Zoning of key offices and attempts to hijack the party structure ahead 2019 politics set key members of Imo State wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on collision course, Assistant Editor (South East), CHRISTIAN NWOKOCHA, writes.
The dream by the major opposition political party in Imo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) government led by Governor Rochas Okorocha in 2019 may remain far-fetched following issues arising from its controversial congresses in the state. This is in addition to alleged attempts by some party chieftains to hijack its structure against the interest of other members who, it is feared, may defect to other political parties.
The party’s congresses from ward to the state levels were rescheduled on several occasions following attempts by notable members of the party to dominate the process. The ward congresses, which took place under stressful moments, can be described as a huge joke. While some party members claimed that most of the ward leaders were handpicked by moneybags, the official results of the exercise at the local government level are yet to be released due to allegations of the outcome being tampered with by those desperate to secure the party’s governorship ticket in 2019.
The three major power players within the state’s PDP hierarchy are Senator Hope Uzodinma (Orlu zone), the former Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha (Owerri zone), and former Governor Ikedi Ohakim (Okigwe zone). Each of the three is incidentally nursing governorship ambition in 2019, desperately in need of the entire party structure to secure the party’s ticket.
Uzodinma is alleged to be working with Governor Okorocha of APC, who incidentally comes from the same senatorial zone with him, for a swap of offices in 2019. The deal, according to sources, would entail Uzodinma paving way for Okorocha to contest and become senator after his second tenure as governor, while Okorocha is, on his own, expected to pave way for Uzodinma to become governor. Working on the alleged deal with Okorocha, Uzodinma appears desperate to have firm grip of the party structure in the state to ensure he secures the party governorship ticket in 2019.
Ihedioha, the party’s governorship candidate in 2015, is also not taking the matter lightly. There are indications that he still has a firm grip of the party structure from the national headquarters to the state level given the prominent role he played in his last position as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. Though he lost his governorship bid in 2015, he is seen as enjoying the loyalty of members, particularly from his zone, who are working hard to ensure he maintains the grip of the party’s structure to enable him secure its ticket in 2019.
In similar stead, though Ohakim lost his second tenure bid in 2011 to Okorocha, he appears not done until he wins another four-year tenure. He is undoubtedly in charge of his senatorial zone and wields lots of influence in the area. The former governor is also working hard to ensure he has a firm grip of the party structure to enable him secure its ticket.
While the three push their agenda desperately, there are fears that they may drive the PDP into similar mistakes that made it lose to Okorocha in 2011. Among these factors, imposition of candidates, greed, total disregard to the party’s constitution, anti-party activities, mutual suspicion among members and unwillingness to let go contributed a lot to PDP’s loss of power in Imo in 2011, and at the national level last year.
In what seemed a replay of the old order, the state congress of the party slated for Wednesday, May 18, 2016 was postponed indefinitely. The main issue for now is about who will produce the state chairman of the party and which of the three geo-political zones the chairman would come from. This development has severally stalemated meetings of the leadership of PDP in the state.
Even with the obvious disquiet in its fold, Ohakim, Uzodinma and Ihedioha had, in a recent meeting with journalists, insisted that there were no cracks in Imo PDP.
But irked by the uncertain developments in the party, a pressure group known as Coalition of True Imo PDP Democrats emerged within the party with a view to streamlining the activities of the party, using its constitution.
The organisation led by Udenwa and former state chairman of the party, Dr. Alex Obi, said it will look beyond party moneybags and work for credible candidates that can win elections for PDP on merit.
The coalition, which prided itself as the conscience of the party, eventually came out with a template which contained the zoning of party offices and other elective positions.
Obi said their intervention was necessary, given the activities of some party leaders whose intention was to buy the party for personal use.
According to the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1991, the congresses held so far in Imo were not in line with the people’s expectations.
“It is for this the pressure group emerged from the party. The intention of the association is to restore party ownership to the teeming grassroots members who are the original owners of the party. But the moneybags have continued to flout the constitutional provisions and conventions, the general principles of justice, equity and fair play, thereby destroying the image of the party,” Obi lamented.
The essence of zoning, he added, is to ensure that no zone dominates. According to him, the chairman of the party has been zoned to Okigwe zone, secretary and treasurer zoned to Owerri and Orlu zones respectively.
Other political leaders in the state appear to be comfortable with the zoning, but Uzodinma frowns at the arrangement, which he suspects is skewed to scuttle his governorship ambition.
He is, in fact, alleged to be buying time to woo party delegates who will vote whoever he nominates as party chairman, a move being checkmated by Ihedioha and Ohakim.
