Top members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra state yesterday in Awka raised alarm that the parallel congresses organized at the weekend in Awka by two factions of the party was a clear prelude to losing the governorship seat to a rival political party.
Addressing a news conference in Awka yesterday, a top chieftain of the party who also identified himself as one of the founding fathers of PDP, Chief Godian Ezufoh noted that irreconcilable internal differences and bickering in the party led to loss of the governorship election on Feb 6, 2010 by Prof Chukwuma Soludo to the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA.
He said it was so painful and regrettable especially in the face of below average performance of Peter Obi- led APGA administration. He pointed out that it as reason Gov Obi is now using all manner of antics, gifts of rice, cash, cars and other subtle methods to pull a wool over the eyes of the citizens.
This reaction was coming on the heels of the weekend’s parallel congresses in Awka here Senator Andy Uba and his onetime political son, Tony Nwoye emerged victorious.
However political observers, including Chief Ezufoh noted that the national secretariat of the party now has an uphill task to sanitize the party in the state once and for all. He accused Nwoye of using below the belt tactics to procure his ‘victory’, while he saw Senator Uba as acting out of tune with time tested democratic principles, when he for the umpteenth time ignored the directives of the national headquarters of the party and organized a private congress where he was programmed to win and ‘won’.
A member of the G21 Group of the party in Anaocha LGA of the state, Dr Kenneth Azinge expressed concern that “Nwoye was found to have defaulted in the payment of his annual taxes, as at when due, and was consequently disqualified by the party’s screening panel. That it was amazing that all the boastings by his sponsors, backers and supporters that things must sway in their favor on the return of the Party chiefs that went on lesser hajj actually worked out accordingly.
He also accused most of the aspirants of using all manner of tactics alien to democracy- like the unleashing of various named campus cult groups to manipulate the primary processes and subdue his opponents.
A female supporter of one of the aspirants who gave her name as Mrs Felicia Odiuko said they were gearing up to embark on a non stop demonstration, ” the National Working Working committee of the party do the honorable thing and flush out all the trouble makers in the party in when state and bring out a bridge builder who must be a first face.
In specific language, Odiuko stated that only Charles Odunukwe, Walter Okeke, Mrs Agape Kramer and Patrick Sule Ugboma, amongst others, all of who have no godfathers should be screened to stand before the party to select from.
The party chiefs feared that except President Jonathan moves fast to arrest the ugly situation unfolding in Anambra now, then is 2015 may have started to suffer another bad leg in the South East already. And it has every potential of festering to other states in the zone, like when APGA captured Anambra through a court ruling.
They were disturbed that security reports would come after the duo of Uba and Nwoye, stressing that Anambra won’t have two GUBER candidates.
