As part of effort put in place by concerned stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Anambra State to
harmonise the different factions of the party that historically antagonised one
another to the delight of smaller parties may have run into a hitch.
The divisions
have indeed become sharper as a group led by the party’s immediate past
governorship candidate, Comrade Tony Nwoye has taken up arms against the
mainstream led by the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh. A third
force led by Chief Chris Uba is standing by.
THE new faction
led by Tony Nwoye surfaced last Thursday and has
Prince Ossy Ezenwa as state chairman, while Chief Basil Ejidike is the state
secretary.
Incidentally,
Ezenwa, a former secretary to the Anambra State government during the Dr.
Chinwoke Mbadinuju administration, was the director general of the Tony Nwoye
Campaign Organization during the 2013 governorship election contest. He was
favoured to be the state chairman if his group had participated at the
congress.
Nwoye had cried
foul when Metuh, who is from Anambra State, published an advertorial fixing the
ward, local government and state congresses of the party in the state and gave
aspirants to the various positions two working days to go through the processes
of purchasing and processing forms and making payments for the exercise.
Incidentally, the two days between the day of the publication and the
commencement of the ward congress, were public holidays, which meant that most
of the aspirants did not have the opportunity to meet the requirements.
Despite protests
by Nwoye and his group, which included some founding members of PDP, the
national headquarters of the party still sent a committee to conduct the
congresses and at the end of which, Prince Kenneth Emeakayi, a trusted Metuh
man emerged the state chairman.
Common executive
Other key offices
were distributed to party members who had clubbed with Metuh to forge a common
executive including senators, members of the House of Representatives among
others.
On the day of the
state congress, the Nwoye group stayed away and rather than go into the field,
convened a meeting of its stakeholders from the 21 local government areas in
Awka to decide on their next move. At the end of the meeting, the group issued
a statement describing the congress held by Olisa Metuh –led group as a nullity
and of no effect because there was no level –playing field for all the
aspirants. To the group, the people that emerged as officials were
predetermined, a claim they said, was contrary to the wishes of the majority of
the PDP members for a credible congress.
When it became
obvious that Metuh and his associates were bent on having their way, the Nwoye
group decided to go its own way. This development has re-enacted the disunity
that had existed in the party, which had been responsible for its consistent
poor outing during elections in Anambra State.
At the heart of
the grievances of the Nwoye group it was learned was their lack of confidence
on the executive members some of who it was alleged had in the past played
anti-party.
The Nwoye group
also passed a vote of no confidence on Metuh, demanding his immediate
resignation. In their view, Metuh has set his sight on becoming the next
national organizing secretary of PDP and is doing everything possible to put
those he considers as his trusted people in the state in readiness for the
national convention.
The group at a
well attended ceremony at the Emmaus House in Awka, last Thursday selected 21
persons as members of a factional state executive committee. 18 persons were
also selected in each of the 21 local government areas and 17 in each of the
326 political wards in the state, making up a total of 6,941 officials at the
three levels.
The ceremony
provided an opportunity for the stakeholders to bare their minds on what has
been happening in the party, which they said, contributed significantly to its
poor showing during the last general elections.
Nwoye said: “Metuh has stayed too long at the PDP
headquarters and he should therefore leave the place as his presence there is
having a bad influence on many people working in that office. We in PDP believe
in equity. Those who own this party, including former vice president, Dr. Alex
Ekwueme, Prince Arthur, Sir Emeka Offor, Sir Cletus Ibeto, among others, said I
should tell you that you are the authentic PDP.”
“What PDP members
demand is to be allowed to conduct free and fair congresses to usher in new
leadership. This is where we need the assistance of the national leadership of
our great party. Our members are known to accept defeat once the process is
credible.
Credible process
What had been
causing disaffection in Anambra PDP were attempts to foist unpopular persons as
leaders. My belief is that if we get it right this time, no political party
will stop us in Anambra State. Our immediate move will be to go for membership
drive in all the 326 wards in the state and ensure that all the aggrieved members
of the party are reconciled.”
In what appeared
to suggest that his group might ultimately dump PDP for another political
party, he stated: “There have been speculations as to what will be our fate in
this party. While we admit that PDP remains ours, we want to use this
opportunity to send signals to those who run the party that if they do not get
their acts together, the All Progressives Congress, APC, will take over this
state.”
The statement was
in line with speculation in many quarters that there were pressures on the
group to move to APC, at a time it would have dealt a big blow to the PDP
structure in Anambra State. And knowing that most of the people in the group
are real grassroots politicians who had remained together even in the face of
the recurring crises in PDP over the years, indications are that should the
group carry out the threat to move, it might result into a big problem for the
party in Anambra State.
Supporters of
Metuh are, however, unflinching as they at the weekend vowed that they would no
longer watch their leaders being harrased.
The state
chairman, Prince Ken Emeakayi, said: “We
are saying that enough is enough. Metuh has our mandate and any further attempt
to harass him will be met with our collective force. One of the sins of Chief
Olisah Metuh was that he has been at Wadata Plaza for the past 16 years as an
officer of the party.
His rival,
Ezenwa, chairman of the faction inclined to Nwoye, however, vowed that his
group would not dissapoint party members in thier bid to end the hold of Metuh
and Emekayi on the party. The die is indeed cast!
