwu, urged the people to use Saturday’s election to prove to Governor Willie Obiano that they were not fools, by voting the PDP candidates so they could check the governor’s excesses.

    He said: “As far as we are concerned in PDP, the circle is complete for the governor. He cannot take the people for a ride again. Enough is enough. The House of Assembly needs quality individuals who can come up with laws that will push Anambra State to her pride of place in the comity of states, and at the same time carry out their oversight functions accordingly.

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    “A situation where the Assembly has been reduced to a rubber stamp institution which takes instructions from the governor is neither good for the state nor for democracy.”

    Nwangwu reminded those blaming the people for voting for PDP in the presidential election that it was the people’s inalienable rights to vote for whoever they wished.

  • ‘We’ll stop impunity in Anambra PDP’

    ‘We’ll stop impunity in Anambra PDP’

    Intrigues, indiscipline and impunity have been responsible for the endless leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, the National Vice Chairman (Southeast), Chief Austin Umahi, has said.

    Umahi, who addressed reporters at the party’s Abuja secretariat, however said with the emergence of Prince Uche Secondus as the party’s national chairman, the culture of impunity has ended.

    He blamed the party’s loss in the November 18 governorship election on the inordinate ambitions of some politicians and the pull-him-down syndrome among the political class.

    He said: “As the Southeast Zonal chairman and a member of the newly constituted National Working Committee (NWC), we want to state categorically that Anambra is too important to us. Everything happening in Anambra State is due to impunity, lack of internal democracy, and we have come to say enough is enough.’’

    “With a man like Secondus as National Chairman, we want to revisit and regain Anambra State. We will be holistic in our approach; what happened in the last election was a result of PDP fighting itself and what I call the pull-him-down-syndrome.

    “That is why as a zone, we have decided to take a position. The position is that state congress in Anambra remained suspended. We just have to go back and do the right congresses and constitute the right State Working Committee -that is the way to go.

    “Before we took this decision, we met with the people who conducted the failed congress, and it was clear that something went wrong; and we must get it right.

    “Our chairman has decided that zonal issues should be handled by zonal chairmen. No issue of concentrating power at the national. In a couple of weeks, you will see a properly constituted working committee in Anambra State,” Umahi added.

  • Anambra PDP battles chairman, secretary

    Aggrieved members of the Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee have decried the marginalisation by the leadership of the party.

    In a petition to the National Caretaker Committee by members of Anambra PDP Committee across the 21 local governments, against the state chairman and secretary of party, they said members interests were excluded in the decision making process.

    The petitioners explained that the ward congress of August 22 and primary of August 28 were marred by fraudulent manipulation, adding that the PDP constitution was not followed.

    According to them, the chairman and the secretary of the Anambra State Caretaker Committee did not compile, approve and publish the composite list of local governments and other major stakeholders.

    The petition reads: “The distribution of membership registers to the ward caretaker committee was shredded in utmost secretary just in order to enable the state chairman and the secretary the much desired opportunity to handover the said membership register to their lackeys.

    “According to our action plans, the open distribution of membership register was fixed for August 18, but the said exercise was not only frustrated, its bastardization was in accord with plans by leadership to undermine PDP and our great’s chance of victory at the November 18, governorship polls.

    “The secret distribution of the said membership register took place very late in the morning of August 19, for a ward congress election that will take place on August 21. Who was then authorised to do the registration of members? Is it those who were inaugurated as members of the ward caretaker committee but subsequently dropped and delisted?”

    The petitioners alleged that Governor Nyesom Wike and Governor Ayodele Fayose were very inpatient with any inputs from members state caretaker committee on the need to follow due process to ensure success of the ward congress.

    “Governor Wike and Governor Fayose eventually left Anambra State to the shock and bewilderment of all the PDP members and even before the departure of most the officials that were appointed as the returning officers to conduct election in the various wards.

    “It is therefore shocking how the chairman and secretary of the state caretaker committee and their cohorts magically generated the list of delegates which they used in manipulation of the state congress.

    “This is totally unacceptable. It is against natural justice and good conscience and it is a recipe for a disgraceful and failure of the PDP and the November 18, governorship election in Anambra State. We make bold to say that it is the wish of state chairman and secretary to see to the failure of the PDP in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Anambra State.”

    They stated that they were determined to reposition and reconcile the PDP toward reclaiming Anambra State, stressing that the victory of the party at the coming governorship election could not be wished away.

    “It may interest you to note that apart from the chairman and secretary other members of Anambra State Caretaker Committee were not acredited as deligate nor allowed to vote during the primary election, contrary to electoral guidelines.

    “The state caretaker committee chairman and the secretary have been working against these principle and if allowed to continue in this manner will spell doom and failure for PDP in the November and which is the target.

    “Kindly and expeditiously call the state caretaker committee chairman and the secretary to order to restore confidence on all the stakeholders and evolve inclusive administration instead of sole adminisratorship.”

