by By PDP Press
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the Press and welcome to the Press conference of the Ebonyi State Chapter of the PDP. This Press conference is going on in Wadata House partly because, as you all know, the Ebonyi State PDP leadership is a caretaker committee created by the National Executive Committee of our great Party to superintend the affairs of the Party in Ebonyi State, until a formal congress is conducted to elect competent men and women who will lead the Party in Ebonyi State.
Ever since our inauguration in this same hall on the 23rd day of November 2020, we have steered the affairs of our great Party in Ebonyi State with dedication and commitment. With the support and collaboration of our stakeholders, we have stabilised the Party, given a sense of hope and direction to our teeming members, and for the first time in a long time, members are having a breath of fresh air. I am, therefore, very proud to announce to you that it is a new dawn for the Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi State.
STATE SPONSORED LITIGATIONS AGAINST THE PDP IN EBONYI STATE
Ever since Governor Dave Umahi’s solo defection from the PDP to the APC, our great Party has been inundated with a slew of state sponsored court actions all aimed at derailing the Caretaker Committee set up by the NEC of our great Party. As we all know, Governor Dave Umahi’s illusion had been that Ebonyi people would defect with him to the APC. He had boasted that PDP stakeholders and members of the National Assembly would defect with him. When this failed, the reaction from Governor Umahi has been to derail and destroy the Caretaker Committee by filing a suit at the State High Court, asking the Court not to recognise this Caretaker Committee. A summary of the history of this suit, No. HAB/161/2020 is that three Ebonyi State High Court judges have recused themselves from handling the case. However, the latest recusal by Justice Vincent Nwanchor on Wednesday, the 20th January 2021, did not go down well with Governor Dave Umahi. Apparently believing that Ebonyi State Judges must do his bidding no matter the frivolity or unconstitutional nature of their claim, Governor Umahi instigated his “Akubaraoha” mob to attack the High Court premises. In an attack reminiscent of the Trump-inspired storming of the US Capitol, Governor Umahi instigated a mob to take over the High Court premises at Abakaliki. Lives of lawyers and judges were put at risk. Property belonging to Ebonyi State judiciary was destroyed. It took the efforts of the Ebonyi State Police Command and other security Agencies to restore calm and prevent the complete burning down of the Ebonyi State High Court complex.
VICTORY FOR PDP AND THE URGENT NEED FOR GOVERNOR DAVE UMAHI AND HIS APC THUGS TO VACANT THE EABONYI STATE PDP SECRETARIAT.
I am proud to inform you that in a twist of fate, as Governor Dave Umahi unleashed his mob to burn down the Ebonyi State High Court complex, here in Abuja, it was victory for the PDP in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1609/2020, HON. FRED UDOGU and 10 others V Barr Onyekachi Nwebonyi and 4 others. In that suit, Justice I. E. EKWO of the Abuja Federal High Court gave an order restraining Dave Umahi’s faction of the PDP led by Barr Onyekachi Nwebonyi from parading themselves as officers of the Party.
With this legitimate order of a court of competent jurisdiction, it is hoped that Governor Dave Umahi will step back a bit and have a deep reflection and discontinue fanning the embers of crisis in Ebonyi State.
We wish to use this opportunity to call on the Inspector General of Police, the Director of State Security Services to protect the members and legitimate officers of the PDP in Ebonyi State, and hold Governor Dave Umahi accountable for any break down of law and order in Ebonyi State. Governor Dave Umahi’s goal is to control PDP and APC in Ebonyi State by sheer brute force. But the good people of Ebonyi State who are predominantly members of the PDP, are not prepared to be victims of brute force and dictatorship, and will continue to fight for their political freedom. Thank you for honouring our Press conference and may God continued to bless our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
Chief Fred Udeogu,
Chairman, PDP Ebonyi State.
