Senator Ekweremadu Withdraws From Enugu PDP Governorship Primaries

Senator Ike Ekweremadu will no longer be taking part in the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) holding in Enugu State today.  

This is according to a statement by the Director General of Ekweremadu’s Ikeoha Campaign Organisation, Ogbo Asogwa.

“We wish to inform our supporters and Nigerians that the former Deputy President of the Senate and foremost governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, will not be participating in the PDP governorship primary election scheduled for this Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

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“Meanwhile, we continue to trust God as we appreciate our teeming supporters and the good people of Enugu State for the enormous goodwill they have ceaselessly invested in the actualisation of the “Pathway to a New Enugu State”.

“We urge them to remain peaceful and be assured that we will keep them abreast of our decision on the way forward,” Asogwa’s brief statement read.

As of the time of filing this report, it wasn’t clear why the former Deputy President of the Senate would boycott the primaries.

Looming crisis?

Ekweremadu’s withdrawal comes shortly after Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe announced that he will not be partaking in the governorship primary elections in Abia State, affirming speculations in certain quarters suggesting that all may not be well in the camp of the PDP.

The Senate Minority Leader cited failure to establish a level-playing field for all aspirants vying for elective offices in the state, to participate equally in the primary elections and the interferences of godfathers as a major reason why he was opting out of the exercise.

According to the lawmaker, matters grew worse, when the party sought to use “only an imaginary 3-man Adhoc delegates” to the exclusion of the party’s statutory delegates in the primary elections, even when INEC had stated that no congress held in Abia State for that purpose.

This he says without a doubt has put the party and her candidates in a quagmire.

“Accordingly, I Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe will not be part of this charade,” the parliamentarian declared.

“I am therefore not participating in the exercise, which means that I will not be part of the PDP governorship primary election that holds in Abia State on Wednesday 25th of May, 2022 as doing so would have amounted to endorsement of an illegality that is already being challenged in the courts.”

Abaribe revealed the last couple of weeks have been tortuous as battles have raged in a bid to navigate the PDP away from a self-destructive path.

The former Abia deputy governor was of the opinion that what was currently being witnessed within the party in the state is a shambolic process driven by a procured court injunction.

In his view, the implication for the party is grave and as such has put all ongoing primary exercises on quick sand.

PDP are yet to make a formal statement regarding the boycotting of the primaries by Abaribe and Ekweremadu, however, there are fears that the lawmakers may not be only individuals who will stay away from this exercise across the states.