On Monday, October 16, Joe Martin-Uzodike, Director General of the Oseloka Obaze Campaign, issued a statement claiming that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and state governors who belong to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), like Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, were going to attend the next day’s kickoff of their campaign for the governorship election of Anambra State. The statement turned out to be completely false. These gentlemen, who must have given up on the gubernatorial election holding on November 18, are utterly dismayed at the terrible factionalisation of the PDP in the state. So, all PDP governors as well as ex-President Jonathan stayed away from the rally.

This development portends danger for the party.

As the Obaze campaign was being inaugurated at the Holy Trinity Field in Onitsha on Monday, two other factions of the party held different big public functions in the state. One of the functions, telecast live by Channels TV, was that of the faction led by Ken Emeakayi, immediate past PDP chairman in the state and heavyweights, like Ifeanyi Ubah of Capital Oil, who founded and funded the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), which worked relentlessly all over Nigeria for Jonathan’s reelection in 2015. Senator Annie Okonkwo, a member of the faction, later in the day collapsed his group into the campaign structures of Governor Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

This was not all. While the Obaze and Emeakayi factions were engaged in a battle for supremacy, the third faction, led by Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, who came second in the PDP primary election, held a major rally in Onitsha berating Obaze. The fourth one, led by Engineer Humphrey Nsofor, former Majority Leader in the Anambra State House of Assembly and an official of the current 36-member Anambra PDP Caretaker Committee, is about to break out. Nsofor is actually leading about 20 other members of the committee.

No one who knows the history of the PDP in Anambra State is surprised at the party’s self-immolation. At the best of times, Anambra PDP is factionalised into three and, in worse times, into four or even five. When Olusegun Adeniyi, Thisday Editorial Board chairman, was conducting an interview with Dr. Jonathan for his latest book, Against The Run of Play, the former president told him that during every election, members of Anambra PDP would always seek to contest with various conflicting court orders in their hands. The members have no respect for any person or constituted authority. No wonder Jonathan stayed away from the rally in Onitsha on Monday. The governors stayed away for the same reason. In fact, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, as well as Governors Wike and Fayose are still daily vilified by PDP members in Anambra State for merely discharging their duties as faithful members who conducted the Anambra congress and primary election in September.

The party’s traditional factionalisation has, this time, been worsened by the manipulative leadership style of former Governor Peter Obi. As a result, Anambra PDP is now, as Hon Nsofor has put it, “a part of Next International,” Obi’s private company. Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the gentle National Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee, committed a grave error by succumbing to Obi’s suggestion that he appoints Professor ABC Nwosu and Mrs. Josephine Anenih the chairman and secretary of the party, respectively. These two former ministers have surprisingly not exerting their authority. They appear pro-Obi. In fact, the controversy over delegates list for the PDP primaries in Anambra has not given them a good standing. The result has been chaos.

Related News

Obi should have known better, after all, he was our governor for eight years. Igbo people, especially those from Anambra State, are too republican to swallow this kind of brazen attempt to dictatorship. He could not allow 27 out of the 36 members of the state PDP Caretaker Committee to serve as even ward delegates because he was not sure they would vote for his candidate, Obaze. This was one manipulation gone too far.

The PDP National Caretaker Committee under Senator Makarfi’s leadership also committed a blunder. It should not have given Obaze special dispensation to contest for the governorship primaries. Obaze joined the party only four months ago. Yet, the party’s constitution stipulates that any person who wants to contest should be a member for at least two years. And there is nothing special about Obaze. Peter Obi brought him from the United States to succeed him as governor in 2014. So, he was offered the post of Secretary to the State Government, preparatory to being governor. But when the time came for the APGA primary election, Obi did not find him fit and competent enough. Obi settled for Willie Obiano because of the latter’s rich experience in financial management and corporate leadership.

Critics believe that the only reason Obi forced Obaze down the throats of Anambra PDP members and now wants to force him down the throats of Anambra people is that he did not know that Obiano has strength of character, which makes it impossible for him to play the role of godfather. Obi wants Obaze to hold the cow while he milks it.

As every Nigerian acknowledges, Peter Obi is determined to be the PDP vice presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections. This is why he has been hovering all over Lagos, giving all manner of talks. He makes fatuous claims about his tenure as governor everywhere, except in Anambra where the people know the truth. To actualise his presidential ambitions, Obi needs to secure the home base. He is keen to have a stooge as governor and has, in the process, wrecked his party. Anambra PDP has become truly an extension of Next International. It has ceased to exist as a party. As auctioneers would say, Anambra PDP is going, going…

• Dr. (Mrs.) Okonkwo is of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.