The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia, Chief Alwell Asiforo, says the party is yet to receive any formal declaration by aspirants wishing to run for elective offices in 2023.
Asiforo said this on Wednesday in his office in Umuahia, while briefing newsmen on the activities of the party since he emerged as the chairman in August 2020.
He said that none of the aspirants presently consulting stakeholders of the party had formally notified the party about their ambitions.
“I am aware there are some party members running around stakeholders but under my leadership, nobody has declared interest for any elective posts.
“They can be doing something with their communities and friends, but as we speak in this media briefing, the party does not have any aspirant,” he said.
He encouraged the aspirants to continue to hold their consultations, pending when the INEC timetable would be released.
The party chairman, who hails from Abia South Senatorial District with the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the lawmaker had yet to announce his ambition to the party.
Abaribe had during his visit to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in December 2021, announced his intention to contest the governorship seat in 2023.
Ironically, he and Okezie hail from the Obingwa Local Government Area of the state.
Asiforo further said that the party leadership, comprising the executives, state working committee, party caucus, and elders, had yet to meet to take a position on zoning.
He said that such a critical decision could only be made after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had published the election timetable.
He said, “No reasonable political party can take such a crucial decision when INEC has not published the election timetable.
“It is after the timetable had been published that parties would begin to meet and take critical decisions that are strategic to their winning the polls,” he said.
He expressed the confidence that the party stands on a better pedestal to clinch all the elective positions, from the state to National Assemblies and governorship.
He said the PDP-led government had “comparatively” acquitted itself, in providing good governance and physical infrastructure in the state, given its limited resources.
Asiforo said that the effort by his executive to unite and strengthen the party had further brightened its political fortune in any future elections.
“Today, the party is intact, united, and stable, hence we could win all the local government chairmanship and councillorship seats in December 2020.
“PDP also won the bye-election for Aba North and South Federal Constituency in 2021 after losing it to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) back-to-back in the 2015 and 2019 polls.
“But we are not resting on our oars. We continue to forge ahead,” he said.
He said that the party would soon embark on an aggressive membership drive across the state.
The state PDP boss expressed delight that some top politicians, including APC and APGA chieftains, recently dumped their parties for PDP.
He cited the defection of the former APGA’s Senatorial Candidate, Chief Chris Nkwonta, and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) into PDP.
He gave the assurance that the party would not impose candidates for any position, saying that a level playing field would be created for all the candidates during the primaries.
He said he was upbeat that PDP would bounce back to power at the centre in 2023, should the amended electoral bill be signed into law.
“Once the bill is signed into law, PDP will be 80 percent set to go,” Asiforo, who was flanked by members of his executive and state working committee, said.
