Samuel Anyanwu
The People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Secretary and governorship candidate in Imo State, Senator Samuel Anyanwu was absent in the party’s stakeholders meeting.
Senator Anyanwu, who did not give any reason for not attending the stakeholders’ meeting held at the weekend at the party’s secretariat, Okigwe Road, Owerri had been at loggerheads with some leaders of the party, including former governor Emeka Ihedioha.
The party’s state Publicity Secretary, Emenike Nmeregini later disclosed that the party duly invited the National Secretary but he turned down the invitation.
“We duly invited him and even listed his name as one of the speakers at the meeting, but he did not show up and did not give us a reason why he did not attend the meeting.”
He said the party called for the stakeholders’ meeting to rejig the performance and reposition the party for future exploits.
The state chairman, Charles Ugwu, in his opening remark, emphasized on the need for a critical review of the party’s performance in the last elections.
He raised pertinent questions to unravel the real causes of the abysmal performance of the party and what could be done to mend its battered structure.
To address the issue frontally, the chairman who was purportedly suspended by state exco, called for the setting up of a committee to do a review of the party’s activities and possibly come up with causes of the defects and remedies that will set a formidable structure for the party.
The stakeholders later set up a 17-member ad-hoc committee headed by Hon Damian Ezeagu to do the review and turn in its report in two months.
They also replaced vacant positions created as a result of the exit of some officers of the party in line with relevant sections of the constitution.
Speaking, Ihedioha who also left the party towards the conduct of the governorship election, called on the members to salvage the party at a time like this.
“We call on more patriotic members and lovers of the party to identify with the exercise and save the party from going down. PDP remains the main and viable opposition in the state.
He thanked and poured encomium on all the party faithful who contributed in one way or the other to the sustenance of the party at this austere time. He pleaded with them to continue to love and serve the party strongly believing that there would be light at the end of the tunnel.
