The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday said the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Chris Ngige, hoodwinked and deceived their candidate, Comrade Tonye Nwoye, into attending a press conference together on the Anambra election, thereby making him to play a second fiddle in an election he was ahead of Ngige.
Special Assistant (Media) to PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Richard Ihediwa in a statement on Monday said some aides of Nwoye “through their immature, inexperienced and irresponsible advice, they allowed our candidate to attend a joint press conference with the candidate of the APC and to make matters worse, played second fiddle to the APC candidate, who he is leading in the election so far.
“This gave rise to the manipulation of the APC in leading our candidate not to actively participate in the Sunday election in Obosi, wherein the APC candidate surreptitiously mobilized his people to vote; a situation which enabled him to bridge the gap of the total number of votes cast”.
The statement condemned the attack on” Chief Olisa Metuh, in a veiled attempt to attack the national leadership of the party, by some reprobate characters purporting to be directors of the Tony Nwoye Campaign Organization.
“Ordinarily, one would have ignored these misguided elements. However, for the benefit of our teeming supporters and party members, we have decided to respond so as to set the records straight.
“We wish to state categorically that there is no problem between the National Publicity Secretary and the PDP candidate in the Anambra election, Comrade Tony Nwoye. Chief Olisa Metuh participated actively in his campaign and was physically present at Awka to coordinate the situation room on the day of the election.
“From their remarks, it is clear that these loathsome characters are behaving like planted agents who are hell bent on portraying our candidate in a bad light.
“It is on record that Comrade Tony Nwoye has been in constant communication with the national leadership of the party on the Anambra election. In fact, he spoke severally to the National Chairman through the National Publicity Secretary before the National Working Committee took its final position on the election last Monday.
“The NWC communicated its final decision to him before making it public. It is therefore unfortunate that his handlers chose to plant fabrications in the media to suggest that the PDP and the candidate are singing discordant tunes on the election.
:What these characters should concern themselves with now is making efforts to engage the state and zonal leaderships of the party to mobilize our people to participate in the process of the supplementary election as directed by the National Working Committee”.