Abia 2023: Why Abaribe withdrew from PDP guber primary

The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and 2023 Abia governorship hopeful, has declared his withdrawal from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primaries scheduled today in the State.

An insider source revealed that Abaribe would, in no distant time, defect from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

Abaribe’s withdrawal is premised on the contentious 3-man ad-hoc delegates of the State.

In his words, “To make matters worse, the use of only an imaginary 3-man ad-hoc delegates to the exclusion of the party’s statutory delegates in the primary elections to elect our candidates even when INEC, the nation’s electoral umpire, has unequivocally stated that no congress held in Abia State for that purpose, has no doubt put the party and her candidates in a quagmire”.

The fiery lawmaker, who represents Abia South senatorial district, said this in a press statement made available to newsmen in the State.

Part of the statement reads, “I Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe will not be part of this charade.

“I am, therefore, withdrawing from the exercise, which means that I will not be part of the PDP governorship primary election that holds in Abia State on Wednesday 25th of May, 2022, as doing so would have amounted to endorsement of an illegality that is already being challenged in the courts.

“I, therefore, ask all our people, our teeming supporters and Ndigbo to remain calm, keep the faith and wait for the new direction, which will be announced very soon.

“What is important is that the campaign to liberate Abia State would surely assume a new dimension. The time is now.

“Unfortunately, the ugly developments ignited by a rapacious ambition to maintain the wicked governance status quo of imposition and godfatherism have aborted this quest in PDP.

“The implication for our party is grave and as such has put all ongoing primary exercises on quick sand”.