Just like in the gubernatorial primary where Senator Ayogu Eze is laying claims to PDP ticket in Enugu State, former Governor of the state is also pressing to be recognized as the duly elected senatorial ticket holder for Enugu North Senatorial zone.
Nwodo is said to be unhappy with the national leadership of the party, led by Adamu Mu’azu over the later’s handling of huge senatorial primary in the affected zone.
According to reports, the former national chairman of the party is not comfortable with the party’s decision to adopt the result of the primary submitted by the electoral panel, led by
Senator Anthony George Manzo which declared Honourable Chukwuka Utazi as the candidate for Enugu North Senatorial zone.
In one of such reports, the SUnday Sun said its investigation revealed that at the election held at Government Field Nsukka, Honourable Utazi polled 324 votes to beat Dr. Nwodo who scored 4 votes while another aspirant, Dr. Martin Oke scored 3 votes.
It added that the former national chairman of the party, Dr. Nwodo emerged at a parallel primary where he was pronounced winner of the election.
A member of the party’s national working committee however told Sunday Sun in confidence that the party has taken a position to recognize the result submitted by Senator Manzo, who incidentally is the Chief of Staff to Senate President, David Mark and has rebuffed entreaties from certain quarters to adopt the result of the parallel primary where Dr. Nwodo was pronounced as candidate.
Speaking with Sunday Sun on phone, Honourable Utazi vowed not to concede his certificate of return, as he submitted that he emerged as candidate at the primary conducted at the designated venue.
His words: “The party gave us guidelines, told us what to do and Dr. Nwodo didn’t come and at the end of the day, while we were still conducting election, somebody called our people on phone and told us that Dr. Nwodo has announced himself the winner while the primary was still going on at the designated venue.
“In Igbo parlance, if somebody crowns himself a king, he would also at the appropriate time, uncrown himself, because in our place, you don’t make yourself a king. So, he will still dethrone himself, because he isn’t the candidate for our people.
“We had expected that a man like Dr. Nwodo who had been a governor of Old Enugu State, a foundation national secretary of the PDP and later former national chairman of our great party and who talks so much about internal democracy, that people should be allowed to run free primaries and we believe him so much. But he has refused to walk his talk.
“We felt he would subject himself to a primary election. But he refused to do so, but his people from his local government area were gracious enough to give him 4 votes and the other candidate, 3 votes and they gave me the overwhelming support and I emerged victorious in that election.
“So, this is what we are saying here: that we have conducted primary elections and that has been concluded. For anybody to go on air and try to confuse people for me, it is an aberration, it shouldn’t be.’’
