The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra, Ndubuisi Nwobu, has blamed the crisis in the party on the handiwork of “some political merchants.”

Mr Nwobu stated this at a press briefing at the party secretariat in Awka on Thursday.

He said the plot was designed to stop the party from fielding a candidate in the November 6 governorship poll in the state.

The Court of Appeal on July 30 voided the judgment of the Abuja High Court, which sacked the executive committee of PDP in Anambra.

The appellate court upheld the separate appeals brought by the party and an individual, Uchenna Obiora, respectively, and held that the trial court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the suit.

Mr Nwobu explained that the Court of Appeal’s judgment put to rest the leadership crisis in Anambra PDP.

“You will agree with me that our party has been passing through turbulent times in Anambra. This is occasioned by some disgruntled elements, whose stock in trade is political merchandising,” the PDP chair in Anambra said. “These paid agents’ efforts are geared towards truncating the efforts of PDP to actualise power in the state.”

According to him, the nefarious activities of “these elements” were “perfected as a way of life since 2002.”

Mr Nwobu added, “Their efforts to use the judiciary to emasculate the party and its chances towards achieving power have been once more curtailed through the instrumentality of the judiciary.

“The Appeal Court in Abuja on July 30 was resounding in condemning the order of a high court, which got entangled in matters outside its territorial jurisdiction.”

The PDP chieftain further spoke on the gale of defections hitting PDP in the state, pledging that the party would do everything possible to ensure that genuine members remain.

He threatened that the party would take appropriate sanctions against unrepentant mischief-makers and described the crisis rocking PDP national leadership as “domestic misunderstanding.”