Bribery allegation throws Anambra PDP into disarray

Maduako Igbokwe l Friday, June 11, 2021

 

ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria – Governorship Aspirant on the platform of  People Democratic Party (PDP)  Dr. Godwin Maduka, has dismissed the allegation of bribing stakeholders to curry votes at the party primary slated for June 26, 2021.

A pressure group in PDP known as Independent Leaders Forum (ILF) on Wednesday  called for disqualification of   Dr. Godwin Maduka  for  allegedly giving the  statutory delegates  more  than N3000 as  agreed by all the party Aspirant.

All PDP aspirants in Anambra state had on Sunday reached an agreement that no aspirant should give more than N3000  to  delegates during the party primary. Reacting to  the allegation on Thursday in Awka Anambra state capital, Maduka described the allegation as the handiwork of those who did not want PDP to deliver dividends of Democracy to Anambra people  after 16 years in opposition.

According to him,” I did not violate any agreement. I am a strong PDP member who believes in the vision and mission of the party at any given condition. My mission for the race is to revive the deteriorated economy position of Anambra State, using PDP to achieved it.

The people that came to Dr. Godwin Maduka Foundation, located along Enugu-Onitsha expressway Awka, were a group called Greater Anambra, they came to pray and endorsed me to governed the state and at the end of the prayers the management of the Foundation gave them their praying fee, in which any individual or organisation can do same.

“I have been giving people money and empowerment before aspiring to become a governor”. He appealed to his co-contesters to desist from politics of bitterness and hate that are likely to create problems to the party.

Independent Leaders Forum (ILF), during a press conference, held in Awka, on Wednesday called for the disqualification of the aspirant over giving  bribe to the  statutory delegates to vote  for him at  the forthcoming party’s primaries, slated for June 26, 2021.

The group accused Dr. Maduka of violating the already signed agreement by all the 16 aspirants contesting under PDP, that no aspirant should give more than 3,000/5,000 naira to Statutory Delegates during meetings or Consultations with them.

The group threaten to petition the National Working Committee of the party led by Prince Uche Secondus, to disqualify Maduka for failing to adhere to the gentlemen agreement reached among Aspirants .

According to the National President of the group, Honourable Obinna Okachukwu Okafor, there was a meeting convened by Chief Olisa Metuh, the former National Publicity Secretary of the party, in his residence at Nnewi, few days ago with major stakeholders of PDP including the aspirants, where all of  the 16 aspirants agreed that between 3,000/5,000 naira only  should be given as consultation fee to all party delegate.

According to him,  surprisingly ,  Dr. Maduka, in his quest to get PDP ticket by all means violated the agreement and start inducing the delegates with huge amount of money in order to vote for him.

“We condemn in totality and with the strongest terms the unfortunate violation of that resolution by Dr. Maduka, within 24hours by giving the 326 wards Chairmen/Youth Leaders/Women leaders huge amount to woos them to himself at the party primary .

With reference to Chapter 1,6,2 of PDP Constitution (As Amended in 2017), Character and Ethics” the policies and programmes of the party shall be determined by it’s leadership, who shall be accountable to the membership.

Dr. Godwin Maduka, has exhibited an irresponsible character that questions his integrity in keeping to an agreement, and we encourage the PDP delegates, of course, who are majority of our members, to take any money given to them by Dr. Maduka, and vote against him on June 26, 2021 PDP primaries.

“A quick reminder to all the aspirants that the vision and mission of ILF, as a monitoring group of PDP, is to discourage disunity, and ensure a smooth process that would produce a PDP governor in the November 6, 2021 scheduled governorship election and put an end to PDP’s 16-years of being out government in Anambra State, Okafor added.