The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abia PDP

  • Supreme Court Verdict:  Abia PDP set to go on fence mending mission 

    Supreme Court Verdict:  Abia PDP set to go on fence mending mission 

    The Supreme Court judgement which affirmed the validity of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s nomination for the governorship election he won two years ago has made the Abia state chapter of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to set machinery in motion to bring back estranged members.

    Speaking in Umuahia on the outcome of the judgement the chairman of the party Chief Johnson Onuigbo said that with the court case over that the party has commenced moves to bring back some those who left the party.

    Onuigbo said that it is obvious that some of their members who felt aggrieved with the result of the party’s governorship primary left the party and that now the court case is over, “The next thing to be done is to bring them back”.

    He said, “We’ve lost friends and associates during the legal tussle, now that the apex court has finally laid to rest any doubt concerning Governor Ikpeazu’s victory at the polls all those that had left the party should come back and join hands with the governor to build Abia”.

    Onuigbo said that it was a thing of joy Uche Ogah, who was one of the litigants that dragged the Abia governor all the way to the Supreme Court, has congratulated Governor Ikpeazu after the Supreme Court judgment.

    He said, “I learnt that Ogah had called to congratulate the governor which is welcome development which means that the war is over, the next thing is for others like him to do the same and also come forward to help build the state”.

    The Abia PDP chairman acknowledged that the long drawn legal tussle had taken its toll on the governor because “for two years now this governor had been under pressure from left, right and centre.”

    Onuigbo said that notwithstanding the distractions Governor Ikpeazu has been performing very well in driving development across Abia, adding that having finally overcome his traducers he would redouble his efforts to do more for Abia people.

    He said, “The CJN wondered how four people would want to be governor of a state at the same time which is not possible, I advise politicians to put their house in order and stop putting undue pressure on the judiciary”.

    “The judgement of the Supreme Court shows that there are still good people in Nigeria as their judgement on the Abia governorship issue has shown that there is future for the common man which the judiciary represents”.

    Onuigbo commended the governor for the rapid development in the state despite all forms of distractions which have come his way in the last two years he has been in office and urged him to continue the good work he has been doing.

    He lauded the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen for exposing the antics of politicians and chiding for interfering with the judicial process by trying to influence judicial officers with inducements.

    He said that the advice the CJN gave to politicians was in order, adding that the disposition of justice Onnoghen was a strong indication that “good men are still around and that the judiciary remained the last hope of the common man”.

    The CJN had while delivering judgment on the Abia governorship advised that politicians “should allow the judiciary to be independent because without an independent judiciary, there will not be a just society”.

    He had noted that there were several security breaches, where desperate politicians made frantic efforts to compromise the court officials in the course of doing their job.

    The CJN therefore warned that attempts to bribe judicial officers to pervert justice constituted serious offences and they would be thoroughly investigated to unmask the politicians and make them face the wrath of the law.

     

  • Abia PDP treasurer Steve Omeoga is dead

    Abia PDP treasurer Steve Omeoga is dead

    It was a tragic week for the Abia state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as it’s treasurer, Chief Steve Omeoga has been confirmed dead as he slumped during a lawn tennis game in one of the sports clubs in Umuahia.

    The death of Omeoga is coming fees weeks after the party lost one of its members, Patience Monday Oroni in a ghastly motor accident while returning home after submitting her nomination form for the December 17 local government election.

    The death of Omeoga came to those who know him a s huge surprise including the club members who witnessed his death, as it was reported that he was looking hale and hearty when he came for the tennis game.

    According to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity, he said that Omeoga came into the club for the game in a happy and cheering mood and ordered for two cartoons of beer for members which they were drinking while the game was going on.

    The source said that after the game that he was noticed to have sat down on the lawn tennis court which made people to think that he was exhausted as it was usual after tennis game, members raised alarm when they noticed that he was losing consciousness.

    He said that efforts were made by club members who were around to revive him before rushing him to the federal medical centre where doctors battled to revive him but was later confirmed dead.

    The state publicity secretary of the party, Chief Don Ubani in statement confirmed the death of the party official, describing it as very unfortunate as the party has lost one of its shining executive members.

    The party secretariat in the state capital has been in mourning mood since the news of the demise of the state treasurer was announced, reminding one of the death of several members of the party some three years ago in a motors accident while returning from conducting party primaries in Anambra state.

  • Abia PDP prepares for council December election

    The Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] has started the preparation for the forth coming elections into the chairmanship and councillorship positions in the 17 council areas of the state.

    The ruling party in the state held its congresses for the candidates for the position of councillors and three-man ad-hoc delegates in the 292 state electoral wards in the state.

    In some of the wards visited by our correspondent, it was a peaceful exercise as most of the wards harmonized their list and brought out candidates of their choice.

    However in Aba South, some people were seen complaining that the exercise was a sham as they felt that they were schemed out of the entire process.

    One of the chairmanship candidates for Aba South and former chairman of the council, who does not want his name on print, said the exercise never held in the entire council area.

    At Abayi ward 1 in Obingwa council area, materials were not brought to the polling unit when our reporter got there at about 1.46 pm, while voters and candidates were seen waiting for materials to arrive.

    However one of the councillorship candidates, Mrs. Amba Ihejirika, complained that there were plans by some members of the party to rig the congress and warned against such move.

    At the Obingwa council headquarters, materials were shared by the party officials by 4.00pm, while at Umuola ward 8 in Aba North council area, congress had been held peacefully and results announced.

