Palpable fear has gripped the rank and file of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the seeming imposition of the former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism under the Peter Obi administration, Chief JoeMartins Uzodike, as the Secretary of the Anambra PDP Chairman.
Uzodike who served as the Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) whom he worked as his Campaign Director-General in the November 2013, governorship election is to work with Prince Ken Emeakayi who was returned unopposed as the new Chairman of the party in the State.
The Returning Officer of the Anambra State PDP Congress, Ike Abonyi, a veteran journalist had announced Emeakayi as an unopposed winner for the chairmanship position while Mr. Nzube James Etoniru was elected as the Secretary.
But the fresh move to replace Etoniru, with Uzodike, who is also from Idemili South LGA is seen by political pundits as a masterstroke by the former governor Obi to have a firm grip of PDP’s structure ahead of the 2018 and 2019 gubernatorial and Presidential elections.
The former governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi, it was gathered, is behind the fresh move to foist Uzodike as the new scribe of PDP.
Emeakayi had secured a total of 958 votes to emerge victorious in the State Congress of the Party held at Emmaus House, Awka Sarturday, July 23, this year.
The State Congress monitored by Godfrey Nsofor from INEC’s Elections and Party Monitoring unit was organized to elect State Executives for the party after the national leadership sacked all the factions contending for leadership in the Stare, including the Emeakayi and Ejike Oguenego factions.
In the stead, the National Working Committee of the PDP had set up a Caretaker Committee to run the affairs of the party preparatory to the 2015 general elections.
The move to impose Uzoduike as the Secretary of PDP in Anambra State is generating tension in the party, with loyalist of the elected Secretary backed by anti-Obi elements and godfathers threatening to resist the move.
According to our investigation, Chief Obi who dumped APGA for PDP was believably offered the ticket of the running mate to former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu in the 2019 Presidential election should he deliver the next governor of Anambra State to PDP in the 2018 governorship election.
Obi, after failing as the Deputy Director-General of PDP to return President Goodluck Jonathan to power in the 2015 Presidential election, Chief Obi is under pressure to remain politically relevant, hence the fresh move.
The foisting of Uzodike, a lawyer and persuasive political communicator on PDP, we gathered, put to rest the worry behind Chief Obi’s father Christmas gestures to schools and religious organizations over one year after leaving office.
The donations, which ruffled feathers, in some quarters, are seem as a precursor to plans kept in Obi’s chest to make a political statement of his grip of the State over one year he left office.
Chief Obi dumped APGA for PDP in a controversial manner at a colourful ceremony held at his Niger Drive residence, Onitsha, few weeks to the Presidential election, contending his move was to make him remain political relevant in national politics and work for Jonathan’s botched return to power in the 2015 Presidential election.
Apart from Emeakayi, others winners were Mr. Emeka Nzekwe – Publicity Secretary (Anambra East), Prince Eddy Okosi (Youth Leader (Onitsha North), Wilson Anakwe – Treasurer ((Awka South), Sa-Ben Nwosu – Organizing Secretary (Nnewi North), Afam Akonnaya – Legal Adviser (Njikoka).
The post of the Financial Secretary was contested by Mr. Ekedozie and Egwuoyibo Okoye both from Nnewi South LGA as well as the post of Women Leader vied by Mrs Grace Okeke and Ego Afuegbu, both from Dunukofia LGA.
The post of the Financial Secretary was contested by Mr. Ekedozie and Egwuoyibo Okoye both from Nnewi South LGA as well as the post of Women Leader vied by Mrs Grace Okeke and Ego Afuegbu, both from Dunukofia LGA.
The victory of the immediate past Chairman of the Anambra State PDP, Emeakayi, it was learnmjt, has not gone down well with other chieftains of the party, some of who shunned the State Congress.
Among those who diod not participate in the Congress include the former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme; Senator Onyeabo Obi,member PDP Board of Trustees; Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary; Iyom Josephine Anenih, member of BOT; serving Senators, Andy Uba, Uche Ekwunife and Stella Oduah.
Also among the delegates who absented themselves from the exercise and current members House of Representatives on the platform of PDP, included , Chukwuka Onyema, Linda Ikpeazu, Eucharia Azodo, Sopuluchukwu Onwuka, and Emeka Anohu as well as three PDP members of the State House of Assembly.
Also among the delegates who absented themselves from the exercise and current members House of Representatives on the platform of PDP, included , Chukwuka Onyema, Linda Ikpeazu, Eucharia Azodo, Sopuluchukwu Onwuka, and Emeka Anohu as well as three PDP members of the State House of Assembly.
A total of 968 delegates from the 21 local government areas were accredited to vote in contestants who vied for 26 positions.
From Uche Osibe
