By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The state executive committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, led by Mr. Ndubuisi Nwobu, has resumed leadership of the party in the state.

This is coming on the heels of Appeal Court judgment on Monday which reinstated the executive.

Addressing journalists in Awka on Wednesday at the state party secretariat, Nwobu said the Court of Appeal judgment has totally put to rest issues about who is the authentic candidate of the party.

“You are aware that I’m back and the appellate court has put to rest the issue of the leadership of the party in this state.

“Some people got a court order which they know cannot stand just to disrupt what we are doing. We only made a sacrifice by stepping aside to ensure that a candidate emerges because we know that the election of a candidate is bound by time.

“Now that Valentine Ozigbo has emerged, he has our collective support, and we will work for him to win the governorship election. We are at home with Ozigbo and we are going to work with him to ensure he wins. There is no doubt about who the candidate of the party is any longer, because that has been settled by the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

“We are not surprised about the Court order which removed us. This started in 2002 and perpetuated by people who are using the party for merchandizing. They come out every election period and play the same game. We knew it was a temporary game,” he said.

Nwobu hailed members of the party’s board of trustees in the state for coming together to support him and ensure he returned as chairman of the party in the state.

While pledging to sack members who are unwilling to turn away from anti-party activities, Nwobu thanked the BoT members, other leaders of the party, all party faithful and its leadership at the grassroots, saying that the wishes of the people of Anambra has come to be.

He added: “We urge you to rally round the candidate of the party to drum support for Ozigbo.

“We will commence moves to immediately reach out to our party members, especially the aggrieved ones and try to woo them back into the party. But for those who are not easy to bring back to our fold, and have proven to be consistent with fighting the party, we will show them the way out.

“People who are hell bent on remaining in their old ways, we will sack them, but for those ready to change, we will visit them and try to bring them back to us when they show remorse.”

Responding to the news of the party's BOT member, Senator Joy Emodi’s decamping from PDP to APC, the chairman said it is worrisome each time a member leaves, talk more of a top ranking party official.

He however said his leadership will not fail to reach out to its members and woo them back to its fold.

Nwobu added: “We worry when any of our members leave our party, much more when a BOT member leaves.

“There is a clear message now that there is only one PDP in the state and we will reach out now and not by mere words of mouth to see that we assuage the persons in the area that he or she feels we did badly and also get assurances that they are not leaving.”

The Nwobu-led committee had been dissolved by the national leadership of the party, following a court judgment in a suit instituted by Mr. Samuel Anyakorah, which challenged the leadership.

But the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, in a judgment last weekend reinstated it, thereby validating the candidature of Mr. Ozigbo, who emerged the party's flag bearer following a primary election conducted by the Nwobu led executive against Senator Ugochukwu Uba, who had emerged from a parallel primary election.