Chief Ray Nnaji is a lawyer and former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) amongst other elective and appointive positions held before now. He spoke with Damian Duruiheoma on the current crisis in the party and insisted that the 2023 presidential race is between the candidate of the opposition party, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Excerpts
THE dingdong affair in your party remains unabated. As a former national officer of the PDP, what is your impression about the ongoing crisis?
Crisis is part and parcel of party politics. There’s no way you can divorce politics from crisis. Also, there’s no way you can avoid it. But the way it is handled is what matters most. There has never been anytime the party has not been having crisis even when we were in power. I think it is good and very healthy that this crisis started manifesting early now that campaigns have not started. If it starts manifesting when the party has set up machinery in motion for campaigns, it would have been very difficult to handle at that time. It would have been distractive and the party will not be focused to handle it.
But now the campaigns have not started, we have known where the crisis is coming from. We have known the problem. As they say, a problem known is half solved. The outcome of the presidential primary and the choice of running mate are the major issues here. Therefore, I’m not seeing it as any problem because that situation would be solved. Wike is feeling angry and betrayed and as a result of that he is feeling bad. But I can assure you that he is going to be taken care of. Happily, he has said he’s not leaving PDP.
Despite the fact that he is the governor of a state, Wike has contributed to the growth of the party. Nobody can take that away from him. Some other governors are sympathetic of his feelings. Ortom of Benue State, Makinde of Oyo, Ikpeazu of Abia and my own governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi are some of the governors who are with him in this. So, it’s not going to be easy for the party to say that it is ignoring somebody like Wike. We can’t ignore Wike. This is because Rivers State is a swing state for PDP. So, my point is that the crisis coming out now is healthy for the party. It’s preparing us to be stronger. If we didn’t have this crisis now and towards the end of the campaign it mani fests, it will take us by surprise because by then people will be very busy preparing for the election and it may even cost us victory.
In a matter of weeks, campaigns for the elections will officially kick off. Are you upbeat that some of these concerns would be addressed before that?
Why not? As I told you, this thing is about interests. Already, I heard that Atiku had met with Wike in Port Harcourt and that the meeting was fruitful. So, these things will be sorted out. They are not insurmountable. There was no agreement to that Ayu will resign. It wasn’t signed anywhere. It was said that that was what Iyorcha Ayu said. But it is a personal decision that is not binding on the party. He can withdraw that decision because it is not the policy of the party. A personal decision can be rescinded at any given time. I must also have to tell you that we are entering election. It will be suicidal to remove the national chairman of the party just few months to the election and go into the election with an acting national chairman. INEC does not recognize that. You must quickly do convention to get a substantive chairman that will be signing documents.
Are you wishing away the incumbent APC and the Labour Party?
Well, I must have to tell you that despite the fact that APC is the ruling party, PDP is still the party to beat. Because of the fact that they didn’t perform, that’s why PDP is even talking. If they had performed a quarter of what they told Nigerians they would do in 2015, by now PDP would be thinking of what they would use to attract Nigerians and upstage them. To be frank with you, I’m also not ignoring what Peter Obi is doing in Labour Party. But I must have to tell you that Obi’s timing is wrong. If Obi will make serious impact, it is not now but in future. For now, it is a straight fight between PDP and APC.
We’re not even ignoring Kwankwaso’s NNPP too. Obi will only make impact in the South. His impact will not be able to upstage the impact of the ruling APC not to talk of PDP that is planning to take over. The votes that will be coming from the North alone will determine what will happen and Obi and his ‘Obidients’ are not there in the North. These youths that are shouting ‘Obidient’, don’t forget that the PDP has its own youths.
But most of the youths and people demanding change are of the PDP stock….
By the time the party puts its machinery in motion, you will understand that it is either you are in or out. You cannot be in PDP and be working for another party. It cannot happen. It is purely anti-party. When we put the machineries on ground, we know who is for us and who is against us. We’re not joking. If you want to play party politics, you cannot be in and be out at the same time. Anyone who wants to leave PDP is free to leave. But you cannot be in your party and be working against your party. The highest thing you can do against your party is to remain neutral.
The party will equally discipline any candidate found to be promoting a candidate of another party because thanks a serious offense. The constitution covers it. But some of them don’t know. If you are a member of party, you don’t work against that party. The highest thing you can do is to keep quiet.
As the PDP settles its internal matters, are you not worried about this Peter Obi’s ‘Obidient Movement’ eclipsing the PDP in the Southeast ahead of the elections?
I’m not worried at all. In Enugu State here, no other party will beat PDP no matter the influence Peter Obi may have. Let me be frank with you. Before now, what was the structure of Labour Party in Enugu State? None. PDP has an incumbent governor. What happened in Osun and Ekiti? Did Obi not go to those states? He campaigned in Osun and they got 2750 votes out of over 700,000 votes cast. In Ekiti, what number did his Labour Party get? People have not enlightened up to that point. It will be difficult to say somebody who has known umbrella all his or her life to now go and vote where human beings are as symbol of Labour Party.
Rural people don’t know that. Once you bring the umbrella and show it to them, that’s what they know. Again, the scope is too wide for Labour Party to meet up with PDP and APC. Forget about the social media. When.the chips are down, when you come on ground, you find out that they are lacking. My only happiness is that he is sensitizing our people that the situation of our country is bad and that we need change, which Atiku Abubakar will bring. He is so versatile and liberal. He is unlike President Muhammadu Buhari who has pocketed himself to Islamic and Fulani agenda. Atiku will not be like that.
Barr. Chijioke Edeoga is the governorship candidate of Labour Party in Enugu. People are saying that consider where he comes from, Isi-Uzo LGA, the election is for him to lose. What’s your reaction to that?
Edeoga is my colleague and friend. We are lawyers and became local government chairmen same time. I am from Nkanu West LGA whereas he is from Isi-Uzo. But I must have to tell you that even though Isi-Uzo is in Enugu East Senatorial District, they belong to the minority while Nkanu is in majority. Edeoga is trying to play the sentiments of Nsukka people. But it will not work for him. He failed to understand that the PDP has structures in all the wards there in Nsukka. PDP has all the local government chairmen and councilors in Nsukka. It’s not going to be easy for a councilor to allow another party to win his ward. This is because when the dividend of democracy is being shared, they will use his ward result as a yardstick to deal with him.
Even if you have the opportunity of going for a second term, they will deny you that because you have nothing on ground to show for it. To be honest, we’re not underrating him (Edeoga). Its better you know you have a strong opponent and work hard to earn your victory. PDP is not joking. We’re prepared to give everybody anything he wants.
Chimaraoke Nnamani’s influence is one of the issues being raised against the PDP in the forthcoming elections. How do you react to that?
It’s not true that Dr. Nnamani has been the one choosing everyone for Peter Mbah. This is because the DG of the campaign group, Ikeje Asogwa, was brought by Governor Ugwuanyi. Asogwa is not the best of friends of Chimaraoke for him to have been appointed the campaign DG.