Anambra PDP crisis and the 2010 race

Andy Uba has gone to the Supreme Court on three occasions but lost his prayer that Obi’s return was illegal and unconstitutional. Uba has now gone to the Court of Appeal which had earlier maintained that the governorship election of Uba which the Supreme Court differed on should stand. While the waiting game continues on […]

Andy Uba has gone to the Supreme Court on three occasions but lost his prayer that Obi’s return was illegal and unconstitutional. Uba has now gone to the Court of Appeal which had earlier maintained that the governorship election of Uba which the Supreme Court differed on should stand.

While the waiting game continues on the outcome of the suit, campaigns for 2010 are being done on a low key as aspirants are not keen on spending money on campaign and setting up structures while Uba’s suit is yet to be determined.

But that is not the only headache for politicians, especially those in the PDP, a party that, in the thinking of political observers, continues to swim from one crisis to another. Already, an army of governorship candidates has declared intention to contest the elections, some serious while others are seen as pretenders. They include Chief Andy Uba, Barrister Kenneth Odidika, Dandison Ugochukwu Okeke, Tony Nnacheta, Emma Anosike, Chuma Nwofor, Osita Ezenwa, Sam Ikefuna, Senator Annie Okonkwo, Hon. Nicholas Ukachukwu, Barrister  Emeka Agbapuonwu,    Dr Eugene Ezekwueche, Mrs  Chika Ibeneme,  Okey Muo-Aroh and  George Ike Okoye.

Others are Professor Dora Akunyili, Comrade Tony Nwoye, Dr Ifedi Okwenna, Dr Alex Obiogbolu, Deacon Benson Okeke, Tony Ezeani, Bridget Obi, Dr Jerry Ugokwe, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, Chris Uba, Professor Ilochi Okafor, Princess Mmaegbunam Osita-Agwuna,  Chief  Osita Chidoka, Chief  Kodilichukwu Okelewe, and Chief Frank Oramulu.

After Andy Uba was ousted from power, the Nwoye-led executive of the party was sacked and a peace and reconciliation committee led by Professor Jerry Gana was set up to find out the grouse of the members. It came and completed its assignment.

A congress that ensued saw Nwoye teaming up with Senator Annie Okonkwo, who is eyeing the seat of governor come 2010. The camp did not conduct the congress following a court order obtained by Prince Ken Emeakayi. But the Bright Nebedum camp loyal to Andy Uba conducted its congress under the chairmanship of the Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Honourable Anayo Nnebe.

Later, the party set up the Chuma Nwofor-led congress committee to conduct the congress within one month. But crisis trailed it. While it set out to carry out its assignment, the Nwobodo Congress Monitoring Committee came and hijacked its assignment, forcing Nwofor to cry out. His petition, though acknowledged, did not save him his office as he was sacked. A fresh congress was being planned when the national leadership of the party felt the crisis had gone beyond resolution and restored the Emordi-led executive.

While Emordi preached peace and reconciliation, the Ukachukwu camp, to which Ifeatu Obi-Okoye belogs, claimed it was the authentic state executive and called for the rejection of the Emordi group.  Obi-Okoye went to court and was restored but the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP refused to abide by the order, and insisted on Emordi, a loyalist of Chris Uba.

The Ifeatu Obi-Okoye-led faction loyal to Ukachukwu had rejected Emordi’s return insisting that “the NWC’s recognition of the Emordi-led executive in Anambra state is totally unacceptable.

“That the said Emordi-led executive was dissolved in 2006 by the NWC and the NEC [National Executive Council] for fraud and grave antiparty activities, and that Emordi and some members of his said executive were expelled from the party by the NEC.

“That Emordi and majority of the members of his executive decamped from PDP and joined Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in 2007, of which Emordi was made chairman.

“That the Emordi-led executive was nullified by the Ogidi High court on December 21, 2005, and that Ekwuluobia High court in 2008 delivered judgment which declared the Obi Okoye-led executive as the authentic existing PDP executive in Anambra pending the state congress and that this judgment still exists.

