As governorship primaries of various political parties’ draws near, two top governorship candidates in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State have intensified their lobby for statutory delegates of the party in earnest.
By guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, political parties are expected to hold their primaries between August and September, 2018.
The PDP is expected to hold a collegiate system of electing its party’s flag bearers for various elective positions
As part of shopping for delegates, the two aspirants in the last two months have embarked on consultation visits to almost all the local Government chapters of the party.
Ihedioha has visited more than 15 local Governments where he interacted with party leaders and faithful including would be delegates of the party.
At Owerri Municipal when he visited party faithful, he re- echoed why he decided to vie for the governorship contest in Imo State for second time after losing the 2015 governorship election as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
“What governance requires is a man with contentment, a sincere man, an accomplished man who will not use the common wealth of the people to fight them rather than work for them” Ihedioha told party members in Owerri municipal during his consultation visit.
His close contender for the Imo PDP governorship ticket, Senator Samuel Anyanwu in recent times has also shown how determined he is to capture the party’s governorship ticket. He has engaged party chieftains, faithful and members on why he is the best for the party’s guber ticket. He has visited more than 15 local governments as well.
Last week, he warned against intimidation of party delegates, urging them to see the need to elect only candidates capable of wining elections for the party at the general elections.
Anyanwu has also embarked on visits to the party in the Local Governments.
At Obowo LGA, he said ““As far as I am concerned all of us in the governorship race in the party are good and qualified, but I urge you to consider the person with a track record of winning elections, a person that can win the election for the party if given the ticket. This is because everyone in the State is tired of APC and their bad government, and is only looking for the candidate the PDP will present. In a football match if a team is losing a match they will introduce a good striker. Now that our dear party is in opposition in Imo State what we need at this time is a top striker like me” he said.
Some party stalwarts who spoke on condition of anonymity commended the two governorship aspirants for the mature manner they are going about their consultations.
” For the first time we are seeing less acrimony and less bickering in the party as most of the aspirants are going about their campaigns in a very mature manner”
