Imo PDP Senatorial Aspirant Warns Against Imposition of Candidates

Ahead of the primary elections for Senate tickets of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday, an aspirant for the Imo East senatorial ticket, Hon. Greg Egu, has warned against any plans to impose candidates.

The Imo PDP will conduct primaries for the three Senate tickets on Wednesday.

Egu, a former member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003, gave the warning on Sunday night while speaking to Leadership Newspaper at his Umuohiagu country home in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State.

Currently, Egu is contesting the Imo East senatorial ticket alongside Chief Emma Madumere and Chief Summer Nwoke.

Egu said the House of Representatives primary election held last Sunday for the Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency was riddled with improprieties, as an aspirant linked to the current National Secretary of the party, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, was declared the winner without an election.

He lamented that he was yet to know the people who would decide the candidate or the modalities that would be used.

He said: “On Wednesday, I will see what they want us to do because I’m ready. Anyhow they want to do it, I’m ready because they don’t know what to do with me. PDP has to bring leaders like Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho, the former minister, and other leaders from Owerri to talk about the consensus and not some random people loyal to someone. As aspirants, we should know who the deciders of the primaries are so we know who to lobby.”

Speaking on the alleged imposition of candidates, Egu warned that it was wrong and could lead to the destruction of the party.

Egu said: “Let me warn that if they try to repeat what they did during the House of Representatives primary election in the Senate primary election on Wednesday, we will just help them destroy the party totally.

“I have been in the party, helping to keep it intact from this side for years, and then someone wakes up and decides that they want to play games over the primaries for the Senate ticket, which I’m contesting. We will just help them pull the whole thing down.”

According to him, it was unfair to allow new members with less than a year in the party to contest against people like him who joined in 1998 and remained to build the party even during its crisis years.

Egu said: “I have been paying rent for some chapters, among other expenses, for years, even as I stayed through all these crises. I consider it unfair that Emma Madumere, who joined just five weeks ago, is contesting for an election others like me have spent years helping to keep the party running.

“Of course, I will not take it or go down quietly. For God’s sake, even if you are talking about a consensus candidate, who are the leaders that are going to talk about it? We can’t keep addressing party executives only. Up to this moment, I don’t know who the stakeholders are or even where the primaries will hold, and this is not fair to me, especially considering my standing and numerous contributions to the party.”

The Imo statesman said: “I don’t expect Senator Samuel Anyanwu to want to install Emma Madumere if he is serious about becoming the next Governor of Imo State because both of them belong to the Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency. You can’t take the Senate ticket and the governorship too. No, that doesn’t make sense politically,” Egu said.

However, the spokesperson for the Imo PDP, Lancelot Obiaku, denied the allegations of imposition, saying party members are the ones to decide who represents them.

Obiaku said Egu’s allegations were untrue, adding that the results of the House of Representatives primary elections reflected the will of the people and party leaders.

Obiaku said: “The primaries for the Senate will hold on Wednesday, and I’m not aware of any imposition. It was the popular will of the people and leaders that prevailed because everyone was out in the field to decide who flies the party’s ticket that Sunday.

“Meanwhile, the issue of imposition of candidates does not even arise because it is the leaders, stakeholders, and members of the party who will decide who wins the Senate tickets.

“PDP has leaders in all the wards, and these are the people we consider members, not some random individuals, because it is not a one-man affair.

“The party is not trying to oust any aspirant. Anyone who is popular will win the ticket, whether by direct primaries or consensus, but I can assure you that there will not be any imposition of candidates anywhere in Imo PDP,” Obiaku said.