The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday dashed the hopes of Governor Bala James Ngilari of Adamawa State from taking part in the 2015 governorship poll as it ruled out the possibility of people from Adamawa Central contesting the election.
The party has however also asked deputy chairmen in Delta and Enugu States to act as chairmen in their two states until new elections were held to elect new persons for the position in the two states.
Briefing newsmen at the end of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh said that the party was insisting that Adamawa Central should produce the next governor of the state instead of the Ngilari’s Adamawa North Senatorial zone.
Chime had appointed the Managing Director of the Enugu State Housing Development Cooperation, ESHDC, Mr. Asogwa, as acting chairman of the party, following Abba’s resignation last week.Also, strong indications emerged yesterday that Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State may have lost out in the power struggle to appoint the state chairman of the party, as the national secretariat has overruled the appointment of Ikeje Asogwa as acting state chairman of the party after resignation of former chairman, Vita Abba.
It was learnt that the party adopted Elder David Aja who was Abba’s deputy as acting chairman of the PDP in the state pending election of a substantive chairman.
Chime had Tuesday brought Mr. Asogwa to the national secretariat to introduce him to the party’s leadership, but the controversial manner of Asogwa’s emergence made the NWC reject Asogwa.
Disclosing the decision of the party yesterday, Metuh said that following the earlier resignation of Abba, the NWC has asked Aja to immediately take over the affairs of the party in the state.
Ngilari had stormed the national secretariat 21 days after he was sworn -in as governor following a court judgement that sacked the former acting governor, Mr Fintiri, to purchase his expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the Adamawa State gubernatorial election next year.
The governor had purchased the form with number 178 0378. through one Arc. Prince Lawrence Ngbale.
Metuh said: “NWC has decided that the decision and agreements of the candidates in Adamawa during our last exercise last month will be upheld. Accordingly, the gubernatorial election in 2015 has been zoned to Adamawa Central. All aspirants who bought forms (eight of them) that signed the agreement and withdrew are advised to come and exchange it without any payment with the new 2015 forms. It means they are entitled to run since they are from the same senatorial zone The party will fully implement that agreement.”
Meanwhile, the party has suspended its ward congresses in Abia and Anambra states over the expiration of the tenure of their state executives and mandated the South East Zonal Working Committee led by Col. Austin Akobundu (ret) to oversee the congresses in the affected states.