A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mr. Sunday Ikechukwu Damian, has sounded the alarm over alleged moves by Hon. Anayo Onwuegbu, a House of Representatives member for Awgu/Oji-River/Aninri Federal Constituency, to remove elected ward executives in the area.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Damian claimed that Hon. Onwuegbu is seeking to replace the ward executives with his preferred candidates. He alleged that the lawmaker recently met with the PDP state chairman, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike, to lobby for support in implementing this agenda.
It has been noticed with surprise that Onwuegbu, whom they spent their energy and resources to deliver during the election, is lobbying the Enugu State chairman of the PDP, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike, to remove and replace the ward executives with his preferred candidates, Damian alleged.
Damian criticized Onwuegbu for failing to engage stakeholders in Oji River, Awgu, and Aninri since assuming office, accusing him of working to further divide the constituency. He called on the lawmaker to focus on guiding the ward executives rather than attempting to remove them.
Does it mean that the Christmas gift Engr Onwuegbu has for the party in Oji River LGA is to remove the ward executives instead of giving them bags of rice like his counterparts? he asked.
The PDP chieftain urged Governor Peter Mbah and the state party chairman to resist actions that could destabilize the party. He warned that such moves could lead to confusion and weaken the party’s structure in the state.
Anybody taking any action that will throw the party into confusion is engaging in anti-party activities and should be so guided,” Damian added.
Efforts to reach Hon. Onwuegbu for a response were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.