Ward congress: Ikeje Asogwa-led Enugu PDP disagrees with appeal committee

By Chibota Edozie
The Enugu State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is loyal to Governor Sullivan Chime, on Tuesday faulted claims by the party's ward congress appeal committee that there was no complaint over the exercise in the state. According to a statement by the Party’s Spokesman in Enugu, Chief Okey Eze, the Ikeje Asogwa-led faction has insisted that there was no congress in Enugu State on November 1, the appeal committee reportedly stated that 'there was no single complaint received either written or verbal throughout the period of its assignment.'

Eze, accused the appeal committee of mischief and blackmail, adding that the statement credited to the appeal committee was aimed at stopping the national leadership of the party from fixing a new date for the congress. 'It is mischievous, baseless, false and unfounded for the appeal committee to allege that no complaints on Enugu State ward congress was received by them, when in the first instance, the committee did not follow due process and laid down procedures which among others, require their presence and official sitting at the state party secretariat of our party at No. 1 Chime Lane, G.R.A, Enugu, where complainants are to present their complaints,' the Chime faction said in the statement signed by Eze. The Enugu PDP faction stressed that it is on record that throughout their 'alleged stay' in the state, the appeal committee never visited the official venue for the sitting of the panel, the state party secretariat. The party also alleged that the appeal panel did not engage in any administrative procedure for the exercise as directed by the national secretariat, such as issuance of notices at strategic locations at the party secretariat, requesting party members with complaints to come and lay them before the committee as has been the tradition. 'The whole exercise as allegedly carried out by the appeal committee which is hereby denied in its entirety is a nullity and does not reflect the true position of things as to what transpired in Enugu State on 1st November, 2014 and throughout the period they alleged to have stayed in the state,' the statement added. Insisting on its position that no ward congress took place in Enugu State on November 1, the faction challenged the committee to 'come up with any credible evidence that they visited the Enugu State party secretariat for the assignment or put the members of the party on notice about the assignment by issuing notices at the state secretariat thereby affording the aggrieved party members in Enugu State their inalienable right of fair hearing.' The Asogwa led faction of the state chapter which includes members of the State Executive Committee, urged the PDP national leadership to discountenance the statements attributed to the committee, saying it was confident that a new date would be pronounced for the congress.