A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Ayim, has debunked reports that he shunned the Southeast zonal meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Reports had emerged on social media accusing the former Senate President of boycotting the meeting which was held in Enugu on Monday over his rift with the zonal caretaker committee chairman of PDP, Ali Odefa.
Reacting to the report, Anyim Pius Ayim described the reports as the handiwork of mischief makers bent on tarnishing his image.
“I was very early to the meeting, and was very conspicuous in the meeting. I participated in every stage of the meeting. I was even the last to leave in the meeting,” he said.
“This is because I was interacting with some stakeholders of PDP including the governor of Enugu state. And the meeting was not a caucus or leaders meeting. The meeting was purely for the Anambra state election.
“There is no even issue of leadership, principally because the natural zonal headquarters is in Enugu State, and the governor was the host. And for effective coordination of Anambra election and other matters that he has been doing so wonderfully well.
“We said let us formally name him (Ugwuanyi) the leader of the zone. And I was foremost in the whole arrangement and doing so, because it is his natural place/ position and he is doing it very well. And so, there is no issue of the contest. No issue of the option or any other things else.
“So, it is out of merely terrible desperation that anybody can lie to this extent. If anybody can lie to this extent that a meeting I officiated from the beginning to the end, participated prominently, that somebody will say that I was not in the meeting for any reason is pure desperation. And may God forgive the person.”
While denying any feud Ali Odefa, Ayim stated that the zonal chairman followed him home after the meeting.
“There was no feud between me and Ali, Ali even followed me home. We have been here together. So, how can there be any feud between us, for what?
“People can desperately lie like this? It is out of desperation. The meeting was just like an internal meeting to discuss the Anambra state election. It was not a large meeting. It was a meeting of selected few,” he added.
