The Imo State chapter of the People Democratic party on Tuesday began the probe of its seven members of the State Working Committee who defected to the All Progressives Congress on Monday.
At a press conference at the party’s secretariat in Owerri, the state capital, the financial secretary of the party in the state, Bedewell Ejimadu, said that the defected former members of the SWC of the party had long been working for the APC.
He said that the party had launched a probe into the activities of the former state committee members during the time at the helms of the party.
Ejimadu said that the party is not moved by the defection of the seven SWC members, adding that the PDP would come out victoriously at the November 11 governorship election in the state.
He said “we as a party are aware that some of your colleagues were invited to an unauthorized Press briefing yesterday by seven (7) unrepentant saboteurs of our party, in which they attempted to make several spurious and unfounded allegations against the party and our Dear National Secetary and Governorship Candidate, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu, the primary essence of this briefing is to categorically state that these allegations are mere figments of their imagination and that these characters are merely attempting to blackmail the party into stopping the ongoing investigation of financial misappropriation and election sabotage levelled against these individuals by the party.
“We want to state categorically that no measure of blackmail or defection will stop the ongoing investigation and if they are found culpable, surely they will be handed over to the security agencies for prosecution.
“It may interest you to know that already, preliminary investigations show that, some agents of our party that were recruited and forwarded to INEC by the Deputy Chairman, Sir Martin Ejiogu and Nze Ray Emeana the state Secretary for the last Presidential and National Assembly elections in some areas were Apc members, this seriously hampered the availability of much needed result sheets that some of our candidates at the tribunal needs to recover their stolen mandates, today this same men have joined Apc.
“Also, it is regrettable to state that as the Financial Secretary of the party in the state, I have no records of any financial dealings by the party, all proceeds from sale of nomination forms, sale of party cards, annual dues, levies and donations running into over N600m that have accrued to the party in the last three years are only known to the state secetary, Deputy Chairman and treasurer, who are among these decampees. The party in the state received over N1.4billion naira from donations and candidates contributions for the last Presidential and National Assembly elections, this money was appropriated by Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, Nze Ray Emeana and Martin Ejiogu without the input or knowledge of the committee on finance of the presidential campaign council which I was the secetary, the manner of the distribution and utilization of these funds are a subject of investigation by the party and we will stop at nothing to unravel how a major portion of these funds developed wings.
“These renegades also claimed that the National Secretary wasn’t funding the party as the candidate and leader of the party in the state,and we now ask when has it become the duty of the leader of the party to solely fund the party, we are all aware that in the recent past when Rt. Hon. Ihedioha was the leader of our party in the state he never funded the party but rather the leadership of the party approached and encouraged leaders of the party to assist in funding the party. To further debunk this allegation, here are bank receipts and some due acknowledgements of monies sent by Senator Anyanwu in the last one year for payment of Staff salaries, payment of office rent, donations and sponsorship of party programmes and activities, if added to cash donations and contributions to the party are in excess of N100m.
“As you can see, most of these funds passed through the account of the defecting State Secretary of the party, who in one breath receives huge sums for the party from Senator Anyanwu and turns around to lie against the senator.
“The issue of them not being able to explain how Senator Anyanwu currently occupies the position of National Secetary and Candidate of our party in the state, please make your findings there is neither any provision in our Party Constitution, Electoral Guidelines or Electoral Law that precludes Distinguished Senator Anyanwu from holding both positions, moreover current precedents show that the current deputy National Publicity Secetary Of our party Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulahi was the deputy Governorship Candidate of our party in kebbi State in the last Gubernatorial election and still sits on the National Working Committee till date, also the current governor of Zamfara state was the State Chairman of PDP in Zamfara State during the last election and only relinguished his position in the party after being sworn in as governor of Zamfara State in line with the extant laws.”
