PDP Moves to Halt Poaching of Key Members

• As Okorocha relinquishes headship of S’East APC to Nnamani

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Amby Uneze in Owerri

Worried by the spate of defections that has hit it recently, the leadership of the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken measures aimed at gingering support for the party across the country.

The move by the PDP is coming despite a pending judgment at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt in Rivers state which is expected to resolve to a large extent the lingering leadership dispute in the opposition party.

Despite not knowing which side the pendulum will swing, the leadership of the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, last week spoke of plans to hold the meeting of its national caucus in states controlled by the party on a rotational basis.

The choice of Bayelsa state for the re-launching of the embattled opposition party may have been due to the fact the former President, Goodluck Jonathan is from the place and that his profile seemed to be on the rise especially with the recent reception he received from former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his visit to Ogun State.

The party is apparently hoping to utilise the resurgent goodwill of the former president to woo back the Nigerian electorate and to seek the understanding of others especially most of its former members not to jump ship or leave the party.
Within the last one month, the embattled PDP has lost key members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in what is seen as the aftermath of months of intractable leadership crisis which has pitched the former national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff against the Makarfi-led national caretaker committee in a long-drawn legal battle.

Among some of the leading former members of the PDP who defected to the APC, were the Governor of old Anambra state, Chief Jim Nwobodo; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former Abia state Governor, Orji Uzor-Kalu and a serving senator from Akwa Ibom state who cross-carpeted to the APC.

While addressing journalists shortly after the expanded national caucus meeting of the party Thursday in Abuja, the Spokesman of the PDP, Dayo Adeyeye said the governors elected on the platform of the party had agreed to be hosting a stakeholders meeting of the party on a rotational basis as part of efforts galvanise support for the party ahead of the 2019 general election.

To kick-start the meeting which many see as a way of mobilising members and stopping the APC from poaching from it, PDP has picked Bayelsa state as its first port of call.
Adeyeye said PDP governors have resolved to hold monthly meetings to strengthen the party, adding that Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson has accepted to be the first to host the caucus meeting.

On the reason for the low turn-out of party governors at the function, he said: “We don’t have problems with our governors; they are all strongly behind the move to rebuild the party.”
In the same vein, former governor of Akwa Ibom and the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio used the opportunity of the recent stakeholders’ meeting to draw the attention of the leadership of the PDP on the need to make haste to resolve the crisis in the party.

Akpabio said: “There is need to ensure that platform of the party is safe for those who want to contest election. Right now some senators in Anambra are worried that primaries are supposed to start by March. This is just to bring it to the notice of the national caretaker committee so that they can do something about it.

“I need to say here that not every rumour you hear you believe. If you say that we lost senators through defections, there are also some others who joined our party like in Nasarawa through election and the court. Our number in the Senate is still very significant. The PDP senators are intact and very supportive of the party; they are also giving financial support to the party. We are stakeholders and we believe we should support the caretaker committee. It is the sacrifice we have to make in order to keep this party going.

“There is no election that will be conducted in the former PDP 28 states that the party will not win. That is a matter of fact. As I speak so many senators from the opposing party are eager to join PDP. All they want is return of peace to the party, once that is done I can assure that 20 senators are on their way to joining the PDP. Message to those who are thinking of defection is to retrace their steps because PDP is bounce back to victory in 2009?” he said.

Meanwhile, PDP has hailed the Governor of Bayelsa, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson on his 51 years birthday. In a statement issued yesterday, the Spokesman of PDP described him as a “man of the people, whose strength, courage and success have touched many lives nationally and in particular, the people of his State as a police officer, lawyer, legislator and Governor.”

The party said Dickson’s style of governance with the fear of God has changed service delivery in Bayelsa State by making transparency and accountability the bedrock of his administration leading to substantial transformation in all the sectors.

“His unflinching loyalty to our great Party, the PDP, and the overwhelming developmental projects recorded in both in his first and this second term in office as Governor of Bayelsa State will not be forgotten”, he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has declared that those joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) newly should not cause confusion in the party; instead they should promote the ideals of the party to achieve success.

Addressing stakeholders of the party at the Imo International Conference Centre (IICC) Owerri yesterday, Okorocha maintained that his major reason of leaving his former party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to APC was to join in building the country instead of remaining in a party that was only in Igboland.
While reminding those newcomers to the party to maintain peace and work for the greatness of the party in the South East, he announced that he is relinquishing leadership of the party in the zone to a former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, as the new leader of the party in the South-east.
He also urged other party leaders in the zone to support President Mohammadu Buhari to do his second term of eight years.

Those who attended the meeting included Ken Nnamani, Emeka Offor, Ifeanyi Araraume, George Moughalu, Tony Eze, Ebuka Onunkwo, Jombo Offor, Eze Madumere, Osita Izunaso, members of the National Working Committee of APC and other prominent politicians in the Zone. The key figures present had met behind closed doors before the meeting proper.

Okorocha said “now that Igbo leaders are together in APC, Nigerians will hear us. There is a vacuum of leadership in the South-east APC. I am a governor. My brothers Chris Ngige and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu are Ministers. Hence the importance of Ken Nnamani coming at this time. I decline the leadership of Ndi-Igbo in APC. With Ken Nnamani, the question of who is the leader of APC in the South-east has been answered. Ken Nnamani is the leader of APC in the South-East”.

He continued, “Senator Nnamani should work with other leaders like Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Jim Nwobodo and a host of others to give Ndi-Igbo political direction. Those who have joined the party or who want to join should do so to build the party and not to cause confusion. APC is the right party for the Igbos, and the only party that can guarantee Igbo Presidency”.

For him, “we are going to support President Mohammadu Buhari for the eight years he is going to lead the nation. This is the time for Ndi-Igbo to come and work together. We are also going to use the Anambra election to show that APC has arrived South-east. The Igbos played bad politics in 2015. Today we have lost a lot. We are not anywhere because of our bad politics”.

Okorocha also disclosed that three serving governors in the South-east are in touch with him and will soon join APC, adding that being the only APC governor in the South-east does not give him joy and advised that other political leaders in the geo-political zone should take advantage of the moment and come into APC.
In his speech, Senator Ken Nnamani said the Igbos need more of their leaders at the National leadership of the APC where decisions are made, and even at the National Assembly and other strategic areas and levels.

The former Senate President said “Some of us going into APC are not doing so because of hunger, but in the interest of the Igbos. We should play Politics of ideas, and avoid abusive words. Ndi-Igbo do not have the ingredients for opposition politics. We do not have the media or business or money to play opposition politics, but we won’t ask for handouts”.

He continued, “How the Yorubas voted in 2015 should be an eye-opener. They voted both sides, but the South-east put their eggs in one basket. I am not of the view that everybody should be in APC, but those who have seen the need should do so. If governor Okorocha has realised that he needs more hands in APC, he should be commended. We are worst enemies of ourselves. If we work together we will go very far. This is the time to play national politics”.

Senator Nnamani explained “some people could say we have the Deputy Senate President, but he does not attend the meeting of APC caucus where important decisions are taken. We must think ahead. The benefit of that office is therefore personal and does not enhance the political fortunes of the South-east people”.

In a quick reaction on the part of Ndigbo, former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha described those leaders as not representing or speaking for the South-east. He maintained that they cannot represent or speak for the South-east because it was in their usual character to run from one party to another.
Ihedioha said “they cannot be role model and obviously cannot represent our people. None of these men have been consistent with one political party.”