Peace eludes Anambra PDP again

Trouble has again surfaced in the Anambra State branch of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), upon the controversies that attended the recent election of  the Ken Emeakayi led executive

At daggers drawn are the mainstream faction led by Chief Olisa Metuh the party’s national publicity secretary and Comrade Tony Nwoye, the candidate of the party in the last governorship election in the state.

Last week, the faction led by Chief Tony Nwoye, announced the setting up of a parallel executive committee with Prince Ossy Ezenwa as state chairman, while Chief Basil Ejidike is the state secretary. Others named as members of the state executive were Dr. Maduka Nwankwo, Mr Keluo Molokwu, O.C. Chinwuba, Mrs. Jessy Balonwu, Afam Odogwu, Golden Ilo, Ken Arinze and Chuba Oranusi, among others.

Ezenwa, was a former secretary to the Anambra State government in the Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju administration. He was also Nwoye’s campaign manager having served as  Director General of the Tony Nwoye Campaign Organization during the 2013 governorship election in the state. It is believed that he had been primed by Nwoye and his associates including some money bags and influential Anambra politicians to become the next chairman of the state chapter of the party.

The differences between the Nwoye and Metuh camps surfaced just before the Metuh camp elected its executive as Nwoye had faulted the timing of the process.

According to him, Metuh, who is the National Publicity Secretary of the party had published an advertorial that scheduled the ward, local government and state congresses of the party in the state. The advertorial was published just before the last Sallah holidays leaving no time for prospective office seekers to obtain the required bank drafts to obtain the forms to contest for party positions.
The two days between the day of the publication and the commencement of the ward congress, were public holidays, which therefore was the reason most of the aspirants did not have the opportunity to meet the requirements.

So despite the objections of the Nwoye group, the national secretariat of PDP proceeded with the conduct of the primaries which Nwoye’s supporters was tilted to favour Metuh and his associates. They pointed to the fact that an aide of Metuh from Enugu State was sent as head of the Congress Committee and that Emeakayi, a well known associate of Metuh was still returned despite what some claimed to be his alleged anti party activities during the governorship elections of 2014.
So as the congress was held the Nwoye group convened a meeting of its stakeholders from the 21 local government areas in Awka to decide on their next move. At the end of the meeting, the group issued a statement describing the congress held by Olisa Metuh –led group as a nullity and of no effect because there was no level –playing field for all the aspirants. To the group, the people that emerged as officials were predetermined, which they said, was contrary to the wishes of the majority of the PDP members that only full participatory, free, fair and credible congress would ensure the unity of the party in Anambra State.

The response of the Nwoye group was to convene a meeting at the Emmaus House in Awka where they elected their own parallel executive for the party. At that session on Thursday, August 6, 21 persons were elected into the state executive council, 18 persons in each of the 21 local government area executives and 17 in each of the 326 political wards in the state. In all, a total of 6,941 officials at the three levels were elected.

Nwoye used the opportunity to give reasons why he was against Metuh who he said had stayed for too long in the national executive of the party.He said:  “Metuh has stayed too long at the PDP headquarters and he should therefore leave the place as his presence there is having a bad influence on many people working in that office. We in PDP believe in equity. Those who own this party, including former vice president, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Prince Arthur, Sir Emeka Offor, Sir Cletus Ibeto, among others, said I should tell you that you are the authentic PDP.”

“What PDP members demand is to be allowed to conduct free and fair congresses to usher in new leadership. This is where we need the assistance of the national leadership of our great party. Our members are known to accept defeat once the process is credible. What had been causing disaffection in Anambra PDP were attempts to foist unpopular persons as leaders. My belief is that if we get it right this time, no political party will stop us in Anambra State. Our immediate move will be to go for membership drive in all the 326 wards in the state and ensure that all the aggrieved members of the party are reconciled.”

“There have been speculations as to what will be our fate in this party. While we admit that PDP remains ours, we want to use this opportunity to send signals to those who run the party that if they do not get their acts together, the All Progressives Congress, APC, will take over this state.”

The statement was in line with speculation in many quarters that there were pressures on the group to move to APC, at a time it would have dealt a big blow to the PDP structure in Anambra State. And knowing that most of the people in the group are real grass root politicians who had remained together even in the face of the recurring crisis in PDP over the years, indications are that should the group carry out the threat to move, it might result into a big problem for the party in Anambra State.

In the meantime, while assuring the new committees of the support of the stakeholders, Nwoye added that with the inauguration, the officials will be mobilized adequately to enable them carry out the activities of the party at the grass root level. Most of people in the executive committees, he said, are high caliber politicians that have suffered for PDP since its formation, adding that the demand of the people is that the national secretariat should come to Anambra and organize credible congresses at all the levels.

“I want to assure you that the era of some PDP chieftains conniving with the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in this state to undermine PDP’s electoral fortunes is over. The acting national chairman of our great party, Uche Secondus has assured us that ours is the authentic PDP and we are therefore waiting for the national leadership to organize credible congress for us in this state,”Nwoye said.

To the faction’s state chairman, Ezenwa, who is reputed to talk less and do more, those put at the helm of affairs of the party would not disappoint the people and assured PDP supporters that the new executive members were prepared to work. According to him, their assignment had been made easy with the caliber of the new officials. “There is so much work to do and we should start immediately,” he urged the officials.

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