Ihedioha made the announcement in a letter he addressed to the national chairman of the party, dated March 27.
Former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, has withdrawn from the governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state scheduled for April 15.
Ihedioha made the announcement in a letter he addressed to the national chairman of the party, dated March 27.
The ex-governor said he withdrew from the race in the interest of the unity of the party.
In the letter addressed to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, which was obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
The governorship election is scheduled to hold in November 2023.
The PDP had screened Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu and Ihedioha to slug it out at the party’s primary election in April 2023.
The former Imo governor in the letter titled 'Notification Of My Withdrawal From The Imo State PDP Gubernatorial Primaries' said in the interest of harmony and unity of the party, he made the personal sacrifice of withdrawing from further participation in the processes leading to the emergence of the governorship candidate.
The statement reads in part, " As I turned 58 years last Friday, March 24, I had cause to reflect on so many things, including the state of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
“Having been a member since formation in 1998, I align myself with the request made by our state chapter to the National Working Committee (NWC) for a consensus choice of candidate regarding the 2023 Governorship primaries. In the interest of harmony and unity of the Party, I have elected to make the personal sacrifice of withdrawing from further participation in the processes leading to the emergence of the gubernatorial candidate.
“This decision was not taken lightly. My commitment to the service of our people has never been in doubt. And I am sure many of those who have, on their own, already started mobilizing for me in Imo State will be disappointed. I sincerely seek their understanding and that of associates, admirers and particularly the electorates who have over the years aligned themselves and identified with my political aspirations.”
“I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have served my various constituencies both as a legislator and Governor. I am also proud of the positive impact I made, particularly in the seven months I served as the Governor of Imo State,” he added.
His media aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu, confirmed his principal’s withdrawal from the race when contacted on the telephone.