JUST-IN: Ekweremadu, Abaribe Withdraw From Enugu, Abia Gov’ship Race

ENUGU - Immediate-past Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has withdrawn from the Enugu State governorship race.

Ekweremadu said he would not participate in Wednesday’s governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu.

This was contained in a statement made available to our correspondent on Wednesday morning by his campaign organization.

Ekweremadu, who is currently representing Enugu West Senatorial District at the Senate, was a foremost governorship aspirant in the state before announcing his withdrawal.

Earlier on Tuesday, the former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, announced that Enugu East senatorial zone had adopted Dr Peter Mbah as the next governor of Enugu State.

He also said that Senator Ekweremadu had given his support for Mbah to succeed incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, although the governor had yet openly endorse anybody as his successor.

However, in a swift reaction, Ekweremadu campaign organization said it was false.

But on Wednesday morning, in what appeared a new twist, the campaign organisation issued a statement titled “Senator Ekweremadu won’t participate in PDP primary election”.

The statement signed by the spokesman of Ikeoha Campaign Organisation, Hon Charles Asogwa, reads “I wish to inform our supporters and Nigerians that the former Deputy President of the Senate and foremost governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, will not be participating in the PDP governorship primary election scheduled for this Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

“Meanwhile, we continue to trust God as we appreciate our teeming supporters and the good people of Enugu State for the enormous goodwill they have ceaselessly invested in the actualisation of the “Pathway to a New Enugu State”.

“We urge them to remain peaceful and be assured that we will keep them abreast of our decision on the way forward.”

Also, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has withdrawn from the Abia State governorship primaries of PDP)

Abaribe, who is a serving Senator, disclosed this in a personally signed statement released on Wednesday, barely 24 hours to the primary election.

He cited injustice and partiality as reasons for his withdrawal.

The statement reads: “The last couple of weeks has been tortuous as we battled hard to navigate our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) away from a self destructive path.

“The essence was to create an unfettered democratic space and a level playing field for all aspirants vying for all elective offices in the state, to participate equally in the primary elections.

“That was not the case and of course what we are witnessing is a shambolic process driven by a procured court injunction.

“To make matters worse, the use of only an imaginary 3-man Adhoc delegates to the exclusion of the party’s statutory delegates in the primary elections to elect our candidates even when INEC the nation’s electoral umpire, has unequivocally stated that no congress held in Abia State for that purpose, has no doubt put the party and her candidates in a quagmire.

“The implication for our party is grave and as such has put all ongoing primary exercises on quick sand.

“I am known for standing firm in defence of my convictions for the right of all people to a free and fair democratic process. That was why my campaign set sail on a democratic journey that took us to all the nooks and crannies of our dear state. We covered all the local governments and we could see the enthusiasm on the faces of our people who are desirous of change to a progressive government with a human face.

“We committed human and material resources, preaching the ‘Rise Up Abia’ message for the total emancipation of our State from the drudgery of imposition and godfatherism, which has seen the state at the lowest wrung of infrastructural, human, and material development index among the states of the federation.