Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it does not recognise any member of the party, who has declared intention to run for any elective political office in 2023.
The party also restated that it has no specific response yet to the presidential aspiration of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whose support committee led by Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, recently visited the state party to seek support for him.
Chairman of the party in the state, Hon. Asiforo Okere, stated this while fielding question from journalists during an interactive session after a meeting of the state and council chapters executives at the party secretariat in Umuahia, the state capital.
He said although the party was aware of the purported moves by some members to make their aspirations known to members of the public, the party in the state was yet to be formally informed.
Okere insisted that the party would only take a decision on zoning of elective offices after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the 2023 election timetable, stressing that it would only react to inquiries on members’ aspirations and the support being canvassed by Atiku.
He, however, assured all aspirants of level playing field at the appropriate time, adding: “No reasonable political party will zone political offices without INEC’s election timetable.”
On the political differences between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC), its closest rival in the state, he said if examined in the areas of light and darkness, security and insecurity, job and joblessness, management and mismanagement of the economy, among others, Abia people would favour PDP against the APC.
Okere, a former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, maintained that at both national and state levels, the PDP did better in power within the limits of available resources, saying: “If president Muhammadu Buhari signs the amended Electoral Act into law, PDP will win the 2023 elections at all levels.”
