By Innocent Onyeukwu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)ImoStatechapter may be uncomfortable with certain aspects that may lead to the conduct of the Local Government election inImoState, following its conspicuous absence at the recent parley between the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission and the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) held last Monday.
Though the parley was at the behest of the ISIEC which used the opportunity to announce its intention to create new wards and revalidate old ones to signal its readiness for the Local Government election, it was observed that the PDP was not effectively represented at the meeting which had in attendance several other political parties which has strong political presence in the State.
Imo Trumpeta learnt that though the PDP is not part of the CNPP at the national level, since it is the ruling party at the centre, political pundits wondered why the Imo State chapter which has been in the opposition since it lost the governorship seat in the 2011 Imo Guber elections to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had to shun the ISIEC invitation since the party has a solid political presence in the State in addition to large army of political followers.
When this newspaper contacted the party’s publicity Secretary, Blyden Amajirionwu, for comments on the matter he said the state electoral body never extended invitation to the meeting to his party. “ we were not invited” the party’s image maker told Imo Trumpeta , there was no response as the party’s image maker failed to reply to our inquiries.
However, a top notcher of the party however revealed yesterday that the PDP in the State is not keen to partake in any process by the State electoral body to conduct fresh Local Government elections, on the basis that the party believes firmly that its 27 Local Government Chairmen who are on a war path with Governor Rochas Okorocha over the sack of the Chairmen by the latter, remain the duly elected Local Government Chairmen in the State since they are yet to constitutionally serve out their tenure.
