Owerri -The PDP Chairman in Imo, Chief Eze Duruiheoma,  has said,Thursday, that the governorship position in the state was still open.

“The party is working hard to retain it,” Duruiheoma further said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri.

The chairman was speaking on the party’s level of preparedness for the May 6 supplementary governorship election in four local government areas and a ward in the state.

“The governorship position in Imo is still open and that is why all hands are on deck for PDP to win the seat,” Duruiheoma said.

He added that the party was fully prepared for the exercise, adding that the resolve by INEC to organise the supplementary election in the affected areas was at the behest of the party.

“The decision for a supplementary election was canvassed by PDP.

“We demanded for an election in local government areas where it did not take place and that is what democracy is all about.

“You cannot say that a local government like Ngor Okpuala with 70,000 registered voters does not have a say.

“So, we canvassed that election must be conducted in the area. Good a thing, the INEC listened to the voice of reason,” Duruiheoma said.

He said the party could not have been ill-prepared for the supplementary election when its members demanded for it.

 He further explained that as a law-abiding party, PDP would accept the result of the governorship election, provided it satisfied the basic requirements of the Electoral Act.

“PDP is a law-abiding party, we believe in due process, we believe in legal process and the rule of law.

“So, if the outcome of the election satisfies all these beliefs of ours, we will happily accept the result,” Duruiheoma said.

He argued that PDP remained the most popular political party in the state, adding that it acquitted itself creditably in the presidential, national and state assembly elections in the state.

The chairman said that the party won the majority of seats allotted to the state in the National Assembly and won 15 seats out of the 27 House of Assembly seats in the results already declared by INEC.