The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State says no individual politician can destroy an opposition party, responding to remarks attributed to Minister of Works David Umahi about the party and its political future.
Key Highlights
- Ebonyi PDP said no politician can determine whether a registered party survives or participates in elections.
- The party asked Umahi to clarify remarks attributed to him that he had “killed PDP” and would “unalive” the party.
- PDP spokesperson Darlington Onwe said political disagreements should be addressed through debate and policy arguments.
- The party urged political leaders to use restraint as activity builds ahead of the 2027 elections.
- The comments attributed to Umahi have not been independently verified by The Trumpet.
Ebonyi PDP challenges remarks attributed to Umahi
The state PDP Publicity Secretary, Darlington Onwe, made the comments in a statement issued on Saturday in Abakaliki, as political activity builds ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Onwe described the reported remarks as disturbing and inappropriate in a democratic environment. He said no politician, regardless of position or influence, could decide whether a registered political party would continue to exist or take part in elections.
The Trumpet has not independently verified the words attributed to Umahi. The party said they were made in response to a question about whether the minister supported Chief Ifeanyi Odii. Onwe referred to Odii as the party’s governorship candidate; his formal status as the PDP’s 2027 nominee was not independently confirmed.
“The PDP is a political organisation, not an individual. It cannot be killed or unalive by any politician,” Onwe said.
He said a politician who disagreed with the party or did not support its preferred candidate was entitled to that position, but argued that political disagreement should be expressed through competing ideas, policies and programmes.
Party calls for clarification, urges restraint
The PDP asked Umahi to clarify what he meant by the phrase “we will unalive it,” saying political competition should focus on ideas, records and programmes. The party also said institutions could outlast individual politicians and pointed to its history as evidence that people could change political platforms without determining the survival of the organisations they left.
Onwe urged political leaders in Ebonyi to exercise restraint in public statements as the 2027 elections approach. The party recalled past allegations of intimidation and confrontation during election cycles in the state and said political communication should not heighten tension.
In a separate recent dispute, Onwe also called for an apology or resignation from Ebonyi Governor Francis Nwifuru over remarks the PDP described as a threat against opposition members, TheCable reported. That dispute involved remarks attributed to Nwifuru, not Umahi.
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The PDP maintained that Odii and other members have the constitutional right to participate in the electoral process. It said it would pursue its political objectives peacefully and urged supporters to remain calm and law-abiding.
The party also asked security agencies and relevant institutions to pay attention to public statements that could contribute to political tension.
“Elections are decided by the people, not by declarations that one politician has killed or will kill a political party. The ballot belongs to the people of Ebonyi State,” the party said.
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