Assistant Editor (South East), CHRISTIAN NWOKOCHA, writes on the agenda by stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reposition the party in Imo, despite Governor Rochas Okorocha’s dismissive attitude to their efforts.
On November 1, 2015, chieftains and supporters of ‘Coalition of True Imo PDP Democrats’ converged at the Aladinma Shopping Mall, Owerri, Imo State capital, where they outlined and discussed issues that led to their party’s poor outing at the state and the presidency, in the last general elections in the country.
In the said meeting, they also agreed on principles and measures that would enable the party bounce back to reckoning and win the governorship election in the state in 2019.
Present in the meeting were former governor of the state, Achike Udenwa; his deputy, Ebere Udeagu; former Imo PDP chairman, Alex Obi; former secretary of the party, Okeh Dike; former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Nze Ignatius Umunna; former PDP campaign directors, former state legislators, and many others.
In an address on behalf of the coalition, Amugo Ugorji, one of the conveners, said: “The coalition is an assemblage of all PDP men and women bound together by their shared vision and commitment to enthrone good governance through the return of internal democracy to the affairs of the reformed PDP in Imo State. It aims at bringing an end to impunity.”
Ugorji, before meeting, acknowledged that PDP in the state, had been inundated with a plethora of challenges due to identified deficits that had brought disillusionment within the ranks and file with adverse consequences for party cohesion, discipline and order.
“The spate of decamping, sabotage, anti-party activities, bad blood and losses during elections, particularly in Imo, had their roots in the scant regard given to internal democracy in our affairs,” he had lamented.
Udenwa, in addressing the audience, told members that the coalition initiative was not an attempt to set up a parallel party structure in the state, but to strengthen the party and to ensure that right decisions were taken in the interest of the people.
He acknowledged that he became the governor in 1999 not because he had money, but on merit and in accordance with the party’s constitution.
Merit that was the order in PDP has been relegated in preference to money bags in the party, he lamented.
Contributing from the floor, a former legislator who represented Ezinihitte Mbaise in the House of Assembly, argued that for the party to regain its position in the state’s politics, it must go back to its zoning arrangement, stressing that zoning guarantees peace and creates room for equal representation across the state.
PDP chieftain in the state, Tony Anyadike, said except the party avoids imposition of candidates, winning election for it in the state will remain a dream.
In its communique, signed by Obi and other three zonal representatives of the state, the coalition resolved that it will “lend a helping hand in rebuilding the party and returning it to the people in accordance with the principles and the slogan of the party”. It also pledged ensuring the return of internal democracy to the party. The coalition vowed never to accept imposition of candidates at any level in the party, again. It further stressed that “zoning will be applied to party offices at all levels in line with the party’s constitution”.
But some members of the party hierarchy see the coalition as a new pressure group that may present an alternative party leadership in the state, local government and at ward levels following its membership spread and strength.
Other party members, however, noted that the pressure group came at a better time particularly to checkmate the excesses of few self-styled powerful members of the party who would want to dictate the outcome of the forthcoming state congress.
The move by the coalition has sent jitters to the current party executive members, leading to special summon on Obi. He was invited to the party secretariat to explain the reason behind the coalition of PDP members.
Obi, however, explained in a brief chat with TheNiche that the motive was to ensure that things do not go wrong again in the party. He regretted that the party lost its credibility and focus due to the inability of its officials in complying with rules.
“Now, we are all equal joiners of the party and determined to play by the rules,” he said.
Apparently concerned at the renewed attempt to take over the state, Governor Rochas Okorocha had invited Udenwa, Emeka Ihedioha and many others to join his All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that any other effort contrary to using APC as the platform cannot work.
In an engagement with journalists on the issue, Okorocha remarked that he had caged all the political lions and cabals in the state.
“They have been buried and God forbid they resurrect again. May their souls rest in peace,” Okorocha sniggered.
He claimed to have reached out to all PDP leaders in Imo, including Ihedioha, appealing to them to join APC. He remarked that Ihedioha would have been the Senate president today, if he had accepted his advice to join the party.
Okorocha’s claim of inviting Ihedioha to APC has however been dismissed by the former House of Representatives Speaker’s media aide, Chibuike Onyeukwu, as mere concoctions by the governor.
This, thus, leaves the gulf between the two parties in the state wide.