The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Debo Ologunagba, has refuted allegations of forgery in the primary election guidelines, blaming it on the handiwork of certain individuals, who were agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This was as the National Secretary of the party, Sunday Ude-Okoye, has dismissed reports of his alleged arrest and detention by the Nigeria Police Force over accusations of forging the party’s documents.
According to Ologunagba, ”The PDP states in clear and unequivocal terms that its Primary Election Guidelines as approved by the Party have not by any means whatsoever been compromised by forgery as being peddled in the said reports.
Ologunagba, said the party was aware that the misleading reports were at the instance of certain resentful individuals who, as agents of the APC, were seeking ways to create a scandal, discredit the integrity of PDP’s internal processes and bring the party to public ridicule.
”Our party is shocked by the level of desperation being displayed by these individuals reportedly with the backing of a particular top official in the APC administration, who had on several occasions vowed to destroy the PDP to enable the APC entrench a totalitarian and oppressive one-party system in our nation to the resentment and detriment of Nigerians.
”The PDP has also been made aware of the involvement of these disgruntled individuals in inducing disagreements in some chapters as well as the intimidation, threats and police harassment of some officials, staffs and members of the Party.
”Our party is appalled by the scandalous and reprehensible attempt by these desperate individuals to drag the police and a magistrate court in Abuja into the party’s internal affairs despite pronouncement of various Courts of higher hierarchy including the Supreme Court stating that issues touching on the nomination of candidates for elections are strictly internal affairs of political parties over which the courts have no jurisdiction,” he stated.
Meanwhile, while Ude-Okoye, has dismissed reports of his alleged arrest and detention by the police, the Southeast National Vice Chairman of the party, Ali Odefa, has also told THISDAY that he was not under any arrest, and arrived in Abuja.
Some reports (not THISDAY) had claimed that Ude-Okoye and Odefa, were arrested for allegedly altering the party’s primary election guidelines in the Imo State governorship primary.
A PDP chieftain, Mike Iheanaetu, had petitioned the police, alleging that documents presented in court, leading to Ude-Okoye’s affirmation as National Secretary, were forged.
Speaking from his base in Enugu, Ude-Okoye refuted the allegations, stating, “I am not in any detention. I am in my house in Enugu and am not under any form of arrest.
“I am not involved in any forgery of a document, and I will not get involved in forgery of any document. I did not tell anybody to forge any document, and nobody forged any document for me.”
