Abia Onyike, media adviser to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, has advised former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim to accept his suspension from the party with grace.
Onyike’s statement, titled ‘Anyim should face his suspension with equanimity’, accused the former Senate President of betraying the party in the March 18 governorship and House of Assembly elections.
According to him, Anyim had exhibited a high level of betrayal, insincerity, failure in leadership, stating that sooner the party would reclaim its victory in the court.
Onyike’s statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the twisted narratives and incoherent insinuations credited to the former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim over his recent suspension from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for anti-party activities.
“The embattled former Secretary to the Government of the Federation chose to lie against the Party, in a letter he sent to the National Working Committee of the Party, dated 24th March, 2023, whereupon he tried to justify his barefaced treachery and open betrayal of the party during the just concluded Governorship and House of Assembly Elections.
“Sen. Anyim claimed that the “PDP NWC imposed a candidate from the sitting Governor’s zone, contrary to the zoning formulae in the state”. He further said that he was “proud to have supported the APC Gubernatorial candidate in Ebonyi State to win the elections because it conforms to the equitable formulae in Ebonyi State.
READ MORE: Suspension: I’m Proud I Supported APC To Win Ebonyi Gov Poll – Anyim
“But Anyim deliberately refused to state his own role during the 2022 PDP Primaries in Ebonyi State as a pre-eminent Leader of the Party in the state, Anyim failed to provide leadership when it mattered most. First of all, he unilaterally started supporting Sen. Obinna Ogba from Ebonyi Central Senatorial Zone for the 2023 Governorship ticket.
“After Sen. Ogba lost out to Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, from Ebonyi South, Sen. Anyim smartly turned round to claim that he supported the APC candidate, Hon. Ogbonnaya Nwifuru because it was the turn of Ebonyi North to produce the Governor in Ebonyi State in 2023. If Sen. Anyim was being sincere to himself and the Party, why did he not ab initio support any of the PDP Governorship aspirants, from Ebonyi North such as Engr. Fidelis Nwankwo, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga etc.
“It should be recalled that the first Primary Election of 28th May, 2022, produced Dr. Odii as the PDP flag bearer, after which Sen. Anyim led Ogba to organize parallel primaries on 5th June, 2022. The matter was eventually resolved at the Supreme Court in favour of Dr. Odii.
“To worsen the situation, Sen. Anyim came up with the idea of block politics to cover up his inconsistencies and weak leadership traits. He falsely claimed that it was the turn of Abakaliki block. When reminded to re-examine the implication of introducing Abakaliki/Afikpo block equation, and jettisoning the three Senatorial Zones, he became non-plussed.
“Sen. Anyim should recall a meeting held in his house during the early period before the 2022 PDP Primaries when Dr. Odii opined that it would be better to continue the power rotation on the basis of Senatorial Districts rather than political block arrangement. Odii favoured a collective resolve for Ebonyi North to produce the Governor but Sen. Anyim was not willing to give up on Sen. Ogba. Present at that meeting were Sen. Mike Ama Nnachi and Chief Julius Ama Oji (Ochiri).
“For Sen. Anyim to turn round today to pretend to be a champion of a non-existent Charter of Equity” shows that he is playing to the gallery. He had to manufacture a lie to justify his support for APC during the elections, an act motivated more by his immediate and selfish financial aggrandizement.
“We want to assure Sen. Anyim that his open betrayal of our party in the state notwithstanding, we are determined to forge ahead with determination. Sooner than later, the PDP in Ebonyi State would reclaim its stolen mandate through legal means. We shall approach the Courts to redress the monumental irregularities and electoral fraud which characterized the elections and robbed us of victory in the March 18 Governorship and House of Assembly Elections. With God on our side, we shall certainly overcome.”.
