Loading ...The political musical chairs is setting in Anambra and the prospective gladiators are readying for the closeout battle for the opportunity for control of the State treasury for the next four years. The People Democratic Party [PDP] which had suffered blasphemy in the hands of glutton mismanagement and maladministration find themselves up in arms again for a peep into the Anambra treasury. Information available to 247ureports.com indicates that the upcoming PDP primaries scheduled for next week may not hold as scheduled – that is if the brewing fracas are not doused.
Shortly following the newsbreak of Oseloka Obaze’s clearance to partake in the gubernatorial primaries, youths took to the streets of Anambra in Onitsha and Awka to protest against a perceived injustice and alleged bribery of PDP screening Committee officials. The leaders of the youth protest alleged the leadership of PDP in Anambra State were acting under financial inducement when they cleared Oseloka Obaze. They pointed to the ‘backdoor’ workings of the former governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter Obi as the causative reason for the PDP leadership to make an about-turn on their previous leaning to disqualify Oseloka Obaze. Peter Obi’s choice candidate is Oseloka Obaze, according to the protesting youths in Onitsha.
Worsening an already odorized situation is the recent litigation brought about by a former chairman of the PDP in Anambra, Chief Ken Emeakayi – who took the PDP to court challenging the recent activities of the party in the State. The weight of the court case may not be certain but the national chairman, Senator Makarfi in talking to 247ureports.com discounted the weight of the case as weightless and “has no effect” on the actions the PDP is taking. In his words, “postponement [of the primaries] has nothing to do with any court issues”.
But that is not to say that the PDP Chairman is not cognizant of the improprieties taking place within the party in Anambra against the gubernatorial selection process. A source in Anambra who claims to be a part of the process indicates that the head of the committee [Jerry Gana] was dismissed because of allegations of bribery and backdoor dealing with political godfathers. In talking with the PDP national, he failed short of confirming the allegation outright. But he acknowledged that the PDP has been forced to rearrange the personnel and the mode of operation. “We are reorganizing the committees”.
Further complicating matters for the PDP is the issue of recent entrants into the party attempting to commandeer the entire structure of the state. Persons like Peter Obi, Oseloka Obaze, Ifeanyi Uba and others are reported to have gotten a perceived undue edge in the race to Anambra governorship tussle. The community members from where Oseloka Obaze hails from in the north senatorial district, allege Obaze remains a member of his former party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA]. The claim comes from the Ochuche ward where Obaze registered as a member of the APGA. They claim that Obaze did not formerly declare his exist from the party as Peter Obi had done when he declared for the PDP. Peter Obi had written an official letter to the leadership of APGA declaring his decision to exist the party.
With Oseloka Obaze and Ifeanyi Uba in the lineup for the primaries, party faithfuls grumble over the need for recent entrants to wait their turn – and not jump the line. They fear that if the party ticket is given to the winner of the primaries, the losers will turn to engage in anti-party activities to undermine the party – and possibly join forces with the APGA candidate.
Presently, the PDP hopes for a smooth sail to the primaries. The PDP have had its share of unbridled difficulties in mounting a reasonable campaign to capture the governorship seat in Anambra State since the election tribunal ejected the PDP government in 2006. It remains uncertain if the PDP can surmount the obstacles present a win on November 18.
