Recipe for PDP in Anambra guber. As the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State draws near, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), both in the state and at the national level, are still embroiled in the crisis or another, which may lead to the party not presenting a candidate for the election. Top notchers of the party have been fingered as the arrowheads behind the entire crisis in the state, as they are alleged to have compromised on their double standards in the handling of the affairs of the party in the state. For example, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, in May, wrote a letter to the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega affirming Mr. Ejike oguebego as the authentic chairman of the party in Anambra State. Last August, Prince Chibudum Nwuchem then Acting Deputy National Chairman of PDP, wrote another letter to INEC forwarding the name of Ken Emeakayi, as the state chairman of the party. Now there’s a controversy as to who’s the chairman of the state. However, Prof. Attahiru Jega was said to have ignored the last letter written by Nwuche and went ahead to endorse Mr. Oguebego, as reflected in the letter to the PDP, signed by the former INEC secretary, Mr. Kaigama. The commission was said to have acted on the strength of the previous letter from Tukur. The INC chairman was quoted to have told the PDP executives, who visited his office recently, that he would not accept the letter from Nwuche and that Tukur’s letter subsists until withdrawn by him. On the submission of candidate’s names, there is no doubt that PDP is now at a loss to what to do about Tony Nwoye, who was announce as winner of the congress held by Ken Emeakayi’s faction. This is because his nomination, from every material particular, does not meet the provision of the Electoral Act. For one the electoral law states that for any ward congress to be valid, it must be conducted by the state executives of the party, where such executives are in place, while the state congress for the primary for the emergence of the standard bearer for the party will be done by National Working Committee (NWC) of the party with authority from the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party. Equally both congresses are deemed legal if monitored by INEC. From what happened, the nomination of Nwoye met two requirements, as the congress was conducted by a state executive faction and supervised by the national body of the PDP. However, INEC did not monitor it. Also, the nomination of Senator Andy Uba, by the Ejike Oguebego faction was said to have been monitored by INEC, but was not supervised by the national body of the party. It was, however, conducted by a parallel state executive. With this, PDP should be worried that the congresses, by the factions in Anambra, did not meet the requirements of the law. According to a source in the party, this is why the national body is contemplating either conducting fresh primaries or nominating one of the aspirants that participated in the congresses, other than Uba and Nwoye. Indeed, party loyalists have queried the action of Tukur for hurriedly presenting PDP certificate of return to Nwoye, when his earlier letter to INEC has not been withdrawn and when there several court cases over the exercise. There appears to be agenda being played out by the national chairman of the party, which may be an albatross to the success of the party in the state. This is so because, when there are obvious act of indiscretion, at a time when a crucial election is coming, this more than meets the eyes. Perhaps, PDP does not know that the oppositions in the state is watching and waiting to take advantage of the mistakes the party is making. For the opposition, crisis in the PDP is a blessing. I am persuaded that PDP could make amend. The only option left for the party at this crucial stage is to reconcile all the warring factions, advise them to withdraw all the court cases and then settle for a consensus candidate through the conduct of a fresh primaries or through electoral college. In seeking for a consensus candidate, if the party really wants to win Anambra State governorship election, is for it to beam its searchlight in the direction of any of the aspirants who is not involved in the factionalisation of the party, a person that has massive acceptance by divergent groups in the state, that include the churches, student youths and the traders. Equally, the candidate should be grassroots politician, someone that will be acceptable and serve as a bridge to all the stakeholders. Above all, the person must have credibility and should stand shoulders high above candidates of the other parties. Among the aspirants that vied for the ticket of PDP, its not difficult to find the person the cap fits. Observation of the events in Anambra would reveal a man, among the aspirants, who has done much for the state. He has built vocational centre, student hostel, church buildings and offered scholarship to many indigent students. He has support among members of the Catholic Church, to the extent that youths had come openly to endorse him. In Anambra and make independent enquiry on how to get this aspirant, that has grassroots support as well as has the confidence of the elite. Such research would help the party to pick the consensus candidate. It may be difficult to believe that what is currently playing out in PDP in Anambra is a well-orchestrated plan that will lead to the party not presenting a candidate for the November election. Those holding that line of the party in Abuja is playing out a script, in line with a purported deal by the Presidency and Governor Peter Obi, to pave way for the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to win the election in the state, as a way of appreciating the support Obi has been giving to the President. The APGA candidate, who will then be in power in 2015, will rally massive support for the President in his 2015 presidential ambition. If that insinuation is anything to go by, it simply means that PDP has finally dug its grave and played into the hands of the All Progressives Congresses (APC), because that will only be a great opportunity for Senator Andy Chris Ngige to defeat both Obi and his candidate, having achieved the feat earlier in the senatorial contest when he defeated the combined effort of Obi and Dora Akunyili. That will end up a smooth sail to the government house for Ngige and APC. And PDP will lose out again, as in 2010. This post was written by Okechukwu from Onitsha.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 14:02:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015