- * Says 'You Lied And Betrayed Ebonyi PDP'
- I Won't Support Injustice To Please My Party.....Anyim
By Comfort Idenyi (Ebonyi State Correspondent, in Abakaliki)
Still smarting from the pains of losing the March 18 governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in Ebonyi state, Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, at the weekend, accused the former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, of lying against his party, PDP, in other to justify his political support for the governor-elect, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Anyim, while reacting to his suspension from the PDP over alleged anti-party conduct during the just-concluded general elections, however faulted the leadership of his party, the National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP, through a letter to the party, and blaming his decision to support the APC governorship candidate in Ebonyi on the party for ignoring his advice on the need to respect the existing power rotation/zoning structure in place, which, he said, has stabilized Ebonyi state over the years.
Anyim also berated the PDP NWC for allegedly imposing a governorship candidate from Ebonyi South Senatorial zone where the current governor of the state (Engr. Dave Umahi) hails from, contrary to the zoning formula in the state which favours Ebonyi North. He accused the PDP of acting in bad faith and called on the party to urgently reverse itself in respect of his suspension.
But Dr. Odii, in a statement by is Media Adviser, Chief Abia Onyike, claims that Anyim betrayed the party and lied in the reasons he gave for allegedly working against the PDP in the last elections. He advised the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to face the issues of his suspension from the PDP squarely.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the twisted narratives and incoherent insinuations credited to the former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim over his recent suspension from the People’s Democratic Party( PDP), for anti-party activities.
“The embattled former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, chose to lie against the Party, in a letter he sent to the National Working Committee of the Party, dated 24th March, 2023, whereupon he tried to justify his bare-faced treachery and open betrayal of the party during the just concluded Governorship and House of Assembly Elections.
”Senator. Anyim claimed that the “PDP NWC imposed a candidate from the sitting Governor’s zone, contrary to the zoning formulae in the state. He further said that he was “proud to have supported the APC Gubernatorial candidate in Ebonyi State to win the elections because it conforms to the equitable formulae in Ebonyi State”.
"But Anyim deliberately refused to state his own role during the 2022 PDP Primaries in Ebonyi State As a pre-eminent Leader of the Party in the state, Anyim failed to provide leadership when it mattered most. First of all, he unilaterally started supporting Sen. Obinna Ogba from Ebonyi Central Senatorial Zone for the 2023 Governorship ticket.
“After Sen. Ogba lost out to Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii from Ebonyi South, Sen. Anyim smartly turned round to claim that he supported the APC candidate, Hon. Ogbonnaya Nwifuru because it was the turn of Ebonyi North to produce the Governor in Ebonyi State in 2023. If Sen. Anyim was being sincere to himself and the Party, why did he not ab initio support any of the PDP Governorship aspirants, from Ebonyi North such as Engr. Fidelis Nwankwo, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga, etc?
“It should be recalled that the first Primary Election of 28th May, 2022, produced Dr. Odii as the PDP flagbearer, after which Sen. Anyim led Ogba to organize a parallel primaries on 5th June, 2022. The matter was eventually resolved at the Supreme Court in favour of Dr. Odii.
“To worsen the situation, Sen. Anyim came up with the idea of block politics to cover up his inconsistencies and weak leadership traits. He falsely claimed that it was the turn of Abakaliki block. When reminded to re-examine the implication of introducing Abakaliki/Afikpo block equation, and jettisoning the three Senatorial Zones, he became non-plussed.
“Sen. Anyim should recall a meeting held in his house during the early period before the 2022 PDP Primaries when Dr. Odii opined that it would be better to continue the power rotation on the basis of Senatorial Districts rather than political block arrangement. Odii favoured a collective resolve for Ebonyi North to produce the Governor but Sen. Anyim was not willing to give up on Sen. Ogba. Present at that meeting were Sen. Mike Ama Nnachi and Chief Julius Ama Oji( Ochiri).
“For Sen. Anyim to turn round today to pretend to be a champion of a non-existent "Charter of Equity” shows that he is playing to the gallery. He had to manufacture a lie to justify his support for APC during the elections, an act motivated more by his immediate and selfish financial aggrandisement.
“We want to assure Sen. Anyim that his open betrayal of our party in the state notwithstanding, we are determined to forge ahead with determination. Sooner than later, the PDP in Ebonyi State would reclaim its stolen mandate through legal means. We shall approach the Courts to redress the monumental irregularities and electoral fraud which characterized the elections and robbed us of victory in the March 18 Governorship and House of Assembly Elections. With God on our side, we shall certainly overcome”. NNL.
