UBA, UDEOZOR, OBIOKOYE RISK EXPULSION FROM PDP
One of the major financiers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Chief Chris Uba, a factional chairman of the party, Chief Benjamin Udeozor and a former state chairman, Chief Ifeatu Obiokoye may be the first victims of the expulsion threat by the new leadership of the party in the state.
The new Chairman, Prince Ken Emeakayi, yesterday, threatened to deal with those who were responsible for the indiscipline in the party. He declared that the trio were not members of the party.
He told newsmen in Awka that while Uba and Udeozor were members of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Obiokoye was a member of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), adding that they would not be allowed to destroy the PDP.
Emeakayi, who emerged new chairman of the party last week following the alleged removal of Chief Emma Nweze by the state executive of the party said his interest was on the real members of the party and not those who move from one party to the other.
He said: 'I am not ready for the idea of bringing all warring factions together. It has never worked. I am talking about our real party members and not those who jump from one party to another for the purpose of contesting elections.'
According to him, he had already filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Awka, where he was praying the court to interpret the relevance sections of the party's constitution to prove that the trio and some others were not members of the PDP.
Though Chief Uba could not be reached at press time as his phones were reading switched off, Chief Udeozor, who spoke dismissed Emeakayi's threat, insisting that he was still in charge of the party in the state.
He said: 'I am still the chairman of PDP in Anambra State and it is not contestable. Who is Emeakayi and at what point did he become a member of the executive?
'This man is impersonating and people should discountenance all those statements of his that he is the chairman of our great party. This man should be arrested by the police for impersonation and charged to court immediately.'
He questioned where Emeakayi was during the primaries of PDP that threw up the state and National Assembly candidates for 2011 general election, stressing, 'it should be put on record that he is an impostor and should be handled as such.'
In his reaction, Chief Obiokoye described the expulsion threat as baseless and laughable, stating that Emeakayi had not such powers in the constitution to do so.
He said: 'This is laughable and I challenge Emeakayi to tell us why nobody protested when I was in court and the court affirmed me chairman of the party. Was there any letter where I said I am no longer member of the PDP?
'I still have my court orders that stopped the election of Emordi as chairman and the judgment that affirmed me chairman of the party and none of them have either been challenged or vacated. So his claims are baseless.'