…Real reasons Ihedioha, allies quit party
• Development has paved way for more focused, united, formidable party – Dike, state PDP chairman
From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Imo People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is currently in limbo following the Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha’s resignation from the party. Ihedioha who was a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and later governor of Imo State for seven months left the party in the penultimate week, leading to an exodus of about 80 per cent of members of the party, comprising over 2,277 top leaders and financiers from across the state.
The breakdown showed that 29 out of 39 members of the State Executive Committee, 13 out of 27 LGA party chairmen, 267 out of 432 LGA party officers, 243 out of 305 ward chairmen, over 3,888 ward executives of the party, as well as members of prominent support groups have left the party since the ex-Imo governor announced his resignation from the party on April 23.
Similarly, prominent members and elders of the party who had resigned their membership of the party in the last one week are: former governor, Air Commodore (Dr) Luke Ochulor; former Deputy Governor, Gerald Irona; former Ministers, Charles Ugwuh; Chief Chuka Odom; BOT member of the party, Chief Chris Okewulonu; former NEC member of the party, Chief Henry Ekpe.
Others include: former elected members of the House of Representatives, Hon. ThankGod Ezeani, PhD; Hon. Mayor Eze; Hon. Uche Onyeagucha; Hon. Ugonna Ozurigbo; Hon Obinna Onwubuariri; Hon. Jonas Okeke; Chairman, PDP Elders Committee, Prof Jude Njoku; Secretary, PDP Elders Committee, Prof. Obioma Iheduru; members of the South East Zonal Executive Committee, Chief Stanley Ekezie, Chief Augustine Elochukwu; two senatorial candidates of the party in the last election, including Chief Emmanuel Okewulonu; four House of Representatives candidates of the party in the last election, including, Hon. Chibuzo Agulanna; former speaker and deputy speaker of Imo House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Lawman Duruji, Rt. Hon Okey Onyekamma; 27 former LGA IMC chairmen and about 291 IMC members who served under the Ihedioha administration.
Also all the House of Assembly candidates of the party in the last election, including Sunny-Unachukwu Chukwuemeka John, the PDP candidate for Ikeduru State Constituency, 2023, had quit the party.
It would be recalled that on June 18, last year, seven members of State Working Committee of the Imo PDP: Sir Martins Ejiogu, State Deputy Chairman, Nze Ray Emeaña, State Secretary, Comrade Greg G.O.C. Nwadike, State Youth Leader, Collins Opurozor, State Publicity Secretary, Chief (Mrs) Maria Mbakwe, State Woman Leader, Josiah Eze, State Treasurer and Chibuisi Obido, State Vice Chairman, Orlu Zone, abandoned the party to join the ruling APC government in the state led by Governor Hope Uzodimma, who wasted no time in appointing them his special advisers.
Also last year, Hon. Bede Eke, who represented Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala federal constituency; Hon. Ikenna Elezieanya, who represented Owerri West, North, Municipal federal constituency and Hon. Jerry Alagbaso, Orsu/Orlu/ Oru East federal constituency, in the House of Representatives dumped the Imo PDP and joined forces with Governor Uzodimma ahead of the November 11, 2023 off-season Imo governorship polls.
The erstwhile SWC members had in June last year accused the National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu (Samdaddy) of having sabotaged the electoral fortunes of the party in the 2023 general polls by allegedly directing his loyalists to work against the party and its candidates at all levels.
The former SWC members also pointed out that Senator Anyanwu was not contesting the November 11, 2023 governorship polls as members of the SWC did not know about it.
In fact, the Imo PDP has been embroiled in internal wrangling as a result of power tussle between Ihedioha and Senator Anyanwu over who controls the structure of the party, which battle intensified as Anyanwu emerged the National Secretary of the party, a situation that further polarised the party in the state.
Investigations by Sunday Sun revealed that the first sign of trouble in the state chapter was the seeming inability of the national leadership of the party to resolve the contentious issue of consensus candidate ahead of the gubernatorial primaries of the party on April 14, 2023, the unresolved issue of the ward delegates lists who were supposed to vote for the governorship, state and National Assembly primaries, and the insistence by Senator Anyanwu that he must contest the party’s gubernatorial primaries even while he was still the National Secretary of the PDP, and allegedly backed by the ex-Rivers State governor, Nysom Wike.
This situation led to the sudden withdrawal of Ihedioha from the party’s gubernatorial primaries last year and ultimately led to the humiliating defeat of the Imo PDP and its candidate Senator Anyanwu in the November 11 Imo gubernatorial polls, won by Governor Uzodimma.
Former National Ex-officio of the PDP and now a Labour Party chieftain, Madu Chinemerem, who congratulated former members and leaders of the party who joined Ihedioha in exiting the Imo PDP, said that the PDP had dug its own grave when it denied the Southeast the presidential ticket when it was its turn in 2023.
He urged Ihedioha and the former members of the PDP to join the Labour Party.
“Congratulations to all PDP members who joined His Excellency, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha to resign en masse from the PDP, a party that started very well, but ended badly. A party that dug her grave by denying Southeast the presidential ticket when it was her turn in 2023.We saw the end of PDP early enough and took the exit door, because injustice can never stand for long.
“I urge His Excellency, Emeka Ihedioha to lead his huge loyalists to the only living and promising party in the Southeast, South-south and North-central, Labour Party. I will be very happy to welcome my people from the late PDP to Labor Party, let’s secure our land and give meaning once again to life. With LP, we can truly rebuild Southeast from the ruins of insecurity, hunger and hopelessness.
