National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may not be finding it easy since the gubernatorial election in Anambra State, which was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as he is facing serious condemnation from the campaign group of the party’s candidate in the election, Tony Nwoye.
Metuh had released a statement congratulating INEC and President Goodluck Jonathan for the successful conduct of the election that many observers agreed was a sham. INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, also lamented that the election was messed up and that INEC effort was sabotaged.
Speaking during a television programme, Metuh also said the election was free and fair. He even castigated the All Progressive Congress (APC) for making too much noise about the irregularities in the election.
Discovering that the PDP may have sold out its candidate as believed by political analysts and judging from Metuh’s statement, Nwoye, who won the opportunity to fly the PDP flag in the election from the Supreme Court, pitched his tent with the APC candidate, Chris Ngige and the Labour Party candidate, Ifeanyi Uba, to reject a supplementary election.
Shocked by Metuh’s posture, Nwoye’s campaign organisation recalled that there has been widespread condemnation of the exercise by members of the civil society groups, Anambrarians, Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), election observers and monitors and that even Prof. Jega apologised to Anambrarians on the poor conduct of the election, thus wondering why Metuh would go ahead to declare the election free and fair against his own party candidate.
“In spite of these flaws and more witnessed during the exercise, Mr Olisa Metuh, the national publicity secretary of PDP and a latter-day APGA apologist, went on air to announce that the election went free and fair.
“In a show of shame and in a disgraceful crescendo of delusional act and to please his contractors (APGA and Mr. Peter Obi), Olisa Metuh made his statement giving credibility to an election in which his candidate and all his family members, including some of his cousins, were disenfranchised and prevented from voting. An election in which two leaders of the party, Chief Arthur Eze and Chief Mrs. Josephine Anenih, could not find their names on the register… This is the same election that Mr Metuh ascribed to be free and fair…What a shame!
“Mr. Olisa, Metuh, we put it to you that you don’t know your job as National Publicity Secretary. You don’t also know your boundaries and limitations. Who asked you to speak on behalf of Tony Nwoye Campaign Organisation? The last time we checked, Hon. Chike Anyaonu was the director of media and publicity of Tony Nwoye campaign organisation. What prevented you from contacting him before going on air? What prevented you from contacting your governorship candidate, Comrade Tony Nwoye, before making your shameful statements?
“Mr Olisa Metuh, we put it to you that you were not in Anambra and did not vote on the 16th of November and hence have no moral justification to comment on the outcome of an election you did not participate in. We put it to you that you sabotaged PDP on the 16th of November 2013 during the election, directing your family members to vote for APGA. That explains why PDP could not win in your ward at Otolo Nnewi.
“Instead of burying your head in shame that a National Publicity Secretary of the Party lost in his ward, you were busy in the media talking nonsense. Mr. Olisa Metuh, we put it to you that your press conference after the election was a script already written for you by APGA. We already got information that you and your estranged sponsor, Nicholas Ukachukwu, worked for APGA on selfish ends.
“Mr. Olisa Metuh, we put it to you that you never supported us in this election. When we came to your home town, Nnewi, during the campaign, you disappeared at St. Andrews DCC without a trace. It is a shame that while other political parties like the APC, Labour Party, and the CNPP were calling for a total cancellation of the election, you were busy singing a different song. Who are you really working for? Which party do you actually belong to, PDP or APGA?”
The organisation described Metuh as a serious candidate for suspension from the PDP. Threatening to do all within its powers to ensure that Metuh is removed from office, it asked the national publicity secretary to “please keep your mouth shut” if he does not know how and what to say.
But in his reaction on Monday afternoon, Metuh described the accusation as a denigration of his office in a veiled attempt to attack the national leadership of the party, by some reprobate characters purporting to be directors of the Tony Nwoye Campaign Organisation.
“Ordinarily, one would have ignored these misguided elements. However, for the benefit of our teeming supporters and party members, we have decided to respond so as to set the records straight”, Special Assistant to Metuh,
Comrade Richard Ihediwa wrote in a statement.
“We wish to state categorically that there is no problem between the national publicity secretary and the PDP candidate in the Anambra election, Comrade Tony Nwoye. Chief Olisa Metuh participated actively in his campaign and was physically present at Awka to coordinate the situation room on the day of the election.
“From their remarks, it is clear that these loathsome characters are behaving like planted agents who are hell bent on portraying our candidate in a bad light. What should be more worrisome to them is that through their immature, inexperienced and irresponsible advice, they allowed our candidate to attend a joint press conference with the candidate of the APC and to make matters worse, played second fiddle to the APC candidate, who he is leading in the election so far.
“This gave rise to the manipulation of the APC in leading our candidate not to actively participate in the Sunday election in Obosi, wherein the APC candidate surreptitiously mobilised his people to vote, a situation that enabled him to bridge the gap of the total number of votes cast.
“It is on record that Comrade Tony Nwoye has been in constant communication with the national leadership of the party on the Anambra election. In fact, he spoke several times to the national chairman through the National Publicity Secretary before the National Working Committee took its final position on the election last Monday.
“The NWC communicated its final decision to him before making it public. It is therefore unfortunate that his handlers chose to plant fabrications in the media to suggest that the PDP and the candidate are singing discordant tunes on the election.
“What these characters should concern themselves with now is making efforts to engage the state and zonal leaderships of the party to mobilise our people to participate in the process of the supplementary election as directed by the National Working Committee”.
