2019: ‘No Automatic Ticket for Ikpeazu’

Emmanuel Ugwu

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, will have to fight for the ticket to contest the 2019 governorship poll in his second term bid as the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday declared that there would be no automatic ticket.

The decision to throw open the party tickets for elective political positions was taken by the State Working Committee (SWC), which is the highest decision making organ of the party at its meeting in the party secretariat.

Ikpeazu has been getting the endorsements of several communities and organisations across the state that have adopted him as their sole candidate for the 2019 governorship election in the state.

But the state Chairman of PDP, Johnson Onuigbo, who read a seven-point communiqué of the SWC to journalists after the meeting, said: “All offices for 2019 elections are open and contestable in line with Abia Charter of Equity and PDP zoning formula.”

“In line with the above (open contest for party tickets) there shall be a level playing ground for all aspirants irrespective of position,” he said, adding that the party has resolved to “do away with all manner of impositions and impunity.”

By retaining the zoning arrangement, the SWC of PDP has shut out governorship aspirants from outside Abia South senatorial zone hence only aspirants from the favoured zone would be eligible to vie for the governorship ticket with Ikpeazu.

Nonetheless, the SWC passed a vote of confidence on Ikpeazu “based on his excellent performance so far” while the party chairman got a pat on the back “for transparency and effective leadership”.