Worried by the needless confusion surrounding the collapse of the structure of former Deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu in support of the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Enugu state, his (Ekweremadu’s) office has clarified that indeed, their principal endorsed Peter Mbah for the 2023 general election.
A statement by Uche Anichukwu, Media Adviser to Ekweremadu said the “the endorsements are in honour of a pre-primary election understanding between Senator Ekweremadu and Dr. Mbah to work together in the event that either of them emerged the PDP governorship candidate,” as well as “the understanding reached after the PDP primary election, which Senator Ike Ekweremadu made public in his personally signed press statement dated June 2, 2022.”
Anichukwu further stated that despite his current travails, Ekweremadu urges his supporters to be commited to the Peter Mbah project and urged their supporters to disregard any information or narrative which says otherwise.
The statement reads:
“The Office of former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has been inundated with calls since the endorsement of the governorship project of the Enugu State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Peter Mbah, by Ekweremadu’s political structures, notably Ndi Oganiru Enugu.
“The attention of the Office has also been drawn to various misleading commentaries borne out of either sincere ignorance or mischief regarding the endorsement and pledge of total support to the Dr. Mbah governorship ticket and other PDP candidates in the state.
“Consequently, the Office wishes to affirm that the endorsements are in honour of a pre-primary election understanding between Senator Ekweremadu and Dr. Mbah to work together in the event that either of them emerged the PDP governorship candidate. They are equally in line with the understanding reached after the PDP primary election, which Senator Ike Ekweremadu made public in his personally signed press statement dated June 2, 2022.
“Among others, the Senator personally wrote: ‘After receiving assurances from the gubernatorial candidate of our party, Barr. Peter Mbah, that he would integrate our Pathway to a New Enugu State in his programme and his assurances of the participation of everybody in his campaign team and government, I, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, hereby formally withdraw from the 2023 gubernatorial contest in Enugu State. I congratulate Barr. Peter Mbah and wish him success. It is time to unite’.
“Furthermore, we can confirm that even in his present travail, Ikeoha has reiterated his wish for us – his disciples, admirers, associates, and supporters – to fully engage the Dr. Mbah governorship project and ensure that we deliver on his said commitments.
“This directive and commitment have also seen some members of the Ikeoha political family, such as the Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Toby Okechukwu, decline tickets of other political parties.
“Therefore, members of the public, especially members of the Ikeoha political family, are hereby enjoined to discountenance every insinuation and narrative to the contrary.
“Ikeoha is a man of his word and nothing has changed between the time he issued that June 2, 2022 statement and now.
“We are, therefore, poised to fulfill his wish, even as a mark of honour and loyalty to him in these challenging times.”
