Arthur Eze, Obi, Metuh, Anyim at war over PDP’s control In Anambra State

                             Obiano taking salute at NYSC Batch 'C'

Less than three months to the 2015 general elections, an intense power struggle is playing out in Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which may threaten the party’s chances in the polls.

Daily Sun gathered that in the run-up to the National As­sembly poll, the party is already divided into two major camps: one is spearheaded by Chief Ar­thur Eze and the other, made up of Chief Olisa Metuh and for­mer Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, with the backing of the Secretary to the Govern­ment of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.

The bone of contention, it was gathered, was the plan to confer leadership of the party on Obi, who is being considered by those opposed to the two camps as “a new entrant in PDP.”

The PDP in the state was also divided along individual ambitions on elective positions in 2015, and most importantly, who would lead President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign in the state.

Another major area of con­tention was the opposition to take instructions from Abuja on some preferred candidates for elective positions.

Already, sources within the party said candidates that would fly the party’s flag in the polls had been pencilled down, almost to the exclusion of other aspirants.

It was gathered that the com­petition was fiercer for the Sen­ate election in the state.

Daily Sun learnt that the preferred PDP candidate for Anambra Central Senato­rial District was Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment, Uche Ekwunife. But there was stiff opposition to her choice within the party because it was gathered that Eze preferred Senator Annie Okonkwo, who was vice chairman of the Sen­ate Committee on Environment and Ecology in the sixth Senate between 2007 and 2011.

Also, it was gathered that some elements in the Presi­dency preferred Dr. Obiora Okonkwo for the ticket.

The common link between Ekwunife and Okonkwo, is that they have just returned to the party having defected from All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the All Progres­sives Congress (APC) respec­tively.

Ekwunife’s candidacy re­portedly had the anointing of a top shot in the Presidency but the remaining two senatorial districts were said to be up for grabs.

In Anambra North, it is a keen contest between incum­bent Senator Margery Chuba- Okadigbo, who is being tipped to return to the Senate for a sec­ond term, as she only got into the Senate in 2012, and for­mer Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, who is allegedly being backed by Senator Anyim, who is from Ebonyi State.

Oduah’s candidacy is also being backed by Obi.

In Anambra South Sena­torial District, it was unclear whether Senator Andy Uba would eventually clinch the ticket, as some top members of the PDP in the state had another candidate lined up to wrest the ticket from him.

Sources in the party said with two party executives lay­ing claim to being the genuine executive, and a court order that status quo be maintained until tomorrow, when the mat­ter would likely be resolved, Chief Chris Uba had allegedly purchased the form to contest the senatorial seat for the dis­trict.

The groundswell of the pow­er play, however, is for control of the party apparatus before the primaries, which has now been shifted to December 7.

Sources privy to the intense power play told Daily Sun at the weekend that the SGF, Obi, PDP National Chairman, Ad­amu Mu’azu and Eze had been drafted to ensure that “no one but Obi leads the campaigns for not only the party but also, President Jonathan in 2015 in the state.

“The strategy is quite sim­ple: with the backing from Abuja, he will be handed the party structure and also, work with known party faithful, in­cluding those who recently defected from opposition par­ties,” the source said.

It was also gathered that the main reason for handing over the party structure to Obi was that “when he was a sitting governor, he ensured that Jona­than won the state in 2011. But they forget that as governor, Obi did not do the work alone; he worked with committed party faithful. This new plan may backfire because some of us have been in the trenches before he defected to the PDP.”

Written by Detutu Folashade-Koyi for The Sun