Owerri—Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, a PDP governorship aspirant in Imo State, on Sunday in Owerri called on the national leadership of the party to annul the November 1  party congress in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the congress elected a 27-member executive committee headed by Chief Eze Duruiheoma, SAN.

But Ararume in an interview with newsmen at his Isiebu country home in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of the state, described the exercise as “illegal’’.

“The congress is illegal and what I expect the national leadership to do is to cancel the exercise outright,” he said.

Ararume explained that many notable leaders of the party in Imo, including former governor Achike Udenwa and himself, did not participate in the said congress because “nobody informed us about it’’.

In addition, the aspirant further said that there were a lot of subsisting litigations against the party in the state over the constitution of the dissolved executive committee.

“There were some aggrieved members of the party who went to court and until those cases are disposed of, it will be illegal for the party to conduct any congress in Imo.

“If those who went to court can be persuaded to withdraw their cases, only then can they talk of organising a congress,” he said.

Ararume said that he was still waiting for a statement from the national leadership of the party on the “so-called congress’’.

“I believe that the national leadership of the party will not want to treat the party leaders in Imo this way,” he said, adding that he had had discussions with the leadership of the party on the matter.

Ararume denied speculations in some quarters that he had begun negotiations with the national leadership of Action Congress of Nigeria for a possible defection to the party.

He said: “I am a full-fledged member of PDP; I am one of those that built the party, so it will be unfair for anybody to think that I will leave the party.”

Ararume enjoined his teaming supporters and the electorate to register during the voter registration “in order to be able to cast your votes and bring about the change you have all desired in the state”.