By Henry Umoru, Abuja
THE National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo said yesterday that the non-gazetting of the Electoral Act to make it fully operational forms one of the reasons why the guidelines for the conduct of the party primaries cannot be released now.

According to Nwodo, the party was also waiting for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to come up with the election time-table and other rules for the general election before the PDP can make public its guidelines.

In a statement signed by his Special Assistant, Ike Abonyi, the PDP National Chairman who noted that it would be
saddening to release Party guidelines when INEC was yet to roll out the rules for the game, stressed that he was not prepared to push party members into the field confused and unclear of what the rules of the game are.

The statement read in part, “The National Chairman distanced the party from the guidelines being peddled in the media saying that members should disregard such publications. He said that the party is conscious of the anxiety of members to have the guidelines but the NWC does not want to run faster than INEC whose rule would direct “our own”.

“Nwodo reiterated the commitment of the Party leadership under his watch to give the members free, fair and credible primaries because it is the best way for the Party to confront the general elections vigorously.

“Dr. Nwodo since his assumption as the National Chairman of the Party mid_June has been crusading a reform aimed at restoring the dented image of the Party and has assured members repeatedly that there would be a level playing ground and that the era of godfathers and godmothers rather than people influencing choice of Party flag bearers is gone for good.”