South East PDP Stakeholders Want Nwodo Removed

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 16, (THEWILL) – Some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders from the South East region have passed a vote of no confidence on PDP National Chairman, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, asking him to resign his chairmanship of the party.

The South East Zonal Executive Committee which rose from its meeting in Enugu today also asked the National Working Committee (NWC) to sack Nwodo from his position if he refuses to resign. They alleged that Nwodo’s conduct at the PDP Special convention in Abuja almost voided the exercise following a court injunction that had barred him from parading himself as party chairman.

Nwodo and some of his kinsmen have been at loggerheads following his bid to wrestle control of the Enugu State PDP machinery from the grip of State Governor Sullivan Chime.

At the meeting were Sullivan Chime; Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu; Deputy Governor of Imo, Mrs. Ada Okwuonu; Abia State Deputy Governor, Dr. Chigozie Ogbu; Senate Spokesman, Senator Ayogu Eze; Senator Uche Chikwumerije; Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe; Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha; and other stakeholders.

A communiqué issued after the meeting signed by the Zonal Secretary of the party, Mr. Vincent Okpalaeke states:

“Having reviewed developments within the PDP, especially as it affects the South East geo-political zone the South East Zonal Committee of the party resolved as follows:

“To congratulate the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, His Excellency Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan on his overwhelming victory as the presidential flag-bearer at the PDP special convention;

“To restate our overwhelming endorsement of his candidacy and our firm belief that he and the Vice President, His Excelllency, Architect Namadi Sambo possess the experience, education and sufficient knowledge of Nigeria’s problems to be able to pilot the country to the next level of her development

“To commend the President for his exemplary conduct throughout the period of the campaigns, even in the face of glaring acts of provocation and to urge him to sustain this laudable leadership quality even as the country is set to elect him president during the general elections in April

“To condemn without reservation the ignoble conduct of the suspended National Chairman of our party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, who by flagrantly disregarding the party’s constitution, disobeying a valid court order by showing up at the special convention and lying to the convention that the order had been vacated, brought shame and embarrassment to the party and therefore us, his kinsmen and women

“To apologise to the country for this calamitous behavior of Dr. Nwodo in deliberately and willfully attempting to void the special convention by not only showing up but forcibly taking over the officiating at the convention before he was overpowered and subdued

“That we hereby pass a vote of no confidence on Dr. Nwodo and ask him to resign his chairmanship of the party, and that if he fails the National Executive Committee of our party should expel him from the party.

“To appeal to the teeming members of our party all over the country who have deserted the party, especially national assembly members and party stalwarts in Oyo, Osun, Plateau, Anambra, Adamawa and other states, since Dr. Nwodo unleashed his high- handedness on nearly every state chapter of the party, seeking to hand-pick candidates without going through the process of primaries to return to the party

“To support the Acting National Chairman of our party, Alhaji Dr. Mohammed Haliru llo to run the party, pending the emergence of a chairman of South East extraction acceptable to party members within the zone, to finish Dr. Nwodo’s remaining period in office.”

They Are Busy-Bodies – Nwodo

Reacting to the call for his resignation, Dr Nwodo through his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Ike Abonyi, has said the group is made up of selfish interests who have no such powers to call for Nwodo’s removal.

“The decisions they took in the so-called South East PDP meeting is of no effect because they have no such powers. They are just busy-body people driven by their own interest,” Mr. Abonyi said.