The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Imo state chapter Sunday declared their three-man adhoc ward delegates’ congress inconclusive.
In a press statement issued by it’s chairman, Engr. Charles Ugwuh, he said the declaration was in line with the relevant provisions of the party’s constitution and guidelines.
Giving explanations on why the party took the decision, he said the PDP in Imo state had on Saturday prepared and mobilised members for congresses at the 305 electoral wards of the State but that the five-man electoral panel for the ward congress, sent by the PDP National secretariat to conduct the exercise did not come with the complete result sheets.
He however, disclosed that the exercise had almost been concluded in most wards where the option of consensus or harmonisation was reached.
“It is curious to note, that out of the 27 local lovernment areas, result sheets displayed by the panel were 25 for 25 LGAs. While those of Ideato North and Ideato South could not be found and there was no explanation as to their disappearance,” he stated.
“This inexplicable disappearance of the result sheets consequently raised a very serious question about the integrity of the team from our National Secretariat and indicated that the process was already obviously compromised.
“This necessitated the critical stakeholders to resolve to allow the Department of State Services (DSS) in Owerri to take custody of the results since the exercise could not proceed as planned with incomplete result sheets,” Ugwuh further explained.
He however, said when they got to the DSS office on Sunday and duly retrieved the result sheets, they were embarrassed that contrary to their earlier decision, the electoral panel members refused to bring the materials to the state party secretariat but instead planned to jet out to Abuja with the result sheets but that the sinister plot was resisted by officers and members of Imo state PDP, who once again called for the intervention of the DSS, which in its magnanimity accepted to continue keeping the result sheets in its custody.
“So, till this moment, the DSS is still with the result sheets for the 25 local government areas while the missing two have not yet been found. The exercise therefore remains inconclusive. We wish to urge the National Working Committee of our party to step in and address this challenge, so as to restore confidence in the internal democratic processes of our party,” Ugwuh concluded.
