BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR & HENRY UMORU

ABUJA – Protest over the conduct of the recent membership validation exercise in the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stirred in Abuja yesterday as various aggrieved groups stormed the national secretariat to submit their petitions.

Among them were women interest groups and youths. The protests were besides a joint petition by three former state chairmen of the party in the state, all aggrieved against the conduct of the recent membership validation exercise.

The three former state chairmen, Comrade Tony Nwoye, Barr. Ivy Ifeatu Obi-Okoye and Chief Frank Oramulu, in their petition, dated December 13, 2011, alleged that the exercise had further diminished the status of the party which once ruled the state.

”Anambra State PDP, at the moment, has no executive committee. The last Executive in office which purported to have been recognized by the NWC, was the Benji Udeozor-led Executive Committee. They returned to office in 2010, after they served out their tenure vide a court judgment which declared executive office in them,” the former chairmen deposed.

They thus requested the national leadership to convene a stakeholders’ meeting that would “genuinely deliberate and discuss the way forward for our party in Anambra State.”

Also yesterday, a delegation of aggrieved women, led by Chief Hephzibah Chika, Dr. (Mrs) Oluchukwu Iroele, Hon. (Mrs) Goodluck Ogbogu and Mrs. N. Nwabueze, also submitted a petition to the national secretariat on the drift of the party in the state.

In their petition, entitled “Anambra State Registration Exercise” they said:
“During the last registration, so many Anambra men and women came out en masse to properly register as members of PDP in the state but to their greatest shock and surprise, those who have the cards in their custody refused to come out to designated points to register the people, thereby depriving so many women the opportunity to belong to our most beloved party in Anambra State.”

Following the women, a group of youths described as “Concerned Youth of PDP Ananmbra State” led by one Mr. Patrick Afubura also stormed the secretariat protesting the conduct of the membership drive exercise. They alleged that the exercise had compounded the woes of the party in the state even as they claimed that the exercise was done more in  breach.

Afuburu told newsmen that he was able to convey the angst of the party members in the state to a senior aide of the national chairman.

“We are a group of technical and responsible men but we are ready to do anything to make sure the right structure is put back in place in PDP,” he said.