'There is no problem between me and Nwoye,' says Metuh

'There is no problem between me and Nwoye,' says Metuh

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25 November 2013, 3:11 pm
As PDP candidate decides tonight on participation in proposed supplementary election
The Office of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has debunked insinuations that the party's spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, and the PDP candidate in the November 16 Anambra State governorship election, Tony Nwoye, were at loggerheads.
According to a statement by Richard Ihediwa, the Special Assistant to Mr. Metuh, on Monday in Abuja, some elements purporting to be directors of Tony Nwoye Campaign Organisation had been making infantile remarks, suggesting that Messrs Nwoye and Metuh were up in arms, against each other, over the PDP candidate's position on the controversial poll.
Mr. Metuh is also an indigene of Anambra State.
Mr. Ihediwa said rather than fanning the embers of disunity, the acclaimed directors should concern themselves with how to mobilise PDP support for the supplementary 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," he said.
Following the controversial "inconclusive" November 16 polls, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, fixed November 30 for a supplementary election.
Mr. Nwoye, last Friday, joined his All Progressives Congress, APC, and Labour Party, LP, counterparts, Chris Ngige and Ifeanyi Ubah, to reject the result of the governorship election and called for its outright cancellation, insisting that it was characterised by malpractices. The trio also said that they would boycott the supplementary polls.
Mr. Ihediwa said the office of the PDP National Publicity Secretary decided to set the records straight for the benefit of the party's teeming supporters and members.
"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," he said.
"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."
Mr. Metuh's aide noted that thanks to their "immature, inexperienced and irresponsible advice," the purported directors allowed Mr. Nwoye to attend a joint press conference with Mr. Ngige where Mr. Nwoye, despite being the leader in the election results announced so far, played second fiddle to the APC candidate.
"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 which enabled him to bridge the gap of the total number of votes cast," Mr. Ihediwa stressed.
Mr. Ihediwa explained that Mr. Nwoye had been in constant communication with the national leadership of the party on the Anambra election, adding, "In fact, he spoke severally to the National Chairman through the National Publicity Secretary before the National Working Committee took its final position on the election last Monday."
He said the NWC communicated its final decision to Mr. Nwoye before making it public; therefore, it was unfortunate that that Mr. Nwoye's handlers chose to plant fabrications in the media, suggesting that the PDP and its candidate were singing discordant tunes on the election.
Speaking in a telephone interview on Monday, Mr. Nwoye confirmed that, despite media reports, the relationship between him and Mr. Metuh remained cordial.
"I have no problem with Chief Metuh. Our relationship remains cordial and in fact we spoke on phone last night," the PDP candidate told PREMIUM TIMES.
Asked if he would participate in the supplementary election as reportedly directed by the national secretariat of the PDP, Mr. Nwoye said he would provide an answer to that before the end of the day.
"If you call me in the night I should be able to tell you if I will participate," he said.