Ebonyi reps oppose ex-health minister as governorship candidate

The Ebonyi State caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party in the House of Representatives on Monday rejected the alleged imposition of a former Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi chukwu, as the 2015 governorship candidate for the state.
 

The caucus claimed that the State Governor, Chief Martin Elechi, “hand-picked” the former minister without due consultation with party stakeholders in the state.
 

The five-member caucus, which addressed journalists at the National Assembly, said Elechi gathered a group of persons to endorse Onyebuchi Chukwu in the guise of “consensus” candidate.
 

Part of the groups’ text, read by Mr. Limus Okorie, stated, “‎The governor assembled a hand-picked group of persons under the guise of the Old Abakaliki Bloc and unilaterally announced the former Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu as the consensus governorship candidate for the Ebonyi PDP.
 

“We are aware that no true attempt at consensus building was undertaken and that no consensus has been achieved on the issue even as we speak.”
 

The caucus also said there were attempts to hijack the ongoing process for party primaries before the National Working Committee of the PDP intervened to save the situation.
 

The lawmakers recalled that, but for the intervention, all of them would have been effectively ruled out of contesting the 2015 poll through the “manipulation” of delegates congresses.
 

However, they noted that with the intervention of the NWC, the process for the primaries had been normalised under the leadership of the state Acting PDP Chairman, Mr. Joseph Onwe.

The Punch