By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

A combination of 74 state and national assembly aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State on Wednesday called on the national leadership of the party to quickly conduct the ad-hoc delegates election. They lamented the inability of the party’s panel to hold election for the three-man delegates last weekend.

The election, which was originally scheduled for April 30, was shifted to May 1 by the Hon Jibrin Ahmed-led panel. However, the election failed to hold on the rescheduled date following the discovery that the panel members came to hold the election without the original result sheet.

Addressing journalists at the party secretariat in Udoka Housing Estate Awka on behalf of all the aspirants, the Leader of the forum, Hon Onyebuchi Offor, a House of Representatives aspirant, said they were dismayed by the Ahmed panel’s inability to hold the election.

He said: “We note with pain and dismay the inability of Jibrin Ahmed-led committee to conduct the three-man delegates election that was scheduled for 30th April, but later rescheduled to 1st May 2022. The shift was because of the unavailability of original result sheet.

“We passionately call on the National Leadership of our great party, PDP to expeditiously repeat the botched exercise on Thursday 5th May 2022.

“This is to avoid jeopardizing our chances in the 2023 elections. Or in the event of exigency of time, the already existing ward, local government executives can go ahead to conduct the primaries.

“The same committee for the repeat three ad-hoc congress could equally be mandated to conduct the national delegate election the next day.”

The aspirants have lamented their fate in the face of the inability of the panel to hold the election, saying that it will hamper their participation in the 2023 general elections.

While appealing for speedy resolution of the issue to enable them commence their campaigns, once it starts, the aspirants affirmed their support for the national leadership of the party.