Former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, Barrister Silas Onu, stated on Monday that no congress took place in the state last Saturday.
Naija News had reported earlier that PDP elected Peter Nwele as its new chairman during the state congress held over the weekend in Abakaliki, the state capital.
The congress was overseen by a seven-member committee from the party’s National Secretariat, along with representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and various security agencies.
However, Onu has urged the public to dismiss claims that a congress was held, asserting that the event was merely a gathering of acquaintances.
While addressing reporters in Abakaliki, Onu accused the organizers of the alleged PDP state congress of attempting to contravene a valid court order, which he claimed prohibited them from engaging in such activities.
He said, “There is no faction in PDP. There was only an attempt by a greedy individual who thought that the political party belonged to him to hijack it, because he was mistakenly sent to go and represent Ebonyi in the National Working Committee, NWC, and all of a sudden, it became a problem to everybody in the party.
“You don’t do a congress when there is a court order, saying don’t do any. Not one, not two. There are many cases in court, and the court said, don’t do anything until I finish hearing these cases.
“Anybody who goes about saying he did a Congress is doing so as a direct affront to a valid court order, and whatever the person purports to do is simply wasting his or her time.
“No congress held in Ebonyi, it was just a gathering of friends. We hear a rumour that he was given money to do that and destabilize the PDP in Ebonyi. We don’t know how true that is, but it will appear that he wants to retire the money that was given to him.
“This person is supposed to be a national officer of the Party, although he has been suspended. What he did, was targeted to raise dust, but it’s an effort in futility and will hold no water.”