The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Saturday, held a peaceful ward Congress in Ebonyi State.
Our correspondent who monitored the exercise in Abakaliki, Onicha and Ivo local government areas, reports that supporters of the party in the state despite the rain came out in their numbers to cast their votes.
The exercise which witnessed a massive turn out was very peaceful.
In an interview with the caretaker Chairman of PDP in the State, Hon. Fred Udeogu, at the party Secretariat, he hinted that the Congress was carried out in eight states, even as he noted that there was court injunction to stop the election in Borno State.
He assured that the Congress would be rancor free, adding that the party will not tolerate any act of imposition, while he urged the party supporters to play by the rules.
He said: We are starting our Congress today and this Congress comes in three phases, the ward, local government and state. We are only 8 states conducting the Congress, though this morning I got information that there is court injunction in Borno State. Election may not hold there because PDP is an obedient party.
“Apart from that in order states we are freely carrying out the Congress. The exercise in the state will be rancor free because we have made all the necessary arrangements. We are doing the much we can to make sure we add a new value to our party. Our men are already in the field once they are done they will bring the results. The electoral officers coming from Abuja are already around.
“This is Congress, where it calls for harmonization we do so, we are not here dictating for what the Congress will do, the main thing is that there should be Congress.
“My advice to PDP supporters is to make sure they play by the rules, there is nothing like imposition, any act of imposition should be reported to us here. But with the structures we have on ground, there may not be room for that but because human beings are what they are and politics is what it is we have to be careful with unknown aspect of life”.
National Vice Chairman of PDP, southeast zone, Chief Ali Odefa in an interview noted that there was harmonization which gave rise to the peaceful atmosphere witness during the exercise.
He said: “Everybody is being carried along, things are orderly and equitably shared. Problem arises when people don’t know what they are doing.
“The Congress in Ebonyi state is very peaceful because everything is discussed, everybody is carried along there’s no rancor in the state.
“We harmonized, everywhere is harmonized we are not expecting any skirmishes. We are using option A4”
Member representing Ohanivo federal constituency at the National Assembly, Hon. Livinus Makwe also noted: “The exercise so far is very peaceful because the PDP family in Ivo LGA are completely united. We don’t have any dissenting voice or move, reason being that we started on time to prepare.
“Even before this congress came we encouraged the various wards to meet amongst themselves ahead of time to find out those who were in the Executives that are still in our party, and the priority is that if they are still loyal they should retain them and then the other remaining position we now elect active party members to fill them”.