By Chinonso Alozie

The Imo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, on Wednesday disagreed over the allegations that the election campaign funds approved by PDP, for Imo state were embezzled.

There have been accusations and counter-accusations, between the duo of the PDP state leadership and Senator Anyanwu, in Owerri, for the past two days.

For the National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Anyanwu, through the Special Adviser on Media, Ikenna Orioha, the
“National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu expresses displeasure over the number of saboteurs surrounding the party in Imo state, adding that all their efforts are to see that PDP does not exist in the state.

“Anyanwu says that the primary objectives of these saboteurs during the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections were to starve the party and its members of funds earlier approved and released as election intervention funds.”

“He regrets that all entreaties, appeals, and convictions to release the funds approved to appropriate authorities in line with the national template to enable them to deliver candidates of our party was flagrantly ignored, noting that reason why these saboteurs carried out the broad daylight onslaught against the party was to frustrate PDP by ensuring that its candidates lose the election.

“After hijacking the election intervention funds released to the party in Imo state, some of the saboteurs turned back against candidates of PDP and played anti-part to justify the deal they had with leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC,” the statement said.

Responding, the Imo state chapter of the PDP, through the State Publicity Secretary, Collins Opuozor, said: “The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State is aware of a statement by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, the National Secretary of the Party, which has now been published in some sections of the media, alleging that the money for the Party’s Presidential and National Assembly elections in Imo State was misappropriated. The statement goes on to accuse Imo PDP leaders of sabotage during the elections.
“In as much as we respect the person of Senator Anyanwu and the office he occupies, it is necessary to always set the records aright Also, PDP is in opposition in Imo State, and so it relies chiefly on popular confidence and acceptability to reclaim its stolen mandate. Therefore, the attempt by Senator Anyanwu to cast a slur on the reputation of the Party and the integrity of our leaders is most unacceptable.

“Yet, because the claims contained in the statement made by our National Secretary are not just effectively dubious but also completely untrue, Imo PDP is deeply worried about the interests which the Amaimo-born Distinguished Senator intends to advance through such barefaced misinformation.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Senator Anyanwu was in attendance during the last stakeholders meeting of the Party on Thursday, February 23rd, 2023 where issues of appropriation of resources and disbursement thereof for the prosecution of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the State were agreed upon. The framework adopted by stakeholders was handed over to the Finance Department of the residential Campaign Council (PCC) for implementation.”

“In line with this framework, the logistics for the elections in each Local Government Area was given to a team of stakeholders from that LGA, which included the Apex Leader of the LGA, the Chairman of the Party in the LGA, the Chairman of the Campaign Council in the LGA, the Candidates from the LGA, a National, Zonal, and State Officer of the Party from the LGA and other Party stakeholders from the LGA. This day, the Party has never received any complaint of any sort of deviation from the generally-agreed framework. One begins to wonder what could have informed the outburst from the National Secretary.

“If there is anything Imo PDP troubling, it is the fact that our Presidential Candidate scored only ten (10) votes at Obodo Central School in Amaimo, Ikeduru LGA, which is the polling unit of our National Secretary. This is extremely difficult to explain,” PDP said.