The Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to stop Mrs. Uche Ekwunife from contesting the re-run senatorial poll for Anambra Central district on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Making the vow on Monday in Awka, the State Chairman of PDP, Prince Ken Emeakayi, said that although Mrs. Ekwunife has publicly announced her defection to APC, she is yet to resign from PDP.
Prince Emeakayi said that he read about the purported defection of Ekwunife in the media, stressing that PDP would use every arsenal within the ambit of the law to stop her from contesting the re-run senatorial poll under APC.
News Express recalls that Ekwunife, the senatorial candidate of the PDP in the March 28, 2015 general elections, was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Though her election was subsequently upheld by the Election Petition Tribunal, it was later upturned on Dec 7, 2015 by the Court of Appeal in Enugu following the appeal by her main rival, Chief Victor Umeh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), with a fresh election ordered within 90 days.
However, as PDP was still working towards the conduct of a new primary, Ekwunife over the weekend swiftly moved on by announcing her defection to the APC, accusing the PDP of trying to shortchange her in the primary.
But Emeakayi at a press briefing at the party’s secretariat in Awka said: “Ekwunife has not resigned from PDP so she can’t validly contest any election on the platform of any political party. When she defected to our party, she presented her letter of resignation from APGA to us.
“In this instance, she is still our member. As at last weekend, she attended our caucus meeting. So, if she is saying now that she had left our party without proper procedure for resignation, we will tell her that the purpose of the law is for social order. No law permits recklessness. We’ll stop her”.
Meanwhile, Ward and local government executive committees of the PDP from 109 wards and seven local government areas in the Anambra Central Senatorial District rose from a meeting on yesterday calling for the release of the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh.
“We condemn the continued incarceration and persecution of our leader, Chief Olisa Metuh,” the group said.
“We demand for his immediate release and freedom in line with the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the group submitted.
The group alleged that Metuh’s detention was aimed at silencing the voice of opposition and crippling PDP in Anambra State. (News Express)