Maduako Igbokwe l Sunday, April 25, 2021
LAGOS, Nigeria – Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Saturday denied zoning the Anambra state 2021 governorship ticket to Anambra South Senatorial District. South-East, Zonal Chairman of SDP , Chief Arinze Ekeleme who spoke with our reporter in Awka, Anambra State capital said that the party governorship ticket is opened to the three zones in the state .
The state chairman of the party ,Dr. Wesbter Okonkwo, after a meeting with the 21 local government chairmen and state executive officers of party on Tuesday announced that SDP had zoned the governorship ticket to Anambra South Senatorial District .
Chief Ekeleme said that the decision to zone the party governorship ticket to any zone in the state can only be exercised by the National Working Committee and not the state executive, local government chairmen or any person .
According to him, the party governorship ticket is still opened to anybody from the three senatorial districts of the state .
“The party has not zoned it’s governorship ticket to any zone in the state. Any interested person can contest on the platform of the party. Our party is opened to any interested person and whoever says the ticket is zoned to Anambra south or any place is not saying the position of the party.
Before any decision on zoning can be taken, the national must know about it ,it is not what one man or group will just wake up one morning and declare” he said .
According to him, the national was not happy when they heard that the party governorship has been zoned to Anambra South Senatorial District by the state executive .
” I don’t know where they derived the power to zone the governorship ticket to Anambra south ” he said . He however disclosed that two persons have declared interest to contest the governorship seat of the state on the platform of SDP and that none is from South .
Ekeleme also disclosed that the party had since April 5th commenced the sales of nomination form and it would close on 5th may. According to him, the party nomination form is N10 million, while expression of interest is just N1 million . On the party chances of winning the governorship election ,he said that SDP is strong and united unlike the other parties in the state, riddled with problems.
“We are strong and confident about ourselves to go into the election and win . SDP has changed to good, there is no problems in the party and every court case in the party is settled . I hope that the problem in People’s Democratic Party PDP, All Progressive Grand Alliance ,APGA and All Progressive Congress APC will be an added advantage for us to win the governorship election in the state” he said .
