From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said the former Speakers of Abia State House of Assembly who joined Governor Alex Otti under the aegis of Conference of Former Speakers of Abia State House of Assembly to inspect some ongoing projects in the state and eulogized the Governor thereafter, were on their own.
The former Speakers led by the immediate past deputy governor of the state, Ude Oko Chukwu had after the guided tour with Otti, commended the Governor for his good works.
All the six former Speakers who visited Otti, apart from Hon Arua Arunsi, others were Speakers under the banner of the PDP.
Reacting through her Vice Chairman/Acting State Publicity Secretary, Hon. Abraham Amah, the party said the views expressed by the former Speakers were strictly their views and does not in any way represent the view of the party.
“The attention of the Abia PDP has been drawn to the recent visit of the Conference of Former Speakers of Abia State House of Assembly to Governor Alex Otti and the fact that three of the six members of the Conference who visited the governor belong of the PDP, including the immediate past deputy governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu.
“The said visit has raised very laughable speculations in the polity that the members of the PDP who were part of the visit are planning to defect to the Labour Party. What is even more laughable is the suggestion that the PDP in Abia is no longer intact because its members who belong to a non-partisan organisation paid a visit to the governor.
“The Abia PDP wishes to clear the air on the visit and set the records straight to disappoint those who wish to see it dismembered. The Conference of Former Speakers of Abia State House of Assembly is a non-partisan organisation made up of eight members. Of the eight members, five belong to the PDP while three are of the APC and two of the PDP members, Rt. Hon. Dr. Alwell Asiforo Okere and Rt. Hon. Engr. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji did not embark on the said visit.
“We state, in very clear terms, that the PDP members who went to visit the governor and the statements credited to them were made in their personal capacities and do not represent the views of the PDP.”
The statement added that Abia PDP recognized the rights of the former Speakers to freedom of association as guaranteed by the different declarations on human rights at the international, national and local levels.