Two high-ranking members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi, Boniface Igwe and Emmanuel Ukah, confidently stated on Monday that the recent resignations of six local government chairmen and other party leaders would not destabilize the party.
Hailing from the Ivo Local Government Area of the state, Igwe and Ukah separately addressed the media in Abakaliki, the state capital. They emphasized that the party chairmen had exercised their constitutional right to freedom of association.
Igwe, a supporter of Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate in the March 18 state election, assured that the party was undisturbed by the chairmen’s resignations and the departure of other prominent figures. He suggested that these chairmen had allegedly worked against the party’s interests during the 2023 election, so their resignations were expected.
He stated, “Well, I don’t think that the news is a surprise because the concerned chairmen were known not to have worked for our party during the last general election, and as such, we are not losing any sleep over this so-called resignation.” Igwe affirmed that the party’s focus remained on recovering its allegedly “stolen mandate” through legal means.
Igwe also lauded Odii as a selfless politician who had positively impacted the lives of the state’s citizens through various initiatives. He highlighted Odii’s commitment to empowering the youth and less privileged through the Ebele-AnyiChuks Foundation.
Emmanuel Ukah, the Campaign Director of AnyiChuks Campaign Council in Ivo LGA, shared Igwe’s optimism. He suggested that the resignations of the six PDP local government chairmen, including Mr. Michael Chukwu, PDP chairman in Ivo, and Reps Livinus Makwe, who represented Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency, would not harm the party’s prospects in the area or the state.
Ukah stated, “It doesn’t affect us in any way from doing what we wish as a party to do. So, we wish them well wherever they find themselves; all we know is that PDP is a movement no one can stop.”
He encouraged party members in Ivo and throughout Ebonyi to remain resolute and supportive, expressing confidence that the PDP would ultimately triumph in the disputed gubernatorial election, pending resolution in the Appeal Court.