     

  • Anambra PDP caretaker committee members battle Nwosu, Anenih

    Twenty one out of the 37-man Caretaker Committee members of Peoples Democratic of Party (PDP) in Anambra State have protested alleged impunity and unlawful activities of the Chairman, Prof. ABC Nwosu.

    They accused Nwosu and secretary, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, of doctoring the delegates list at a meeting on August 14 in Abuja.

    In a petition to PDP Acting Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the aggrieved members said: “It was discovered that the chairman and the secretary doctored the original harmonised list after the inauguration, thereby creating confusion in those areas affected.

    The members also accused Nwosu and Anenih of scuttling the meeting with security officials when members kicked against their actions.

    Another petitioner, Benedict Okafor, also accused Nwosu of removing his name as  Chairman PDP, Ayamelum LGA after his inauguration.

    He also alleged all materials for the council was handed over to a wrong person.

    In the same vein, Senator Stella Oduah(Anambra North) demanded that the unlawful removal of two chairmen from her zone should be revisited.

  • Anambra PDP holds ward congress

    Governors of Ekiti and Rivers states, Ayo Fayose and Nyesom Wike, have said no governorship aspirant in the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can influence them.

    The two governors spoke yesterday at the party’s secretariat in Awka when they addressed party faithful on PDP’s ward primary.

    Delegates from the 326 wards across the state with other stakeholders and seven governorship aspirants had gathered at the secretariat for the primary.

    Fayose noted that for the PDP to have sent him and Wike meant the party was ready for the November 18 election.

    The Ekiti governor said anyone who tried to foment trouble would be dealt with and suspended from the party.

    Wike said he was in Anambra State with Fayose to conduct free, fair and credible primary for the governorship election.

    The governors, who arrived yesterday in Anambra State yesterday, said victory was on the ways as PDP had become one family.

    The governorship aspirant who meet with the governors and the state’s PDP executive committee, led by Prof ABC Nwosu, included Oseloka Obaze, Linda Ikpeazu and Dr Ifeanyi Ubah.

    Others are: former minister, John Emeka, Dr Alex Obiogbolu and Akolisa Ufodike.

    Former Governor Peter Obi was also seen around with members of the party at the National Assembly, including Senator Stella Oduah and members of the House of Representatives.

    One unique thing that happened at the party’s secretariat yesterday was the coming together of Ahmed Markafi and Ali Modu Sheriff factions.

  • PDP dissolves factional executive committees in Anambra

    PDP dissolves factional executive committees in Anambra

    The Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday dissolved the two factional executive committees in the Anambra state chapter of the party.

    The dissolution was announced by the chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, after a consultative meeting with party stakeholders from Anambra at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

    Makarfi, who cited Section 31, (2)(e) of the party’s constitution to back the dissolution, said a caretaker committee would be set up to run the affairs of the state’s chapter of the PDP, pending the election of a substantive executive committee for the chapter.

    “To this end, all party stakeholders, (leaders and other members) are hereby enjoined to bury all their differences and join hands together in unity towards the victory of the party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Anambra State,” Makarfi said.

    The Anambra state chapter has witnessed protracted leadership crisis following divisions among key stakeholders that lined up behind opposing camps controlled by the Uba brothers – Chris and Andy

    But tension appeared to have died down following the defection of Senator Andy Uba to the All Progressives Congress (APC) few months ago.

    He went to the APC with his loyalists.

    His brother, Chris, had earlier teamed up with the Ali Modu Sheriff faction against the Makarfi group for the 14 months that the Sheriff-Makarfi face -off lasted.

  • Anambra PDP: Court orders INEC Chair Yakubu to appear for trial on contempt charge

    Anambra PDP: Court orders INEC Chair Yakubu to appear for trial on contempt charge

    •Threatens to order his arrest if he shuns court on Thursday

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to appear before it to answer to contempt proceedings pending against them.

    Justice John Tsoho gave the order yesterday in his ruling on arguments on whether or not the presence of INEC and its Chairman was necessary for the court to determine the contempt proceedings initiated against them by Ejike Oguebego and Chuks Okoye – chairman and legal adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State.

    The judge rejected arguments by INEC and Yakubu’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), that the nature of the contempt proceedings against his clients was civil and could be determined without their presence.

    Justice Tsoho said whether civil or criminal, contempt proceedings are always quasi-criminal, which required the presence of the alleged contemnor in court for him/her to be heard on whether or not the order of committal should be made.

    Relying on Order 9 Rule 14 of the Judgment Enforcement Rules, Justice Tsoho said it was the duty of the court’s registrar to issue and serve forms 48 and 49 on a party in disobedience of court’s order for him/her to attend court, failing which a bench warrant may be issued against him/her to attend court and show cause.

    “I hold that the alleged contemnors are under obligation to appear before this court to show cause why an order of committal should not be made against them,” the judge said.

