PDP’s dwindling fortunes in the South-East

IT was like a tale in the moonlight when it was reported that Senators Jim Nwobodo and Ken Nnamani will be dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC). That was last year when the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, announced publicly that he was going on political sabbatical leave. However, it is no longer news that the duo had formally pitched tent with APC. Their defection is however eliciting mixed reactions from members of the public, especially the political class in the South East region.

The defection of both Nwobodo and Nnamani had further depleted PDP in the zone as many other prominent politicians had followed suit. Among the new entrants into APC in the South East were the former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh, former member of the House of Representatives, Uchenna Ekwe and Dr (Mrs) Dorothy Nwodo, wife of Dr Okwesieze Nwodo, an ex-governor of the old Enugu State, who also was the PDP national secretary and national chairman, at various times.

Reacting to the defection of the two prominent politicians and the others, a chieftain of APC and Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, called on APC faithful to welcome Senator Ken Nnamani and other new entrants with both arms into the bosom of APC, adding however that such should be done with caution.

“For the avoidance of doubt, one, for instance, is opened to new members. However we have to be cautious not to admit those who, at one time or the other, participated in dislocating and subverting PDP. My fear is that they may also wittingly or unwittingly infest the APC Enugu State with such anti-democratic and less than transparent tendencies.

“One can remember vividly not only how Senator Nnamani and the governor of Kastina State, His Excellency Aminu Masari, worked hard to re-organise and re-position the PDP and most importantly how they killed the infamous Third Term Agenda,” he said.

The Enugu State chairman of the APC, Dr Ben Nwoye, said the recent movements from PDP to APC was a good omen for the Ndigbo, pointing out that the defection of the former Senate President was a clear indication that the party was on ground in the state.

Dr Nwoye said APC needed men of integrity such as Nnamani to capture states in the zone, adding that, with the development, it would be a different story in the next general election. “We are galvanising the people of the state to embrace APC; they know that their votes have never counted. I am glad we have dismantled the rigging machine of the other parties”, he added.

Prior to the recent defection of PDP members in Coal City State, APC had caught a “big fish” in person of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State. The leadership of APC, in the state had said that PDP had become jittery with the influx of eminent persons into APC. The state APC chairman, Donatus Nwankpa, while reacting to defection of the former Abia State governor, said APC in the South East zone can now boast of leading politicians who can sway victory to the party in 2019.

Nwankpa described Kalu’s defection as long awaited, adding, “Orji Uzor Kalu is an asset to the party in the state, the South East and the country as a whole. I am sure he will use his wealth of experience in politics to grow the party in the zone. It is one of the landmark achievements of the leadership of APC. The ruling PDP has become jittery with the influx of eminent politicians into APC. PDP is already afraid of 2019.”

Nwankpa also boasted that the defection of Kalu and other political bigwigs into the party in the state and other parts of the South East was a clear indication that the party was growing in Igboland.

However, the euphoria generated by the defection of prominent PDP members into APC across the zone, might have woken PDP, especially the Enugu State chapter, from its slumber, even as the party’s leadership insisted it was unperturbed by the development.

Few days after the defection of Nwobodo and Nnamani, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu described the defectors in the region as job seekers, even as the party leadership, in response to the development, hurriedly went into ward meeting to re-strategise the party in the zone. The Enugu State chairman of PDP, Augustine Nnamani, said the party leaders were delighted by the large turnout of party leaders and members at the ward meeting, adding that it rejuvenated the party’s organs in all the wards in the state.

“The ward meeting witnessed the defection of a large number of politicians from various political parties into PDP and also galvanised the consciousness of our members towards the promotion of good governance being entrenched in the state by the PDP-led government in Enugu State”, he added.

For Humphrey Nwodo, a one-time special aide to former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani and Honourable Chijioke Ogbodo, respectively, political parties were central to democratic governance hence PDP would not take chances ahead of the 2019 general election. He said the leaders who were present at the meeting agreed that the trend in most of the world democracies is a situation where the ruling party becomes a colossus and weakens the political space for the other parties.

“This colossus of a party (the ruling party), particularly in a developing country like Nigeria, drive their intimidating tendencies, thereby employing certain state institutions against citizens, especially members of the opposition parties, to cast fears on them and ultimately poach on their members. In Nigeria, this sleaze from the party in power no doubts constitute a conundrum that further weakens other political parties and make their members vulnerable if not endangered.

“One of the cardinal objectives of political parties is to provide political stability and this is evident in Enugu State under Ugwuanyi, the leader of PDP. The party, in more than one way unites, simplifies and stabilises activities in the state. The destabilising forces arising from the utterances of some defectors are tackled by the governor whose demeanor and provision of dividends of democracy in the state are unequalled.

“If indefatigable Governor Ugwuanyi can record all these achievements among others too numerous to mention, under the present economic hardship and keep PDP intact, one can only say that the best is yet to come for the party and the good people of Enugu State. His visibility and accessibility help the party because the people of Enugu State believe in him and this is why no one should lose sleep about whatever name is advertised as having joined other parties. Do not be deceived, stay put; PDP is on the rise again”, Ogbodo added.

Meanwhile, the Nsukka chapter of the PDP in Enugu State, has said it is happy over the defection of its former governorship aspirant, Mr Sam Onyishi, to the APC.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Onyishi, who aspired for the PDP’s governorship ticket in 2015, registered as an APC member last Sunday, citing impunity and lack of internal democracy as reasons for his defection.

But Mr Fabian Onah, the chairman of PDP in Nsukka Local Government Area, in a reaction, said that Onyishi’s departure was a “huge blessing because he was never a committed party member. “The PDP has nothing to lose; the party will not miss him,” he said on Friday

He said the absence of Onyishi, who is the Managing Director of Peace Mass Transit (PMT), would not affect the fortunes of the PDP in Enugu State.

Onah claimed that Onyishi hardly attended PDP meetings or functions, when he was in its fold, adding, “Any time we called him, it is either he is out of the country or attending to one business or the other; if other members were like him, the PDP would have crumbled a long time ago.”

He expressed confidence that PDP would continue to win elections in Enugu State, nothing that “Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has performed very well; his achievements will always give PDP the advantage.”

Onah said that the governor was executing various projects, especially in the rural areas, while civil servants had continued to receive their salaries on the 25th day of every month as promised.

“Enugu is not an oil producing state, but it is among the few states not owing salaries. The governor’s acceptance cuts across party divides,” he said.