Can PDP win poll?

The Anambra State governorship election is scheduled to take place barely 20 days from now. Yet, some parties are still battling to put their houses in order. One of such parties is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which parades two caretaker committees ahead of the election.

One committee is being headed by former Minister of Health, Prof. ABC Nwosu. The Nwosu-led committee was set up by the party’s national leadership, while the one headed by Hon. Humphrey Nsofor, one-time majority leader in the state House of Assembly.

But, how did the caretaker committees emerge?  Nsofor and his group alleged that Nwosu and his secretary and the former Minister of Women’s Affairs, Iyom Josephine Anenih, had compromised since they were detailed to come and bring the party together in Anambra.

They added that the Nwosu committee is suspended and should submit itself to a disciplinary committee, “if our great party actually wants to win the governorship election which is very dear to us.”

Since the ugly development in the PDP, things had fallen apart in Anambra; as it had become “to your tents Oh Israel”.

The development is jeopardizing chances of the party and its candidate, Mr. Oseloka Obaze and his running mate, Lady Chidi Alexandria Onyemelukwe, the daughter of the former Vice President Alex Ekwueme.

Besides, the Nsofor group is accusing former Governor Peter Obi of hijacking the affairs of the PDP, having recently switched over from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to PDP with his members.

Speaking with The Nation, Nsofor said that anybody who said they (Hon. Nsofor and others) should be ignored do not mean well for the PDP.

He said what was expected of the national leadership as a father was to look into the matter, the issues raised and find out what went wrong.

He explained that stakeholders of the party had agreed for the purposes of the election to point out three elders from each of the three senatorial districts of Anambra North, Anambra Central and Anambra South who, according to him, would then set up not from among themselves a caretaker committee to handle the affairs of the party as it goes to election.

The aggrieved stakeholders said instead of the appointed elders to do as agreed, they rather constituted themselves “with impunity” into a caretaker committee without recourse to other stakeholders, who had muted the idea in the first place.

The aggrieved PDP stakeholders saw the alleged action of the Nwosu-led committee as against the principles of internal democracy.

Nsofor said: “Twenty-seven members came together and passed a resolution in a press conference to reaffirm their decision to suspend the Professor Alphonsus Nwosu and Iyom Josephine Anenih-led caretaker committee as chairman and secretary, respectively.

“We have not shifted ground, because this is an effort to lead our great party to success in the governorship election taking place in a matter of weeks. How can you say we will be ignored and you are hoping to win an election?

“We are campaigning vigorously for our candidate, Mr. Henry Obaze, as ratified by our party and given to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). But, there are people in court. If the court proved otherwise, we will campaign for whosoever that is the standard bearer of the PDP.

“We have been out of government for 11 years and will do everything within our ability for our party to win this election. That is our concern.”

Nsofor added that the caretaker committee set up by the 27 stakeholders which he chaired, with Ozo Chidi Nwazojie as secretary, embraced all authentic PDP members, while at the opposing side were members from a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

In his Reaction, Prof. Nwosu said they were wasting their time as there was no other committee known to the national leadership of the PDP other than theirs.

Nwosu who spoke through his Executive Assistant, Obunike Ohaegbu, a lawyer, said: “I can assure you that nothing like that happened. Prof. Nwosu is still the chairman of the caretaker committee of the PDP, Anambra State. He is too busy with the PDP campaign and he is focused on winning the governorship election.

“He is very conscious of the enormous responsibilities on his shoulders. He has not allowed anything to distract him from remaining focused on the mandate given to the caretaker committee under his leadership by the national convention of the PDP through the Ahmed Markafi-led National Caretaker Committee.”

Meanwhile, the situation is deteriorating, as virtually all the core PDP members had deserted the campaign of the party led by former Governor Peter Obi.

Also, it has reduced the chances of the PDP winning the November 18 governorship election, leaving the stage for the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Tony Nwoye and that of Governor Willie Obiano of APGA.

Despite the depletion in the PDP, Obaze is still confident that his party would nick it. He is still counting the popularity of Obi and the support of former Vice President Alex Ekwueme.

But, the most regrettable of it is that even some of the PDP stakeholders both at the national and state levels are secretly working for either the APC or the APGA.

Three of the leading lights of the PDP in Anambra State, Hon. Ben Nwankwo for Orumba South, Prince Ken Emeakayi from Ihiala and Sen. Annie Okonkwo, had fully, declared their supports for Obiano and even held separate rallies for him.

Based on the happenings in Anambra State PDP, political observers believe that the problem in the party is beyond salvage and they are now asking if they still have any chance.

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