By Okechukwu Onuegbu
The possibilities of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State winning the various federal and state Assembly seats including the Presidential polls in the State for 2023 is in doubt following its recent internal squabble, OKECHUKWU ONUEGBU reports.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which has been enmeshed in a leadership tussle in Anambra State for over a decade, seemed to be reunited since emergence of Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu as State Chairman. Under Nwobu, PDP candidates won three House of Assembly seats at the State legislative chamber, 8 seats for House of Representatives and two Senatorial seats at the 2019 poll.
However, the party despite its relentless efforts could not win the Anambra State 2021 governorship election due to the internal wrangling. The National leadership of the party which recognised Nwobu led executive, had produced Mr Valentine Ozigbo as a Governorship candidate, while the self-styled leader of the party in the state, Chief Chris Uba produced his elder brother, Senator Ugochukwu Uba as a factional gubernatorial candidate.
At the end, the court upheld Ozigbo as the sole Governorship candidate of PDP but due to the internal crisis and other factors, the Governorship candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Charles Soludo won. Again, in what could be described as a seasonal threat to the emancipation of PDP, the crisis has resumed in the party since preparation for the general elections begun.
It started with failure of the party to organise a State Congress to produce a substantive Chairman and other executives that would take the party to the general elections as scheduled. And majority of the party stalwarts, including Mr Emmanuel Obi and Egbunem Okagbue, have started accusing the same Uba of reengineering the current crisis probably to stop reelection of Nwobu or any other person that could prevent him from gaining control of the party.
As if the failed Congress were not enough, the party screened out top Senatorial aspirants such as Ozigbo and Chief Obinna Uzoh, who were contesting for the same Anambra South ticket of the party against the same Uba. When the two appealed their disqualifications, the PDP quickly reversed it, and pronounced the three cleared to contest for the forthcoming Senatorial primary for Anambra South.
Barely some days after the screening, the crisis denied the party an opportunity to elect the three member Ad-hoc Delegates across the 326 electoral wards in Anambra State. The delegates were supposed to join forces with statutory delegates in electing 30 House of Assembly candidates,11 Federal House of Representatives candidates and three Senatorial candidates of the party respectively in Anambra State.
It was also learnt that the delegates would have influence in determining the status of would be 125 delegates of the party in Anambra State that could participate at the PDP primary election where one of the aspirants, Mr Peter Obi, is among the contestants. In other words, Obi's chances at the primary could be scuttled if the State failed to get credible delegates or votes from his home state.
Blueprint learnt that the PDP Adhoc delegates poll slated for April 30 could not hold even on May 1 when it was rescheduled. Alh. Jibrin Ahmed led 5-man panel, which was mandated to conduct the exercise in Anambra State had failed to present the original result sheets as demanded by stakeholders when he visited the PDP Secretariat in Awka.
As a result, it was learnt, the stakeholders asked him to sign that the delegate election was not hold and he did and left. Unfortunately, after the committee was believed to have travelled back to Abuja, results of the delegates poll that never held was reportedly seen on internet and as supposedly submitted to the National Party Secretariat.
Immediately, the Secretary of the Panel, Engr. Ogbonna Victor Okorie wrote the party national leadership, disputing the results thus: "Let it be on record that, 1, ENGR. OGBONNA VICTOR OKORIE - Secretary and member of Anambra State 3 man ad-hoc delegates election is not and can never be part of any purported report being circulated on the internet calming that 3 man ad-hoc delegates election was held in Anambra State. The said signature is absolutely not from my humble self, thereby a forgery.
"The letter in question saying that there was an 'ad-hoc delegates election in Anambra State, is falsehood and deceit which my conscience will not allow me get involved in such criminality and fraud, as there was no such ad-hoc delegates election in Anambra State on April and ist May,2022. The only letter I signed was the one saying that there was no election and the election has been cancelled at the party secraetiarte in Awka and materials handed over to the PDP administrative secretary in Awka alongside the photocopies of results sheets for the election. I never wrote or signed any other documents."
Similarly, 74 State House of Assembly and National Assembly aspirants of the party in Anambra State equally petitioned the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party over the non conduct of three man Ad-hoc delegate election in the state, lamenting that it would affect their chances of winning the general elections.
The aspirants, arising from a meeting held at the party Secretariat last week Wednesday, signed a communique addressed to the NWC through the National Chairman of PDP, Prof. lyorcha Ayu, and recommended that the poll should hold on May 5th 2022 so as not to jeopardize their chances in the 2023 elections.
"Or in the event of exigency of time, the already existing ward and LGA executives can go ahead to conduct the primaries. The same committee for the repeat of 3 Ad Hoc Congress, could equally be mandated to conduct the National delegate elections the next day. We reaffirm our resolution in our meeting with the panel set up by the national leadership of our party headed by H. E. Arapaja in a stakeholders meeting held in the national office of our party on 26th April 2022 that the state Congress of our party should be concluded, which we were later informed that it has been scheduled for Wednesday 4th 2022 by the National Working Committee. We pray that it should be held as scheduled so that we have a state leadership of the party to lead our campaigns for the forthcoming general elections and for peace and stability of the party in Anambra State. We reaffirm our confidence in the leadership of our great party and trust their ability to lead us to victory in the forthcoming general elections," they maintained.
There had not been official reports to show the official position of the national leadership of PDP to the appeals made by both the Committee Secretary for the botched Adhoc delegates poll and that of the 74 aspirants of PDP in the state. However, PDP hopes to conduct primary elections for States House of Assembly on 18th of May; House of Representatives on 20th Of May; Senate on 21st Of May; and Governorship on 23rd of May, 2022.