Date Published: 05/12/09
ANAMBRA PDP: When will the bickering end?
By Maximus Uba
Those who anticipated that order of the National Working Committee unarguably the engine room of the Peoples Democratic Party recognizing the Uchenna Emodi Led Executive as the authentic executive of Anambra PDP would signal an end to the crisis that has been the lot of the party since 2005 should be wide awake now as reports indicate that the enemies of the have refused to back down their resolve to continue in their mischief .Last week and contrary to expectations that all hands were already on deck to resurrect the chapter via the NWC directive, a group of members led by Messrs Ifeatu Obi Okoye whose executive was sacked for non performance some years ago headed to the Abuja high court presided over by Justice Othman and obtained a leave of court via ex-parte. Even as the action of Okoye is viewed as their inalienable right, what many observers could not understand is the use of ex-parte for selfish reasons, besides it is worrisome that a court of such magnitude sat without bothering whether parties to the case were served or not. In the case in question, neither Messrs Uchenna Emodi nor the PDP high command at the National/Zonal headquarters were served, still Justice Othman went ahead and gave his untoward orders. Analysts say the order of Justice Othman will undoubtedly encourage an avalanche of court orders not just from Abuja and Awka but from all other Federal high Courts across the land by certain disgruntled few who will take advantage of the Judiciary to continue to destroy a chapter as vibrant as Anambra PDP. Already and according to grape vine reports certain fellows have gone as far as Uyo, some even to katsina to procure various orders aimed at scuttling the decision of the National Working Committee. Aside the above, the order of Justice Othman without knowing it to makes mockery of National Working Committee directives both now and in the near future if not nipped in the bud. What this implies is that a directive seen by members as sacrosanct, infact almost coming from God especially to PDP members will now be seen as a toy since all it takes to vacate any PDP resolution is spurious court order from one unnamed Judge. Besides the current state of Anambra state PDP as caused by the court order will no doubt encourage further crisis in an already crisis laden chapter, yes the current court order will no doubt put spanner in the works as those who accepted the directive of the NWC before will once again go and oil their factions even if it has two members believing that theirs is the authentic body and may in future be recognized.
Again observers say the current state of the chapter is akin to a sailing ship without captain and because 2010 the election year in Anambra state is around the corner, the PDP which has been dreaming to recapture the state house from the Peter Obi led APGA will come to the hard truth that the party has been put at a disadvantage as it concerns exercise just because certain members see themselves big enough to obey a simple party directive. What the scene implies is that APGA ,the party to beat in 2010 will go to sleep because crisis according to political analysts will no doubt continue even after 2010 unless this madness of members to tear the chapter into shreds is contained. Besides with APGA sitting pretty in Government House with a lot of funds, local government grip and the overall performance of its Governor Peter Obi analysts say PDP must either put its house in order now or bid goodbye to 2010 calculations. In the foregoing therefore founding fathers of the Party in the state say, the National headquarters of the PDP should weld the big stick expected of a virile organization by suspending all those behind the court order by Justice Othman if not for anything to act as a deterrent and stop those already treading the untidy path of destruction Instructively the suspension of Okoye and his co-travelers appears now to be the only solution to the crisis that has been Anambra PDP unless of course the National headquarters is enjoying the big joke in Anambra State which have been ongoing since 2005 and now appear rudderless. Again the National Headquarters of the PDP should brief a top Lawyer immediately with the mandate to vacate the Justice Othman court order without delay as leaving the entire thing in the purview of Uchenna Emodi to handle will be too much for him as information reveal that a one time Federal Legislator who defected to ANPP is behind the latest Judicial onslaught to decapitate the Anambra PDP without redemption. Aside the above suasions, what can even go further down the road to ensure sustained peace in Anambra PDP is immediate reading of the riot act by the National Leadership to all members of the party across the land and not just in Anambra State that the resort to judiciary to achieve selfish aim of controlling the local structures of the party is no longer in vogue and that any member who resorts to the above would see himself outside the PDP. This analysts say may go a long way in ensuring sanity and sense of purpose as well as an end to this new wave of resorts to judiciary to achieve a selfish aim by some members of the party who rather than make themselves popular at the grassroots are now hanging around the homes of Judges to obtain spurious Court order not known in law. Perhaps what is worrisome aspect today is that the fate of Anambra PDP is now a subject of discussion in far-away Katsina State as reports published by several US bloggers say a certain returnee member of PDP has paid out as much as 2 million dollars to certain individuals close to the seat of Aso Rock to enable a change of the National working committee directive recognizing Uche Emodi. According to the report, pressures from above are now been put to Messrs Vin Ogbulafor the National Chairman of PDP to rescind the decision of NWC and further hand over the party structures to a returnee member who defected to ANPP in 2007 and we ask did damage to this same man who now wants to use PDP platform to achieve his governorship ambition come 2010 remember the damage he and others did to PDP in 2007 in furtherance of their political ambition and who says PDP has learnt their lessons.
Already Chief Emodi as a law abiding citizen and a law abiding member of the PDP has instructed his executive to obey the court order while not stopping political activities planned to kickstart the party once again in Anambra State. Already and before the supurious court order, one of the activities cut short is the tour of some wards in the state which has seen the Emodi executive cover some in few days it was given a nod by the National Working Committee and as expected wherever the team went in those few days, the acceptance by both the ward executives and ordinary member of the Party was total, indicating that the members have longed yearned for the leadership of Emodi who even while he was in suspension continued to cater for the welfare of members and functionality of the chapter structure. Besides Emodi’s acceptance according to analysts has a lot to do with his simple personality and grass root appeal and the truth that he remains the brain behind the success of the Party in 2003, a development which saw the PDP in Anambra State win the governorship seat, the three Senatorial seats, all the Federal Assembly/ StateAssembly seats. To these grass root members, only a man in the mould of Uchenna Emodi could do it again even as the task is todayappears more daunting than it was in 2003. But analysts ask, will the bickering in Anambra State chapter of the PDP continue unending; only time will tell.
Maximus Uba Lives in Mbaise Nigeria.
