‎Anambra: I was compelled to withdraw from PDP governorship primaries –  Stella Oduah 

Following her withdrawal from the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primaries in Anambra state on Monday, Senator representing Anambra North in the National Assembly and aspirant in the state, Stella Oduah, has attributed her decision to so do on imposition of candidate on the party.
Oduah, who was a former Aviation Minister under President Goodluck Jonathan, accused former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, of bringing back the era of godfatherism in the state by imposing his former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Oseloka Obaze, as the party’s candidate in the November 18 governorship poll.
Speaking in a telephone interview on Monday night, she said last week’s ward congress was fraught with irregularity, adding that the delegates’ list was manipulated to favour Obaze.
The lawmaker alleged that the returning officer of the ward congresses personally filled the result sheets that was submitted in Abuja and discarded the ones used in Awka.
The lawmaker’s said: “This action of imposition affects the party fundamentally to the extent that those loyalists that have been in the party all this years and suddenly over night they are being replaced by other party members that got in in less than 36 hours by Peter Obi, is totally unacceptable.
“There must be incentive for loyalty. And so, party loyalists must have a say. And these loyalists look towards the party and when you deny their participation, you deny them that incentive they get from being the torchbearers of the party. And so, I think it’s morally wrong for this to happen.
“Secondly, we are just coming out from godfatherism that pervades the politics of Anambra PDP. Thank God for court judgment. We have left that era; only for Peter Obi to bring us back to that era where we will be subjected to one man imposing a candidate on us.
“The fundamental process that led to the three-man delegates was so chaotic and the default was so fundamental. My people were disenfranchised. Again, I don’t want to be part of that process because it is injustice.
“When you have imposition, you have blocked that hope for them. You have made it difficult and impossible for them to aspire to be anything within the party because you are telling them that at any given time you can bring somebody from anywhere to put on them.
“And lastly, bringing somebody outside the party who have not stayed for long, it means that you are saying that you lack capacity within party members. And I don’t think we lack capacity. I think PDP has enough capacity to run for that election,” she said.

Leave a Reply