Exit of Heavyweight Politicians Continue in Abia PDP as Former Chairman, Nwaka, Dumps Party 

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

As the exodus of party chieftains continues to plague the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its former Chairman, Senator Emma Nwaka, has announced that he is longer a member of the party.
He told THISDAY that he had left the PDP two months ago, precisely on June 12, 2024 when he submitted his resignation letter at his ward, saying he resigned purely for “personal reasons”.
Abia PDP started experiencing the exits of its high profile members after the party, which had controlled Abia for almost 24 years, lost power to the opposition Labour Party in the 2023 general election.

The party chieftains that have taken the exit door include the immediate past Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedum Orji who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and former commissioners and lawmakers who defected to other political parties.
Nwaka, who is a lawyer by training, piloted the affairs of Abia PDP between 2010 and 2015 during which period the party enjoyed overwhelming dominance of the political space in the state.

He said that he had quit the party quietly in his ward since June 12, 2024 but has now decided to make it public due to constant “invitations to PDP activities, which I’ve been declining politely”.
The Abia North Senator in the short-lived third republic also explained that he needed to declare his membership status following prodding from political allies that want him to make known his stand.

Unlike other PDP bigwigs in Abia that resigned and joined the APC, Nwaka said he has chosen to remain non-partisan, noting that he didn’t resign from his party in order to defect to another.
“It’s not in my nature to hop from one political party to another. I’ve been with PDP since it was formed over 24 years ago. I’ve now firmly resolved, for entirely personal reasons, to pull back and take stock,” he said.
The former party chairman, who was a governorship aspirant in 2023, stated that even in his present non-partisan status he would continue to render service to the society when needed.

“Politics for me is about service to the public. One doesn’t have to be involved in partisan political activities to render service to his people,” Nwaka said.
Nonetheless, he didn’t completely rule out the possibility of returning to partisan politics in the future.
According to him, “If in the future it becomes necessary for me to align with any partisan political platform, I shall not hesitate to share the news with the press.”
In the letter of resignation dated June 12, 2024 and addressed to the PDP Chairman, Ward 5 Oguduasa, Chief Innocent Nwagba, Senator Nwaka said that it was “time for me to quit”.
He made it plain that his decision to resign his membership of PDP “for personal reasons was not taken whimsically”, adding, “I chose this path after very deep considerations and reflection on the trajectory of my political life.”

While expressing his gratitude for the honour of piloting the affairs of the Abia PDP for five years, Nwaka recounted the successes the party recorded under his watch.

He said: “I am really happy that I served without a whiff of any scandal. Instead, the period under my watch brought to the party stability, peace and a winning streak.

“The party won two governorship elections back to back, controlled the State House of Assembly and won about all the (Abia) seats in the National Assembly in two general elections.”