“That PDP stands the chance of not wining any single election in Anambra state if the Emordi executive is allowed to lead PDP in the state.

“That we call on the NWC to work with Professor Jerry Gana’s report and conduct free and transparent congress in Anambra or, in the alternative, recognise the Obi Okoye-led executive pending congress as contained in the court judgment”.

But the national leadership of the party insisted on Emordi and, on the occasion of a stakeholders’ meeting of the party, Chris Uba attended and restated PDP’s resolve to recapture power in 2010.

According to Uba, while addressing party supporters, “In 2003, Ngige came in and the problem began and since then, there had been one problem or the other to the extent that some people carried the propaganda that I wanted to be governor.

“I am not cut out to be a governor. I am cut out to be a king maker. For what was happening in the party, I decided to step aside. Now, I am back. But no sooner did I come out than many people wanted me to endorse them as governor and I made it clear that the most important thing is to build the party.   

“I want to assure you that PDP has come to stay in Anambra. The only reason why there appears to be confusion in the party is due to the selfish interest of the governorship aspirants and elected people who want to retain their positions.  

“There are up to 30 people aspiring to be governor and we must organise free and fair primary elections for all of them. Members of the present executive will not visit any governorship aspirant until somebody emerges as the party’s candidate. For now, we have decided to hand over the party to a true politician. The last time a true politician led this state was when Mbadinuju was governor.   

“God has placed this party in my hands and I urge everybody to join me in moving the party forward and achieve our aim of moving into Government House in 2010,” Chris Uba said.

However, Emeka Agbapuonwu, a one-time South-East Zonal Financial Secretary of the PDP, accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of sowing the seed of crisis and discord in the party in the state.

“This undemocratic PDP foisted on Anambra state by Chief Obasanjo created a situation similar to what we have in Afghanistan: almost all the political heavy weights went into the trench with their supporters using other political parties as a smokescreen to fight PDP.  Each warlord carved out a territory, spoiling for a fight. That is Anambra state for you. Each time nominations or primary elections were supposed to come up, each of these warlords would produce his own list which would be sent to the national headquarters for harmonisation. This takes the place of an election. This is the situation in which PDP in the state unfortunately finds itself. This is why an intra-party election is hard to succeed in the state.  Unless all these warlords and their foot-soldiers are dismantled, disarmed and discouraged from political militancy, PDP will never have a credible nomination process or internal democracy”, Agbapuonwu said.

On what would be the fate of the PDP if it failed to resolve its internal crisis ahead of the 2010 governorship election in the state, Agbapuonwu said: “I have always believed that the greatest problem PDP has is putting its house in order. PDP’s greatest opponent is PDP itself. If PDP is able to install internal democracy and allow popular candidates to emerge and be able to midwife a credible nomination process for the governorship candidates, nothing will stop its occupation of Government House Awka in 2010; but if it fails [to do that], its candidates and members will scatter to other parties and mount opposition to it.”     

But while the Emordi-led State Executive loyal to Chris Uba is still battling not only a credibility problem but also the opposition of the Nebedum-Andy Uba group as well as the threat of the Ukachukwu-Obi-Okoye as well as the Okonkwo-Nwoye factions, a surprise pact was made. Obi-Okoye dumped Ukachukwu, threw in the towel, and supported the Emordi-led group. But Emeakayi said Obi-Okoye was on his own.

Only time shall tell what becomes of both the Okonkwo and Andy Uba factions, as rumours are making the  rounds that the APGA governor, Mr P

eter Obi, is being wooed to join the party and run as the PDP governorship candidate in 2010. Though INEC reportedly said it would conduct the 2010 election, it was yet to begin the process, forcing a civil society group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Inter-Society), led by Emeka Umeagbalasi, to sue the Commission for foot dragging.

For now, the PDP in Anambra state is still analysing the action taken by Obi-Okoye supporting the Emordi-led state executive and its implication on the Emordi leadership and the crisis being championed by other factions of which he is the arrow-head