Ekweremadu, Abaribe withdraw from PDP governorship race

Former Senate Deputy President Ike Ekweremadu and Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe have both withdrawn from the governorship races in Enugu and Abia respectively.

In a statement on Wednesday, May 25 released by his campaign organisation, Ekweremadu, who is currently representing Enugu West Senatorial District, said he would not participate in the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State slated for Wednesday.

This is coming after Ekweremadu’s campaign organisation denied that he joined the former governor of old Anambra State Senator Jim Nwobodo in endorsing Peter Mbah as the next governor of Enugu State.

The statement signed by Charles Asogwa for the campaign organisation reads “I wish to inform our supporters and Nigerians that the former Deputy President of the Senate and foremost governorship aspirant in Enugu State, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, will not be participating in the PDP governorship primary election scheduled for this Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

“Meanwhile, we continue to trust God as we appreciate our teeming supporters and the good people of Enugu State for the enormous goodwill they have ceaselessly invested in the actualisation of the ‘Pathway to a New Enugu State.’”

Similarly, Abaribe announced his withdrawal from Abia governorship race in a press statement he personally signed, citing the use of “imaginary delegates list and lack of transparency” as reasons for his action.

Abaribe also said there was no three-man delegate election anywhere in the state by PDP, alleging that the list was cooked up by those who want to impose their candidate on the party.

“I am therefore withdrawing from the exercise, which means that I will not be part of the PDP governorship primary election that holds in Abia State on Wednesday 25th of May, 2022 as doing so would have amounted to endorsement of an illegality that is already being challenged in the courts,” he said.