“As they say, politics is local. Abia has taken the lead, Imo and Anambra are next and in time Enugu and Ebonyi will key in, then we can push together for a meaningful national integration. Peter Obi has shown capacity to lead that charge for a seat on the national politics, he needs his home base to be taken more seriously. I use this medium also to advocate that Labour Party should reach out to Governor Fubara who will be looking for an alternative platform for his second tenure. Gov. Fubara’s presence in LP will be a big plus. Last an Ihedioha in LP will be a win-win with his teaming supporters. Congratulations once again to all who left PDP for taking the bold step,” Madu said.
He also pointed out that Senator Anyanwu’s sustained rebellion against the Imo PDP and Southeast, such as occupying Southeast slot as National Secretary and being loyal to South-south has been the undoing of the party.
“He hijacked the 2023 guber ticket without local content and the outcome was as predicted. Samdaddy’s quest for party power has not been to gain political control in Imo, but rather to carry out indiscriminate violence against the PDP close-knit family unit and other purposes,” he said.
However, Ihedioha has not yet indicated where he and his supporters are headed for, but speculations are rife that the Rebuild Imo Movement may eventually berth its political ship in the Labour Party, as many of have said that APC may not be an option.
Sunday Sun reliably gathered from a member the Rebuild Imo Movement that its leadership is talking with political like minds who share the same democratic ideals of the movement of rebuilding the state, saying that the movement is open to all Imo people.
One of them, Sir Stanley Ekezie said: “The Rebuild Imo Movement shall partner with all well-meaning citizens of Imo State and organisations to give meaning to the entrenchment and promotion of democracy in our dear enclave. Consultations have commenced and shall be further broadened to reach all shades of opinion and groups. Ours is a rainbow movement that will cover both the 27 LGAs and the three geo-political zones.
“We call on Imo citizens who share the same ideals and aspirations for our beloved Imo to join hands as we embark on this engaging democratic journey. Our goal is clear, hence we shall reach out to all persons who share the goals of promotion of democracy and good governance in our state and the nation in general. To achieve this goal, the list of persons who abandoned the PDP to join this new crusade under the Rebuild Imo Movement shall be made known to you in the course of our further engagements with you.
“We will inform the public when our status quo of the movement changes.”
Imo PDP reacts, says party now stronger
The new acting State Chairman of the Imo People’s Democratic Party, Mr Chidi Dike, has urged members of the party to remain calm over the mass exodus of members, leaders, critical stakeholders from the party in the wake of the resignation of ex-Governor Ihedioha from the party.
He said that the latest development has paved way for more focused, united and formidable PDP.
The chairman told newsmen in his office in Owerri that the “purported” resignation of members of the party was a storm in a tea cup.
His words: “The purported resignations is just a storm in a tea cup. The party has overcome even a greater challenge in the past and emerged stronger. This development has paved way for a more focused, united and stronger party.
“PDP remains the largest political party in West Africa, with at least 13 governors in Nigeria. The party in Imo State under the watch of the State Executive led by me, and the leadership of Dist. Sen. Samuel Anyanwu is already focusing on the upcoming Ward, LGA and State congresses”.
He also disclosed that the programmes and activities of the party in the coming months would only lay bare the wide reach and solid foundation of Imo PDP, something his administration would make even more formidable.
The chairman urged officers and members of the party not to be distracted from their assiduous work for the betterment of the party.
He said that noteworthy was that the party was leaving no stone unturned in its effort to reclaim its stolen victory in the November 11, 2023 governorship election.
He, therefore, urged the Imo people to remain patient and not to lose hope for the liberation of the state from what he termed “the mal-governance of the Governor Hope Uzodimma-led regime,” which the PDP and Senator Samuel Anyanwu have promised.
Fate of former members of PDP who joined APC
The seven erstwhile PDP SWC members had joined the APC in June last year ahead of the November 11 Imo State governorship polls and were appointed Special Advisers by Governor Uzodimma.
The former State Deputy Chairman, PDP, Chief Martins Ejiogu was appointed Special Adviser on Election Management; Nze Ray Emena, former state scribe was made the Director-General of Ahiajioku Centre; Hon. Ndubuisi Mbido was Special Adviser on Oil Mineral Producing Area/ Community Engagement; Josiah Eze, Special Adviser on Labour (Education) while Hon. Maria Mbakwe, erstwhile Imo PDP Women leader was made Special Adviser, Women Engagement; Collins Opuruozor, Special Adviser Strategic Communication; and Greg Nwadike, ex-Imo PDP Youth Leader was made Special Adviser on Media Engagement.
But after his re-election for a second term in office, Governor Uzodimma, on January 15 this year after his inauguration for his second and final term, sacked the entire State Executive Council precisely on January 16, thereby leaving the majority of the decampee PDP officers stranded without even paying them their terminal benefits or salaries.
Before Uzodimma decided to make a clean sweep of his aides, the governor, they claimed, was owing them salaries.
After four about months, when the governor reconstituted his cabinet, the only PDP decampees who got juicy appointments are Hon. Elezieanya, who was the immediate past member representing the Owerri-West, North, Municipal federal constituency, who became the Commissioners for Science and Technology, Innovation and Engineering; Hon Bede Eke, former member that represented Aboh Mbaise/ Ngor Okpala, who is now in-charge of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, while the 16 decampee Special Advisers appointed by the governor were left in the cold.
