A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Ikechukwu Damian, has called on Governor Peter Mbah to intervene in an alleged plot by Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu, a member of the House of Representatives representing Awgu/Oji-River/Aninri Federal Constituency, to remove elected ward executives in the council area.
Damian raised the alarm in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, accusing the lawmaker of working to replace the ward executives with his loyalists.
According to Damian, Onwuegbu recently met with the PDP State Chairman, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike, to seek his cooperation in executing the alleged plan.
“It has been noticed with surprise that Onwuegbu, whom we spent our energy and resources to deliver during the election, is lobbying the Enugu State chairman of the PDP, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike, to remove and replace the ward executives with his preferred candidates,” Damian alleged.
“At first, when the news filtered in, we took it with a pinch of salt, but as the days passed, it dawned on us that there is no smoke without fire.
This became crystal clear last week when Dr. Uche Ugochukwu led Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu to visit the state chairman at his residence to perfect this ugly and undemocratic agenda.”
Damian claimed that Dr. Chukwunweike had responded by stating that he would consult with the Chief of Staff at the Enugu State Government House before taking any action.
Expressing concerns over the situation, Damian criticized the lawmaker for failing to convene meetings with stakeholders in the constituency since assuming office.
“All his efforts since his swearing-in as a member representing Oji River/Awgu/Aninri have been to further divide the zone into tiny groups.
Rather than spend resources trying to remove the ward leaders, he should work with them to guide the constituency forward,” Damian added.
He further criticized the lawmaker for not prioritizing the welfare of party members, questioning why the lawmaker’s focus was on removing ward executives instead of providing Christmas gifts like other representatives.
“Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu should be informed that the same ward executives participated in electing the current local government executives, including the chairman of Oji River LGA, Greg Anyaegbudike, as well as the state PDP executives under Dr. Martin Chukwunweike.
If he does not recognize them, he should also reject the zonal and state executives of the PDP in Enugu State.”
Damian called on Governor Peter Mbah and the state party leadership to resist any plans that could destabilize the PDP in the state.
“We urge His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah, and the state chairman to address these undemocratic actions, which could create divisions within the party.
Anyone taking actions that throw the party into confusion is engaging in anti-party activities,” he stated.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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