Why Obi dumped PDP

PRESIDENTIAL aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has dumped the main opposition party. 

He announced the decision in a letter dated May 24, 2022 addressed to the national chairman of the PDP. 

Obi had already intimated his ward chapter in Anambra of his decision to resign his membership of the party. 

He, however, affirmed his commitment to rescue the country even if the opportunity comes in a different way. 

The former governor is upset that there appears to be a gang-up against him because of his rising profile in the party. 

The 2019 vice presidential candidate of the party was said to have felt disrespected by the PDP hierarchy, both at Anambra and at the national level. 

He stated in the letter: “I am writing to intimate you of my resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was conveyed to the chairman of Agulu Ward 2, Aniocha LGA. “Our national challenges are deep-seated and require that we each make profound sacrifices towards rescuing our country. My commitment to rescuing Nigeria remains firm, even if the route differs. 

“I wish to thank you personally for your graciousness and leadership. I wish you well and best of luck in the service of country.” 

It was learnt that his negotiations with some unnamed parties are at advanced stages and are expected to be concluded Wednesday night before the formal announcement. 

The two-term Anambra governor, elected on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), began his association with the PDP after the 2015 general election. 

Meanwhile, three key issues may have forced Obi to pull out of the presidential primaries of the PDP holding in Abuja on Saturday. 

Top among the reasons, Nigerian Tribune reliably learnt on Wednesday night, is the insistence of governors elected on PDP platform to have one of their own on the ballot in the 2023 election, either as candidate or running mate. 

At least four of the 15 aspirants cleared by the PDP screening committee headed by a former president of the Senate, Senator David Mark, for the primaries are serving governors. 

One of them is the first-term governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, while the rest are Governors Udom Emmanuel, Aminu Tambuwal and Nyesom Wike of Akwa Ibom, Sokoto and Rivers states respectively, who will be completing their maximum second term in office in May next year. 

The insistence of the governors, who form a major powerful bloc in PDP, to either produce the candidate of the party or running mate at the primaries is said to be stifling free expression in the party. 

The top-level source said the camp of the former governor also found appalling the hardline posture of the tendencies in the party in the bid to retain power in the North by railroading the process that would produce the standard-bearer of PDP. 

Despite widespread outcry, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had thrown the contest open to all the geopolitical zones. 

The camp of Obi was said to be furious that the PDP appears not to have a soul, because of what he perceived as the impunity with which the party subverts its own constitution, rules and guidelines. PDP Constitution expressly provides for power rotation and power shift between the North and the South. 

“PDP disobeys its own constitution. The document states that power shall be rotated between the North and the South. But the PDP flagrantly disobeys its constitution. What kind of party is that?” the source queried. 

Another grouse the vice presidential candidate of PDP in the 2019 election has against the party is the undue monetisation of the ongoing process to determine the 2023 candidate of the party. 

According to the source, Obi’s group is particularly furious about the way one of the aspirants has reduced the contest for PDP ticket to a bazaar by throwing huge sums of money around, ostensibly to induce stakeholders in the party and subvert democratic ethos. Meanwhile, the camp of the former Anambra State governor is already considering a Plan B in the quest to actualise his presidential bid. 

His think-tank is weighing the option of Obi contesting on the platform of any of the other registered parties that shares his political philosophy and with least internal crisis and contradictions. 

The parties said to be within the radar of Obi’s think-tank include the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Young Peoples Party (YPP), Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Of all the four, his likely destination is the Labour Party, but it could not be confirmed by press time.