CONTROVERSY trailing the outcome of the August 24 primaries of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as a result of the parallel congress conducted by the party has continued to be an albatross to the party as the November 16 gubernatorial election for the state draws closer.
The chairman of the party’s observer committee, Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, had prior to the conduct of the primaries failed to secure a consensus candidate among the aspirants.
In the parallel congresses, Senator Andy Ubah had emerged as candidate of the Oguebego faction while Mr. Tony Nwoye won the primaries of the Ejike Emeakayi faction.
Before the commencement of the primaries held by the Emeakayi faction, which was conducted by the PDP national body, Governor Shema had invited all the aspirants to a meeting in the office of the Anambra State Police Commissioner. Among those who attended were Emeakayi, Senator Ndoma Egba, the police commissioner and other members of the observer committee.
In the meeting, Shema asked the aspirants to meet and agree on a consensus candidate so that the committee’s job would be easy. It was gathered that the aspirants, except Senator Andy Ubah, who attended the primaries of the Oguebego faction, met and came out with a resolution. The aspirants stated that they and the delegates would vote at the primaries if the court injunctions against the exercise were vacated.
Part of the resolution reached by the aspirants with Shema and his group was that, taking into consideration the controversies trailing the conduct of the ward congress, that the best thing for the party to do under the prevailing circumstance was for only statutory delegates to vote and select a candidate for the party after all the court cases have been vacated. The resolution was signed by the following aspirants: Emma Anosike, Charles Odunukwe, Akachukwu Nwankpo, Mike Okoye, Obinna Uzoh, Jerry Ugokwe, Agape Ifunanya Dike, Ugochukwu Okeke and Josephine Anenih.
As a result of the resolution some of the aspirants have to leave for their various houses with the belief that the most appropriate thing for the Shema committee to do was to send a situation report to the national body of the party who sent it.
The situation is becoming worrisome because based on what is happening, it is like the leadership of the party does not want the party to win Anambra state. How can you reconcile a situation whereby the party have kept deaf ear to all that have been happening in the state; despite all the court cases before the primaries, they did not deem it wise to vacate the injunctions before conducting their primaries. They may end up playing into the hands of their detractors, or is it a deliberate ploy for the whole scenario to play out this way.
The PDP has up to the middle of September to submit the name of its candidate to INEC. With this, history is repeating itself in PDP, considering that in 2010, there were issues over the primaries and the party submitted the name of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, former
Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor, as its candidate which led to Senator Ubah defecting to the Labour Party, LP, as candidate, Hon Uche Ekwunife to the Progressives People’s Alliance, PPA, while Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu pitched his tent with Hope Democratic Party.
The party still has the opportunity to right all the wrongs with the intervention of Mr. Presidents by calling all the stakeholders together and come up with an acceptable, credible and grassroots politician who can deliver the state to the party.
Failure for PDP to heed to these will only result in APC through Chris Ngige taking over Anambra state