Critical stakeholders of the Imo state People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have demanded the immediate resignation of Sen Samuel Anyanwu, the gubernatorial candidate of the party, from his current position as the national secretary of the party.
They also demanded that Sen Anyanwu must drop Rt Hon Jones Onyeriri as his running mate for the 11 November Imo state gubernatorial polls as their condition for there to be genuine reconciliation within the party.
The stakeholders noted that it is an anomaly for Sen Anyanwu who is the governorship candidate of the party as well as occupying the position of the National scribe of the party simultaneously.
In a letter to the national leadership of the party and signed by Chief Eric Ofodirinwa, reads, “The current anomaly in the Imo State chapter of PDP where Senator Samuel Anyanwu is the candidate of PDP for the November 11, 2023 governorship election and simultaneously the serving national secretary of the party, and at the same time, single-handedly picked the deputy governorship candidate for the party. At the same time, he is the only one appointing people into strategic positions for the November election. This is not only divisive and acrimonious, but also outrageous and nauseatingly reprehensible. This is obviously the central reason members are leaving the party in droves and pitching their tents with other parties, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We, the members of the Critical Stakeholders of Imo State PDP, after exhaustive deliberations on the disgusting affairs in our great party, particularly the composition and organisation of the still-born Reconciliation Committee, demand that for genuine, effective, and lasting reconciliation to take place, it must be based on the following conditions: It is a travesty of morality and smacks of autocracy in any political family for just one member to tenaciously arrogate three critical and sensitive offices/ positions to himself without any recourse to the rest of the members of the party, and yet be calling for reconciliation. This, certainly, does not create the true milieu for true reconciliation.
“It must be remembered that we had unequivocally stated in the past that there is no crisis in Imo PDP. However, Senator Anyanwu’s actions and inactions ever since he emerged as the candidate of the party for the November election, have regrettably been doing severe as well as colossal damage to our great party, to the extent of making PDP one house with an unnecessary two pronounced camps.
Thus, for the Reconciliation Committee, he created to serve its meaningful purposes, the Critical Stakeholders of Imo PDP, for the sake of peace, order and tranquillity, rightly as well as in the spirit of justice and fairness, demand that Senator Anyanwu relinquishes two of the three sensitive positions if indeed he is ready for a lasting reconciliation to take its course in the party. This is the shortest route to any meaningful reconciliation.
“It is an aberration and abhorrent to politics and its attendant values that he should appropriate all the strategic and sensitive offices and positions to himself and his cohorts without a whimper of consideration to the other members of the party. This is dictatorial and undemocratic.
“We, the Critical Stakeholders of Imo State PDP hereby demand that while Senator Anyanwu retains the gubernatorial flag of the party for the November elections he should immediately resign as the national secretary of our great party
“Secondly, he should rescind his kangaroo selection of Hon (Dr) Jones Onyereri as the deputy governorship candidate and involve the entire party in that selection process.
“Thirdly, the composition of the Reconciliation Committee should be allowed to manifest as a complete and true party affair.
“These are the basic conditions on which lasting peace, unity of purpose and collective action will emerge in Imo PDP. We hope that you will harken to our voice of reason.”
