Date Published: 04/30/09
ANAMBRA: CAN EMODI DO IT AGAIN?
By Maxinus Uba
With the way several political actors carried on as members and executives of Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party, nobody ever believed there would be any truce before the 2010 elections. But confusion writes John Edgerly, a Briton has always been one instrument man deploys to hide from the truth and achieve selfish aim but the same Edgerly adds that though the confusion may travel several kilometers, it takes sanity and truth just one minute to catch up with it and just as predicted by Edgerly, the confusion that has been Anambra state PDP which has lasted over three years which even made the party to lose Government House Awka, created several factions in the chapter, made judges even richer with their untoward rulings and left the party in tatters appears over with the decision of the National Working Committee to recognize the leadership of Messrs Uche Emodi and its executive, an executive elected in 2003 but suspended in 2005 on trumped up allegations.
But analyst say the decision of the National Working Committee to give back the running of the chapter, perhaps the first chapter of the party so formed to the Emordi led Executives did not come easy. First and according to reports, the Uche Emordi executive was recognized because it is still the only one on ground and spread in all the wards till date. Again the Emodi Executive was recognized because during the man made confusion, the people behind the confusion concentrated in Abuja and Awka, with little presence at the wards. Besides, it was remembered that it was the same Emodi led executive that in 2003 delivered the three Senatorial seats, all the Federal States and Assembly seats as well as the Local Government Offices and because the year 2010 is another election year, the National Working Committee felt it was only an executive of Emodi structure that can do the magic again. Again analysts say the personality of Emodi which is one full of intelligence, organization, level headedness, reach out and robust attributes is all the national headquarters needed to get reassured that all is well. Already and according to analysts political heavy weights in the state including the National Vice Chairman, three Senators from State as well as the Federal and State Assembly members including the ordinary member at the ward level appears to have welcomed, aligned and embraced the decision of the National Working Committee seen now as matured, well thought out incontrovertible and perhaps the best decision to get the chapter out of the woods inflicted it by people who placed selfish ambitions above the needs of and progress of the party. An elder of the party Dr Okey Nwangwu who addressed a press conference in Awka saluted the courage of the National Working Committee as bold and enduring. Hear him “We cannot thank the National Working Committee enough for its boldness to end the confusion inflicted on Anambra PDP by greedy fellows who want to rule Anambra State by all means”. He is not alone, Chief Ekene Ojukwu unarguably one of the earliest financiers of PDP in the State also told newsmen in Awka when the news of the recognition of Emodi led Executive by the National Working Committee filtered in that the decision of the committee was like a Biblical Daniel coming to Judgment “you can imagine that we have no party structure since 2004 today it is Ukachukwu, next day Andy Uba thereafter it Nwankwu, infact nobody was happy while the madness lasted, at least what everybody knows in Anambra PDP is that we elected the Uche Emodi Executive and the Executive has given a good account of itself including its performance in the 2003 election, we are indeed happy with the decision of the National Working Committee recognizing the Emodi Led Executive and do hope that all hands must be on deck to help Emordi achieve peace and progress which the party needs now”.
However while the majority of the PDP members in Anambra have been applauding the decision of the National Working Committee, certain groups going by various names have been issuing press releases condemning the well applauded decision of the National Working Committee. One of these group is led by Messrs Obi Okoye whose release in no mean sentence condemned the decision of National Working Committee. The group even threatened to leave the party if the decision of the National Working Committee is not reversed. But Messrs Uche Emordi the man of the moment have refused to be distracted or diverted with such level of opposition saying it is a norm in politics. Addressing Newsmen in Abuja Last week, Emodi described those dissenting voices as normal in politics. Hear him “Rather than get offended by the position of some party men who voiced their opposition to our recognition, we feel happy that they are even talking but I must have to appeal to them including my brother Ifeatu to sheath the sword, this is not the time for quarrel, we were once members of the PDP family, we still remain so, I have great respect to all including the people against the decision of the National Working Committee. I urge all to please come together, what we need now is unity to do it again and I promise to carry everybody along, respect all shades of opinion and move our chapter to greater heights and the time is now.
Even in the face of all these, the question on the lips of every PDP member in Anambra State is whether Emodi Led executive can repeat the magic of 2003 which saw the party win all the Senatorial, Federal and State House of Assembly including the big the seat of the Governor of the State. To this Emodi says “We have the capacity to do it again all over what our Executive needs is co-operation and total integration of factions which sprouted here and there but I can assure you we can do it even with less than one year to the election”. As the Uche Emodi Led Executive resumes office in Awka the Anambra State Capital as the authentic Executive this week one thing appear clear and this is that the man with the magic wand, the man with the grassroots appeal, the man with the confidence of both the centre, the state and the ward is once again set to take charge of events and reposition the party that is almost in comatose. But the big question remains, can Emodi do it again? Answers to this and others will surely be positive if the newly recognized executive is given full and unqualified support by all and sundry including the big players in Anambra State but we still ask, can Emodi repeat the Magic of 2003, only time will tell.
Maxinus Uba, a Journalist Iives in Mbaise Nigeria.
