By Joe Chukindi, Awka
More facts have emerged as to why the former senator representing Anambra Central zone on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Uche Ekwunife had to leave the party for the All Progressive Congress, APC.
A source, close to the former senator who preferred to speak under the cover of anonymity told our correspondent that the senator did not leave the PDP on her own volition, but was almost forced out of the party because of her over ambitiousness.
The source said, “Some people in the party had calculated that if she was allowed to fly the flag of the party in the forthcoming election, if she wins, she will gather more clout in the senate in the next one year, and will come back to run for the governorship.
“Because of this, some people in the party who were equally interested in the governorship position and were afraid that Ekwunife may snatch the ticket from them if she was allowed to go to the senate on the platform of the party now conspired and stopped her.”
According to the source, there were three major sources that worked to stop Ekwunife from flying PDP’s ticket, and they include; Anambra State government, on the instigation of Chief Victor Umeh, the PDP state Chairman, Prince Ken Emeakayi and Senator Andy Uba.
Uba who still remains a force to reckon with in the state PDP is said to be interested in the governorship position of the state, and had sponsored the stakeholders meeting of the party, just as he was said to have met with the leadership of the party to hatch the plot.
It was also worse for Ekwunife as she had during the protracted leadership tussle in the state PDP not supported Prince Emeakayi.
Our source said, “You remember that Madam convened a stakeholders meeting at the former Tourist Garden Hotel, Now Olivia Montage Hotel, but what many did not know was that even though she was seeking peace for the party, she was also against Ken Emeakayi emerging, and Emeakayi knew this, and saw this as opportunity to repay her.”
As for the state government, it was still unclear how it worked to stop Ekwunife from flying the PDP flag, but it was gathered that it was through the instigation of the APGA candidate, Chief Umeh who harped on the disqualification of Ekwunife by the Appeal Court judgment.
The source stated that what PDP members did not know was that while they were hatching a way to stop her, she was also meeting APC top notches in Abuja to perfect her defection.
“Madam said she decided to move after a press man called her to say PDP was placing an advertisement that the scheduled primaries would no longer hold because of the arrest of its spokes person, Chief Metuh by the EFCC, but that was not the truth.
“She had already started making her moves to leave before then, which is the reason Ngige told journalists that she had already met party functionaries and himself in Abuja on her defection plans. What I can just say is that a lot of people, within and outside PDP are afraid of Ekwunife for many reasons too.”
