Test references representative candidate, group asks PDP

A group, the Concerned Citizens of Obubra Local Government in Cross Rivers State, has petitioned National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. /Etung Federal House of Representatives, Friday Okpechi.

The request was contained in the statement entitled “Request for the immediate resignation of Mr. Friday Gabriel Okpechi as a PDP candidate in the Federal House of Representatives election of Obubra/Etung”, which was made available to The PUNCH on Thursday.

The leader of the group, James Abeng, asked in the letter to Ayu and signed by 10 members of the Okpechi executive committee to resign or the party risked no representation in the elections.

He added that Okpechi is currently on trial before a Chief Magistrate’s Court, Obubra, for having and using a forged First School Leaving Certificate, one of the documents he presented for permission to run in the closed party primaries that he won.

It read in part: “We have chosen to make our letter public for your urgent attention. Our collective goal is to use this medium to warn you and the party of the imminent danger and doom our great party will face in the upcoming general election if Mr. Friday Okpechi is allowed to represent the party in the elections that are scheduled stand for February 25, 2023.

“Okpechi had allegedly presented forged documents and also lied under oath during his endorsement for the party primaries to be held on May 23, 2022, and these allegations, if proven to be true, are violations of the provisions of the electoral law, 2022 which, if not properly explored, could cost our party the Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency Members’ Representative seat in the upcoming elections.”

According to the statement, another member of the group, Florence Okpechi, said: “We have worked too hard to lose at this point and therefore urge you to intervene immediately and ensure that a solution is the new Electoral Law is allowed, otherwise our people would have lost even before a vote has been taken.”