The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is determined to return to Anambra state government house in 2021, some 15 after being kicked out by APGA. CHIMEZIE ANASO of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) writes.
In the beginning
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been out of power in Anambra since 2006, a state it won and controlled from inception of democracy in the fourth republic in 1999.
The PDP controlled the state with Chief Chinwoke Mbadinuju as governor from 1999 to 2003 and Dr Chris Ngige from 2003 to 2006 before Mr Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) took over through a court judgment.
Since then, all efforts by the party touted to be the biggest in Africa to get back to Anambra government house have proved abortive due partly to internal wrangling, factionalisation, and leadership crisis within the party in the state.
The possibility of PDP’s return to power and how to go about it has dominated discourse during the 8th stakeholders meeting of the party held on Saturday, July 20, 2019 in Awka, the state capital.
The postmortem
Participants at the meeting took a retrospective view of the journey of PDP and its present situation and agreed that the party had not fared badly in spite of being out power for 13 years.
They commended the unity and focus that have prevailed in the party under the present state executive lead by Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu.
Nwobu, who set the tone for the day’s business described Anambra as a PDP state judging from the result of the recent general elections, noting that the secret of the good result lay in the unity and sanity that prevailed in the party.
He said the theme of the meeting, “Repositioning for Power and Good Governance’’ was apt at this time when the party was in full momentum.
The chairman said the party can regain the leadership of Anambra if members approached the next election with the right spirit.
“The elections of February 23 and March 9 were huge successes. We had the very best result for presidential election, won two senate seats, six House of Representatives, and six House of Assembly seats, and we hope for more seats at the close of tribunals.
“Under our watch, PDP was able to hold its primary elections in Anambra in the same date, venue and time; there was no incidence of an aspirant being defrauded or fleeced of their hard earned resources.
“I urge all our leaders to embrace unity, honesty of purpose and transparent in all our political engagement as that is the only path to success,’’ he said.
Peter Obi’s magic wand
Nwobu said PDP lost power in Anambra through Obi who was in APGA but is by providence now in PDP and called on him to use his “magic wand’’ to recover Anambra for the PDP.
He then waved the green to members who wished to contest for the ticket for the 2021 governorship election to hit the ground running with consultations in the spirit of love and fraternity.
“The task before us now is to come and reposition the PDP by once more joining our brothers in the South-south to blow the PDP trumpet as was the case in 1998/1999.
“We shall mobilise to position PDP as a movement in Anambra, by so doing we shall reclaim power and turn around the dwindling fortunes of the state under the present APGA government,’’ he said.
“In this wise, we shall within the next few weeks in accordance with our constitution empanel senatorial executives and other committees to make PDP to be a truly grassroots movement.
“By this, I want to by this address encourage aspirants who want to contest for PDP ticket to hit the ground running in the spirit of brotherliness,’’ he said.
How we conquered
Onyebuchi Offor, member, representing Ekwusigo constituency in the Anambra House of Assembly, said the PDP did well in the last election because of the free, fair and acceptable primary election in the build up to it.
Offor said Anambra PDP never had it so good that aspirants were not fleeced or extorted under any guise by the leaders.
His position was corroborated by Dr Obiora Okonkwo who recalled how the various factional leaderships that existed in Anambra made cash cow of the aspirants and bungled the chances of the candidate at the polls.
Obiora said enemies of the PDP were capitalising on the misfortunes of the party to take advantage of aspirants and thanked God that such people were no longer available.
“Those days, they milked us, and milked us and milked us a great deal, but thank God sanity is back to our party,’’ he said.
Contributing, Mr Oseloka Obaze, a former governorship candidate of PDP in Anambra, lauded members of the party for the unity that has prevailed in the party and its leadership under Nwobu for its purposefulness.
Obaze congratulated all elected and re-elected members of the party for their victory in the last election, while charging them to make a habit regularly updating the party and their constituents about issues of their representation.
He expressed the hope that the PDP would be victorious at the presidential elections tribunal. “What is most important to us now is that we must recover Anambra State,’’ he said.
Also, Senator Uche Ekwunife, representing Anambra, said as many people as were interested in the party ticket should come out and contest.
Ekwunife, who advocated for the inclusion of women in the party machinery, said the PDP’s message had to speed to the nooks and crannies of Anambra.
She said sincere leadership and free, fair primaries will be crucial to the success of the party in the next electioneering in Anambra and expressed confidence in the capacity of the Nwobu-led exco to deliver the party.
Sacrifices needed
In his remarks, Mr Peter Obi, the PDP vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 presidential poll, thanked the Anambra chapter of the PDP for its massive support for the party in the last general elections and expressed the hope that it could only get better.
Obi said the PDP would have been the government in power in Anambra if members made the necessary sacrifices that were required for it to succeed.
The former governor, who described the leadership of Nwobu as a unifier and purposeful, said Anambra is for the PDP to win in 2021, while warning members against divisiveness and lacklustre attitude.
He pledged to work for the success of the PDP and ensure that its candidate emerge winner in the next governorship election in Anambra.
Meanwhile, political watchers say another factor that will determine the success of political parties in 2021 in the state is the issue of zoning.
They argue that Anambra North senatorial zone benefited from the arrangement in 2014 and that it would only be fair that Anambra South be made to take their turn in 2021.
Others say since every senatorial zone in Anambra has taken a shot at the government house, equity and fairness demand that all zones have equal opportunity to produce the next governor of the state.
Already, APGA, the party that has been in power since 2006 has conceded its ticket to Anambra South for Anambra 2021 poll. (NANFeatures)