    Justice Tsoho, who directed the alleged contemnors to present themselves in court on Thursday (July 7), said a bench warrant would be issued for their arrest if they refused to attend court on the next adjourned date.

    Oguebego and Okoye, who are suing for themselves and on behalf of other members of the Executive Committee of Anambra PDP, accused INEC and Mahmood of refusing to obey the December 5, 2015, judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered by Justice Evoh Chukwu.

    Justice Chukwu had, in the fifth order as contained in the judgment, restrained INEC, its agents, among others “from accepting or receiving any delegates list or nominated candidates that may emerge from the congresses or primaries conducted by the caretaker committee set up by the 1st defendant (PDP) for Anambra PDP, except those that emanate from the plaintiffs.”

    Bothered by INEC’s alleged refusal to comply with the judgment, particularly the fifth order, Oguebego and Okoye initiated contempt proceedings against the INEC chairman at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    On May 20, Justice Tsoho granted an order ex-parte for substituted service of  processes in relation to the contempt proceedings, including Form 48, on Yakubu.

    For service on the INEC boss, Justice Tsoho directed the plaintiffs to serve the court processes, including Form 48 on “an adult person, staff or official at the Legal Department of INEC at No. 436 Zambezi Crescent, Maitama, Abuja, being the usual place of business of the 2nd repondent (Yakubu).

    As it affects INEC, the judge ordered the services of all processes, including Form 48, “by delivering or leaving same at the Legal Department of INEC, the commission having refused to accept service of same from the bailiffs of this court.”

    The Form 48 issued by the registrar on March 31, 2016, is a notice of consequences of disobedience to order of court.

    It states: “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the order of the court, attached to this Form (in particular, the fifth order, restraining you from acting on any list of nominated candidates for the PDP in Anambra State in respect of legislative seats for the 2015 general election, except those that emanated from the plaintiffs), you will be guilty of contempt of court, and you will be liable to be committed to prison.

    “Take further notice that if the INEC continues to disobey this order, you, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC, will be held liable for contempt of court and liable to imprisonment.”

  • Court to INEC chairman: Come for contempt proceedings

    Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to appear in court and answer contempt proceedings against them.

    Justice Tsoho gave the order while ruling on arguments on whether or not the physical presence of INEC and its chairman was necessary for the court to determine the contempt proceedings initiated against them by Ejike Oguebego and Chuks Okoye – Chairman and Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State.

    The judge rejected the argument by lawyer to INEC and Yakubu, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), that the nature of the contempt proceedings against his clients was civil and could be determined without their physical presence.

    Justice Tsoho said whether civil or criminal, contempt proceedings are always quasi-criminal, which required the physical presence of the alleged contemnor in court for him/her to be heard on whether or not the order of committal should be made.

    Relying on the provisions of Order 9 Rule 14 of the Judgment Enforcement Rules, Justice Tsoho said it was the duty of the court’s Registrar to issue and serve Forms 48 and 49 on parties in disobedience of court’s order for them to attend court, failing which a bench warrant may be issued against the alleged contemnors  to attend court and show cause why order of committal should not be made against them.

    “I hold that the alleged contemnors are under obligation to appear before this court to show cause why an order of committal should not be made against them,” the judge said.

     

  • Anambra PDP wants INEC to recognise Oguebego’s exco

    Anambra PDP wants INEC to recognise Oguebego’s exco

    The Ejike Oguebego-led state Executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against recognising candidates contained in the list of nominated candidates sent by interests other than his executive.

    The Supreme Court recently affirmed the authenticity of the Ejike Oguebego leadership of the PDP in Anambra and director INEC to deal with it in all cases.

    A Federal High Court in Abuja had also in the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/854/2015 restrained INEC from accepting list of nominated candidates from other source except from the Oguebego-led executive.

    Bothered that INEC was yet to give effect, Ejike Oguebego (Chairman) and Chuks Okoye (Legal Adviser) acting for themselves and members of the Executive of the PDP in Anambra State have issued Form 48 against INEC before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Form 48 is a “notice of consequences of disobedience to court orders,” issued on a party who is reluctant or unwilling to obey a subsisting order of a court.

    A party who issue Form 48 on a perceived erring party will proceed to issue Form 49 (request for order of committal against an erring party), commencing contempt proceedings against the erring party.

    The Form 48 issued on February 18 at the Federal High Court, Abuja by Oguebego and Okoye have been served on INEC Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu, Secretary, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu and and Director, Legal Department, Ibrahim Bawa (SAN).

    It states: “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in the orders of this honourable court, attached to this form (in particular the 5th order) restraining you from acting on the list of nominated candidates, except those that emanate from the plaintiffs, you will be guilty of contempt of court and you will be liable to be committed to prison.”

    Should INEC fail to comply with the order, the plaintiffs – Oguebego and Okoye – are at liberty to initiate contempt proceedings against the electoral body and its principal officials, by filing Form 49.