“Protests Erupt in Udu Over Councillorship Candidate List, Group Threatens Legal Action”

Ahead of the July 13th 2024 Local Government Council election in Delta State, a political pressure group in Udu, the Udu PDP Stakeholders, has launched a massive protest against the process that led to the alleged emergence of some Councillorship candidates in some wards, accusing a section of the PDP leadership of bias and deliberate plot to frustrate the unity of the party and weaken the party in the build up to 2027.

In a similar development, the PDP leadership in Udu DSIEC Ward 3 has served notice of intentions to go to court to prove that the leader of the Ward, Chief O.A. Orugbo has not been fairly treated in the process of picking the candidates for the coming LG polls.

A press statement by the Udu PDP Stakeholders disclosed that there was a deliberate plot to subvert the will of the people to serve the interests of some tendencies within and outside Udu to “humiliate Chief Orugbo and bring the party to disrepute”.

The statement signed by Mr Atuyota Ejogbiruvwo, Publicity Secretary of the Udu PDP Stakeholders insisted that “The so called consesus arrangements now being forwarded by the UDU. LGA Chairman of the party is a far cry from the directive by the state leadership of the party that all critical stakeholders of the party in each DSIEC WARD be carried along.

“Notable leaders of the party met at the home of Chief Eddie Ono-Sorhue to address complaints from the Wards but all genuine and credible complaints from each of the DSIEC Wards were suppressed by the leaders whereas a frivolous and spurious complaint from DSIEC Ward 4 of Chief O. A. Orugbo was considered as a punishment to him for trying to be upright. He argued vehemently against the other leaders for excluding critical leaders in each of the Wards”, the statement noted.

Atuyota Ejogbiruvwo added that whereas other notable leaders were allowed to influence the choice of Councillorship candidates from their wards with some having 2, 3, and 4 as the case may be, the only Councillorship candidate from his ward was changed by the other leaders to humiliate him despite the transparent process that produced the candidate.

Meanwhile, the PDP in Udu DSIEC ward 3 and the PDP Stakeholders have concluded arrangement to go to court over the alleged attempt to subvert their choice of candidate for the Councillorship poll.

They complained about a gang up from the other leaders and alleged forgery of signature of some persons to authenticate the list being sent to Asaba.

The groups vowed to pursue their grievance to any level except their case was addressed by the party leadership in Asaba.