The National Democratic Congress National Vice-Chairman for the South-East, Teddy Obe, has rejected allegations by the party’s House of Representatives candidate for Ideato North and South Federal Constituency in Imo State, Ceejay Ezebuiro.

Ezebuiro had accused some party leaders of threatening his life and demanding money to allow him keep his ticket.

In a statement released on Sunday, Obe described the accusations as serious but baseless. He denied ever asking Ezebuiro for money, either for himself or for the NDC, and challenged the candidate to present clear evidence of any such demand or payment.

Obe also dismissed claims that he or other leaders threatened Ezebuiro’s life. He said disagreements over a party ticket should not be turned into allegations of life threats without solid proof. He further denied taking part in any plan to force Ezebuiro to hand over his ticket to another aspirant.

According to Obe, party primaries and the disputes that sometimes follow them are handled through the NDC’s internal rules and electoral laws. He stressed that no single person has the power to take away a ticket that a candidate won fairly.

He called on Ezebuiro to publicly release details of the alleged meeting where money was supposedly demanded, including the date, place, those present and any payment records. Obe gave the candidate 14 days to withdraw the claims or face legal action, while restating the party’s preference for settling disputes through proper internal and legal channels.

Photo credit: Pumch Newspaper