The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is led by former minister and business mogul, Engr Charles Ugwu. But it has been a herculean task keeping the party stable, what with the intense battle for who flies its governorship flag in the forthcoming election.
The gubernatorial elections in the state is still a year away but activities are underway to swing the tide by interested parties.
The battle for the PDP gubernatorial ticket is between former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and ex-governor, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha and former Senator for Imo East and current national secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
PDP lost control of the state in 2020 after the Supreme Court sacked Ihedioha as governor and declared Senator Hope Uzodimma of the APC as governor.
Ahead of the next election, while Ihedioha has yet to formally declare his interest to run for the plum job, Anyanwu has. A situation that appears to be fuelling rancour between their supporters.
In different social media groups, the supporters are at each others jugular, each claiming superiority and accusing the other of attacks.
The tussle of the camps came to the fore during the recent PDP primary election over the list of delegates. It took the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) insistence for the party to use only statutory delegates as against the adhoc delegates and one-man delegate list, for the matter to be resolved.
However, barely days ago, Anyanwu’s media aide, Ikenna Onuoha, denied claims of attacks on the state chairman of PDP, Engr Charles Ugwu by his alleged loyalists.
Claims of the alleged attack trended on social media handles in the state.
Onuoha in his statement about the allegation said “Imo people are aware of those desperate politicians in the habit of intimidating and harassing their fellow party members. They also know those unleashing thugs against political opponents and creating insecurity as part of designed plot to foist themselves on the masses. This is not only false, diversionary and divisive both in content and style, but aimed at misleading the public, hence should be disregarded”.
Onuoha declined to mention the name(s) of the supposed persons behind the allegation. Interestingly, he had, weeks ago, raised an alarm over some persons recruited to hound Anyanwu.
Onuoha however told LEADERSHIP “We tactically and deliberately avoided mentioning names for the want of peace. Though we have been able to uncover the kingpin behind the plot to impugn our party’s national scribe, but for the interest of peace and the future of PDP in Imo State and South East, we decided to play down on it.”
He said the plot against the PDP national secretary was exposed when those hired for the hatched job started fighting amongst themselves in a beer palour within Ikenegbu Owerri over how to share the money paid by their sponsor, who he said “is obviously very desperate to be governor in 2023.”
“At the right time, further documents including transaction deal will be made public. This when done will serve as an eye opener to members of our party here in Imo state that someone is indeed, behind all the campaign of calumny and infighting in our party”, Onuoha said.
On rumours milling that Anyanwu told Ihedioha outrightly to jettison seeking a fresh term to govern the state, Onuoha denied it vehemently, saying Anyanwu couldn’t have told Ihedioha or any other interested qualified party man to drop his or her ambition.
“But the truth of the matter and from what we read in various newspapers is that our critical leaders and members of our party are calling on Rt Hon Ihedioha to drop his ambition to clinch the party’s governorship ticket for the third time and allow a new and fresh person to take over.
“I wouldn’t know if this passionate appeal by our party leaders and members triggered them to resort to cheap blackmail against our National Secretary who is working assiduously to rescue the party and as well, unite every aggrieved members who left our party after their erroneous victimisation,” he said
On what is the main issue of contention between both men, Onuoha interestingly said he does not see or perceive any grievances that could generate division and internal misunderstanding.
He nonetheless added, “Incidentally, those writing or promoting the former Governor on the social and mainstream media are not being diplomatic in their reactions. Their actions against our National Secretary are obviously telling the public that things are not normal between Hon Ihedioha and the National Secretary, even when the presumption or assertion is wrong.”
Ihedioha’s spokesperson, Chibuike Onyeukwu refused to comment on the perceived rancour, maintaining that both men “are brothers and do not have any issue of dispute but were committed to the development of the state.”
However, a staunch Ihedioha supporter, Chief Richmond Osuji, dismissed any pretence of cordiality between the two party leaders, claiming that Anyanwu was not sincere in his dealings.
Osuji, former chairman of Aboh Mbaise local government area, outrightly accused the national scribe of being a mole in the PDP.
He said “Anyanwu is a mole in PDP. He is working for Senator Hope Uzodinma to win a second tenure. It is common knowledge that he is in alliance with Uzodinma. But he will fail. For us in the Imo PDP Watchdog, our eyes are open to the issues in our party. We know who is who. We are not deaf or blind to know who is doing what. Samdaddy is an APC agent sent to fight Ihedioha and the chances of our party to win election”.
Osuji recalled that in 2020, after the Supreme Court, removed Ihedioha from office as the duly elected governor of Imo State, “Anyanwu, same day, personally signed a press release, congratulating Senator Uzodinma on his victory and pledged his loyalty to his government. The evidence is there. Nobody can hide it”.
The former council chairman, who is a director in Ihedioha’s Imo Rebuild Organisation, also claimed that Anyanwu instead of seeking a second term to the Senate un 2018, sought to upstage Ihedioha with a fierce battle to win the PDP guber ticket.
He added that despite Ihedioha’s victory at the primaries with over 400 votes, Anyanwu refused to concede defeat, nor acceded to peace moves by party leaders but proceeded to court to challenge Ihedioha’s ticket.
He had more reasons on why Anyanwu and Ihedioha are at a loggerheads. Osuji said on the eve of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Imo, Anyanwu called a meeting of his group at his residence at New Owerri and directed them to work for Senator Hope Uzodinma, APC governorship candidate. “Some of his followers refused and walked out and reported the incident to us while some shared the money brought by Senator Uzodinma.
“Yet, during that 2019 guber election, PDP won in 103 out of the 104 wards in the entire Owerri Zone. The only ward PDP lost was Anyanwu’s Amaimo ward where he hired thugs to disrupt the election and INEC cancelled the election”, a pointer to the grouse of Ihedioha supporters against Anyanwu.
As much as Osuji’s comments exposes the internal misunderstanding between both camps (even as they have failed to admit it), it also underscores the task ahead for the party hoping to return to power in the state.
Will the PDP put aside their differences and work together to clinch power from the ruling APC, as Governor Hope Uzodimma by his emergence punctured the unwritten zoning arrangement in the state, which was started by former governor and now Senator Rochas Okorocha.
Commencement of campaigns may be months away but one thing is sure, political alignments are gathering momentum in the state, and political watchers are keen on the chances of the PDP to reinvent itself, who blinks first between Ihedioha and Anyanwu, unfolding events will determine.
