Anxiety as Ihedioha, others quit PDP, court sacks Imo party chairman  

The immediate past governor of Imo State and foremost chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emeka Ihedioha, and nine other leaders of the party in the South East have announced their resignation from the party.

In a letter signed by the former governor and addressed to his ward’s chairman in Mbutu, Aboh Mbaise Council of the state, Ihedioha said that his decision followed the inability of PDP to carry out internal reforms, enforce its own rules or offer credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Meanwhile, the resignation of senior members of the party in the South East has sent jitters to the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC), which got accolades from the April 18 National Executive Committee (NEC) at its meeting last Thursday.

Ihedioha’s resignation is coming just six days after the NEC meeting. The immediate cause of the resignation, according to sources, is the alleged shutting out of some members from the state congresses, which the party is about to conduct in some states.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, refused to respond to calls and messages sent to him to seek the party’s reaction to the resignation.

In the meantime, a Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, has ordered the immediate removal of the Imo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Charles Ugwu.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba on March 22, 2024, which followed the suit filed by one Joseph Ugwulebo, the court ordered Ugwu to restrain from parading himself as the Imo PDP chairman, ordering others not to accord him such recognition.

The judgment partly reads: “A declaration is hereby given that having regard to the combined provisions of Sections 57(3), 58(1) and 59(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), the 1st Defendant, Charles Ugwu, who committed various breaches of the 2nd defendant’s (PDP) Constitution and was appropriately sanctioned with penalty of suspension, has lost his right to remain the Imo State Chairman of the 2nd defendant.

“An order of perpetual injunction is hereby given, restraining the 1st defendant from parading himself or in any manner whatsoever holding out himself as Imo State Chairman of the 2nd defendant.”

Meanwhile, the Imo PDP has appointed the party’s Vice Chairman for Okigwe Zone, Chidi Dike, in acting capacity to take over.

The decision of the Imo PDP was validated by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party at its recent meeting held in Abuja last Thursday, in which Dike was in attendance.

Speaking to newsmen at the reception of Dike at the party’s secretariat in Owerri, yesterday, PDP Zonal Organising Secretary, South East, Mike Ahumibe, described the development as constitutional and in the overall interest of the party.