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Ward Delegates, House of Assembly and National Assembly aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today took to the streets of the nation’s capital Abuja with placards and a coffin, protesting against alleged injustice by the party’s hierarchy.
A detachment of over 60 policemen were seen standing in formation, controlling the crowd.
As early as 10:00 a.m., the protesters and their supporters numbering over 1,000 marched to Wadata Plaza, the PDP National Secretariat, with a coffin labeled ‘UCHE SECONDUS’. They said they were protesting against the non-issuance of party clearance certificate and exclusion from party primaries process due to alleged scheming by Secondus.
Amongst the protesters were those who purchased forms for the party’s Adhoc Ward Delegates elections but were stopped from participating in the delegates’ elections; and House of Assembly/National Assembly aspirants who bought nomination forms but were not cleared to participate in the primaries based on the claim that they were not members of the party despite having paid huge sums of money to the party coffers and supporting the party all these years.
For most of them it is unfair that a few people are being allowed to subvert the party’s Constitution and Electoral Guidelines to the detriment of the people of Rivers State.
One of the aggrieved House of Assembly aspirants from Abua/Odual LGA in Rivers State, Ms Eyalada Akari, said that they are resolved to continue the blockade of the gates of the party offices until their grievances are settled.
Her words: “I and my colleagues spent huge sums of money to procure Party Nomination Forms and pay all sorts of fees, now they have refused to clear us to participate in the primaries without even dignifying us with a reason. Over 200 aspirants bought forms to contest in the PDP House of Assembly primaries and only 45 were allegedly cleared. What would happen to the rest of us? We will do whatever it takes and remain here until they allow us to participate in authentic primaries of the party.”
Most of the delegates and aspirants that spoke with journalists said that there were no delegates elections or Assembly primaries in Rivers State and that the PDP national leadership must intervene to halt the impending destruction of the party in Rivers State due to the unhealthy activities of the trio of Deputy National Chairman South-South, Prince Uche Secondus, State Chairman Felix Obuah and anointed State Leader Nyesom Wike.
As at the time of filing this report, the gates of the PDP National Secretariat remained closed, with only a few security men seen inside the compound. Members of the PDP Secretariat Press Corps were also not allowed to enter the premises.
