IN THE history of Nigeria’s political development, perhaps no other state’s party congresses that recorded the most political casualties like Anambra State. Instructively, the fatalities have always been at great cost to the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
As at press time Thursday, it was evident that the stage was being prepared for the next victim of Anambra PDP cauldron.
The parallel congresses held by sections of the party’s stakeholders in the state with representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC superintending over one, while only national officers of the party served as observers of the other have sooner precipitated into a telling crisis whose end may appear to be still far away yet, very near.
For instance, last night, the party’s national secretariat suspended Senator Andy Uba who was produced as the party’s gubernatorial candidate in one of the parallel congresses in the state. Four other members thought to be the senator’s loyalists were also suspended. They include: Chris Uba, a factional chairman of the PDP in Anambra, Ejike Oguebego, Benji Udeozor, and Tonia Nwankwu.
The suspension was contained in a letter addressed individually to the five men. The letters were signed by the party’s Acting National Secretary, Remi Akintoye.
Andy Uba had won the PDP governorship ticket for Anambra at the parallel primary conducted by the Oguebego leadership of the party in the state. But PDP national headquarters has recognised Tony Nwoye, elected at another congress, as the party’s flag bearer for the Anambra governorship election in November.
The interim injunction obtained by Uba restraining PDP from presenting Nwoye to INEC as the party’s candidate has since added to the baggage of obstacles between the party and its bid for Anambra government house, Awka in 2014.
The development has since thrown up various scenarios as to how the saga may play out at the end of the day.
Some observers hold that the party may be toying with a similitutde of the ugly experience in Rivers State in 2003 when Celestine Omehia was removed as the governor for the incumbent Rotimi Amaechi who did not stand for the election in his first term.
The Nwoye option largely touted as the party’s choice days ago was not flying among party men and women in Anambra at press time as PDP elders posited that the youthful politician may not be able to positively fly the flag of the party “given the intricacies of Anambra politics.”
As at press time, the situation did not change or improve, instead it was getting worse. Whereas Tony Nwoye, Senator Andy Uba and Nicholas Ukachukwu have been booked for sanction by the party, the task of choosing a suitable and acceptable candidate for the party has not been sorted out. The party chiefs were reported to be shopping for a flag bearer without any political baggage and blemish, and the trio of Uba, Nwoye and Ukachukwu allegedly, did not fit the card.
Meanwhile, while the candidates of other parties have rolled out their campaign trains already touring and criss-crossing the state, PDP is still brandying words as to who would fly its flag at the Nov 16 election.
Already the just elected candidates for the
campaign tours round the state.
But beyond the scenarios painted above is the critical factor of the continued leadership of Bamanga Tukur as chairman of the PDP after tomorrow’s convention of the party.
This has become an issue following revelations last night that the ruling party may be shopping for a successor to the Adamawa State born politician in the wake of allegations of financial improprieties against him.
“It is true. The chairman compromised his office in his dealings with most of the governorship candidates in Anambra primaries. His wife too was neck-deep in it. We hope to get someone to replace him at the convention if we must still be relevant not just in Anambra but also in national politics come 2015,” retorted a PDP national officer last night in Abuja.
If the above plays out, then PDP primaries in Anambra State would be consuming yet another national officer of the party after Vincent Ogbulafor and Okwesilize Nwodo. Is Anambra State about to live up to its billing as PDP’s show stopper