Enugu State government has described as laughable, allegations and outbursts by people it said were clinging to blatant falsehood to remain politically relevant.

Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Chuks Ugwoke, made the assertion while responding to a statement credited to a group known as PDP Stakeholders’ Forum.

The group had taken sides with the national chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, over the reported disagreement between him and Enugu State governor, Sullivan Iheanacho Chime, over the former’s attempt to stop the State Chairman of the party, Mr. Vita Abba, from attending last week’s National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Abuja .

In his reaction, Ugwoke said: “Ordinarily, we would not have bothered with the illogical submissions of these men of yesterday. But we deem it necessary to put the records straight so that Nigerians are not deceived by such blatant falsehood.

“First of all, there is nothing known as PDP Stakeholders Forum in Enugu State. The authors of the said statement (Fidelis Okoro, Hyde Onuaguluchi and David Ngene) at best were expressing their individual views under a non-existent body that is alien to the PDP.

“In truth, they are free to speak on behalf of their master. What is laughable is when they make such impotent argument about the need to conduct another congress in Enugu .

“The matter is before the court and Enugu State government has no reputation to want to pre-empt the verdict of the learned judges. However, the facts are before the court, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the National Working Committee and the NEC of the party.

“The views of few men with known political antecedents and who are on a known mission, cannot distort the facts of the matter as already established about the 2008 Congress in Enugu State .”

The commissioner also clarified on the issue concerning the suspension of a female lawmaker in the State House of Assembly, Mrs. Elizabeth Ezeugwu.

“The House of Assembly has enough competent officers to speak on the suspension of Hon. Ezeugwu. But it smacks of utter mischief for her or anybody to insinuate that she was sanctioned by his colleagues on the prompting of the governor.

“If she was suspended for fraud, she is better advised to sort out her problems with her colleagues and not drag the governor or the government into it. The House of Assembly is independent and does not take instructions from the executive arm.

“It is a vain attempt to attract sympathy for her or anybody to link Governor Chime to her fate. It was the governor who only last Friday, moved a motion for the entire South-East delegates to endorse Jonathan/Sambo ticket in the forthcoming presidential primaries. He has been a diehard promoter of the Goodluck Jonathan presidential bid.

“How then does it make sense to allege, quite unfortunately though, that the same governor influenced the House of Assembly to suspend the female lawmaker for attending a rally organised in honour of Jonathan/Sambo ticket? What a cheap blackmail.”