…As party inaugurates campaign c’ttee
Umuahia – Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State has appealed to aggrieved opponents to sheath their swords and work for the victory of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to show their love and commitment to the ideals of the party.

Orji, reacting to Monday’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, said: “As a leader who has the whole state as his constituency, I am ready and willing to carry all along.”

He said in Umuahia on Tuesday that he was  happy to win the suit, stressing that, “my victory and the confirmation of my candidature by the court in Abuja couldn’t have come at a better time.

“It has provided the tonic for an invigorated issue-based campaign.  I am grateful to all my supporters and the PDP in the state for their unflinching support. Do not relent in your efforts to ensure that all candidates of the party emerged victorious in April.

“I am also grateful to the judiciary for its courage, wisdom and careful consideration of all facts adduced by parties in determining who among the contending parties was validly nominated by the PDP as its candidate.”

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that thousands of party faithful jubilated in the streets of Umuahia when news of the judgment filtered into the state.

…As party inaugurates campaign c’ttee

SMARTING from the victory of Governor Theodore Orji at the Abuja High Court on Monday, Abia State PDP has inaugurated an enlarged Campaign Committee which has other 10 sub-committees.

Inaugurating the committees, the state party chairman, Chief Emma Nwaka, described the day as a happy one for all party candidates in the state and entire party members.

He chided Chief Ikechi Emenike for going to court to challenge the candidacy of Governor Orji.

He said: “Ikechi Emenike has no moral standing to go to court against the candidacy of Governor Orji. He is not our party member and one wonders on which platform he went to court, but he can become a member if he wants and should go and get registered at his political ward”.

According to him, the judgment has given the governor the go ahead to start his campaign which the court injunction had earlier stopped for all the candidates.

He explained that the committees being formed were expected to form other sub-committees at both the local government and ward levels.

Nwaka said the sub-committees were expected to help the party secretariat and main PDP campaign organisation to ensure that all party candidates were returned to office at the end of the elections.

Perhaps happy with the court decision, some of  the security operatives attached to Government House fired shots into the air in celebration of the victory of the governor.