The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who is eyeing the 2023 Abia governorship seat, has officially withdrawn from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primaries holding today in the State.
It’s not clear yet what Aberibe will do next, but reports have it that he may be seeking the position under another political platform.
A 3-man ad-hoc delegates of the State is said to be responsible for the PDP chieftain’s withdrawal. He, however, promised that a new dimension to his ambition to govern the state will soon be made public.
In his withdrawal letter, the senator wrote, “To make matters worse, the use of only an imaginary 3-man ad-hoc 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”.
Part of the statement reads, “I Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe will not be part of this charade.
“I am, therefore, withdrawing from the exercise, which means that I will not be part of the PDP governorship primary election that holds in Abia State on Wednesday, 25th of May, 2022, as doing so would have amounted to endorsement of an illegality that is already being challenged in the courts.
“I, therefore, ask all our people, our teeming supporters and Ndigbo to remain calm, keep the faith and wait for the new direction, which will be announced very soon.
“What is important is that the campaign to liberate Abia State would surely assume a new dimension. The time is now.
“Unfortunately, the ugly developments ignited by a rapacious ambition to maintain the wicked governance status quo of imposition and godfatherism have aborted this quest in PDP.
“The implication for our party is grave and as such has put all ongoing primary exercises on quicksand”.