    The situation was the same for Sand and Gravel Ward in Ogbor Hill area the same council.

    At Nkporo and Igbere communities in Abia North part of the state, the congresses went very well and peacefully too as there were no problems during the exercise.

  • Abia PDP chief urges supporters to vote APGA candidate Otti

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Chief Tony Ukasanya, has urged the electorate to vote for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti, on Saturday.

    Speaking at a reception in honour of Otti by an Abuja-based businesswoman, Mrs. Josephine Nwaeze, at Ubakala in Umuahia South, Ukasanya said Otti can deliver the dividends of democracy.

    Ukasanya, the first chairman of the party in the state and a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT), described Otti as the only candidate with capacity to transform the state.

    He said having excelled in the banking industry, the former Diamond Bank chief had the experience, exposure and network to attract local and international investors.

    Ukasanya said: “He knows where all the financial grants and aids are domicilled in the world and will access them for the development of Abia. Otti will touch people’s lives positively, if elected.

    “This is an accomplished man. When he was in school, he came top in class and graduated with a First Class in Economics. I’m sure he will be a first class governor.

    “We don’t want a governorship candidate, who is being sponsored and cannot exercise self-independence. The underdevelopment we are experiencing is because of the election of those from poor background as governors.”

    Mrs. Nwaeze described Otti’s emergence as a new dawn for Abia, saying God “has remembered the suffering of the people and has beamed his light on the state for success and prosperity.”

    She said the women have resolved to vote for the APGA candidate and advised Otti to remember the area when he assumes office.

    Otti thanked her and the people for the honour, saying his resolve to join the race was borne out of a desire to rescue the people from poverty.

    He said: “I have come to fix our state and save our people from impoverishment by heartless leaders, who are insensitive to the plight of the people.”

    The candidate assured the people he would use the resources, foreign aid and grants to develop the economy, if voted in, adding: “You are going to see a new Abia with me as governor.”

  • Abia PDP primaries and doomsday prophets

    Abia PDP primaries and doomsday prophets

    At last, the first round of delegate elections in the build-up for the 2015 general elections has ended in Abia state. Candidates have emerged under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party to fly the party’s flag in the main election. It has been a very tensed and uncalm period with tensions and anxiety building up. A lot of horse-trading and intrigues pervaded the polity within the period. Reason for this is due to the undisputed fact that a PDP ticket in Abia is almost a forty-nine percent success record even before the election proper. Although in politics, anything can happen within a given period that even that one percent needed to attain the pass mark may be akin to searching for a needle in a hay stack.

    Before the primaries, there were doomsday prophesies by those who hate to love the governor. Many paid commentators and a section of the media for some parochial interests were busy insulting their readers’ reasoning by tales of impending implosion in the state chapter of the party. They had predicted that the state would boil if things were not done in the way of their paymasters which to them was the only right way. Some even became President Jonathan’s apologists by showing more concern to the presidential project of Jonathan more than even the president. A case of a mere Roman parishioner being more Roman Catholic that the Pope. They asked the president to call the governor to order or else he should forget Abia, as if they cared whether the president succeeded or not. Yet these threat-mongers neither belonged to the party of the president nor do they have current voters card.

    But sentiments apart, can it be said that the PDP has fared badly under the leadership of the incumbent governor Chief Theodore Ahamefule Orji who returned to the fold of the party in August 2010? This is assuming that we give any serious thought to the false alarm by the detractors. In arriving at the answer, it is only helpful we look at the fortunes of the party under the incumbent governor, in comparison to what it was and what it is likely to be from all indications.

    Under his shepherd, PDP would for the first time since its formation in 1998 be 100 percent in control of all the elective offices in the state. The feat started in the 2011 general elections.

    In the last four years that the governor has watched over PDP in Abia, there has not been any form of unnecessary bickering that may lead to division or factionalism within its fold. Party EXCO members elected in 2010 have served out their full tenure without any in-fighting for party structure. Nobody has pocketed the party officials or subsumed its roles and functions into that of any parallel campaign organization or group. No officer has been forced to resign. Look beyond your shoulders and see events and hyped political tension in other neighboring South-east states of Ebonyi and Enugu states. Simply put, PDP in the South-east stands strongest in Abia today and this is an incontrovertible fact. That did not come by happenstance. It is a leadership virtue which every good leader must aspire to possess. To leave the scene better than you met it.

    The last litmus test is the just concluded party primaries upon which the doomsday prophets have hinged their clairvoyant skills of foreseeing doom. The exercise has come and gone with the climax being the election of party’s governorship candidate Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu on Monday December 8. He slugged it out against seven other eminently qualified contestants and eventually emerged victorious. His entrance into the game had altered the political permutation. What many of his co-contestants did not know was that they were actually the ones that made Ikpeazu to tower high and above them. No sooner had he indicated interest to run had the other branded him “the chosen” one. They were the ones who took him to the media and in the attempt to demonise him gradually brought him into the forefront. Before you knew it, the race was certain to be between Ikpeazu and the others.

    While trying to drag him down, the commoners stretched their necks to catch a glimpse of this man who had become the talk-show. They wanted to know who was this man that did not wait for election to show his wealth and capacity to help their state. When the inquired, they were told that the man was only known to be carting away the refuse generated by the same wealthy chests. Rather than dampen their spirit, they saw the hand of God and the coming to fruition of that biblical prayer of Hannah, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifted up the beggar from the dung hill, to set them among the Princes and make them inherit the throne of glory”. They remembered he was once in charge of refuse disposal in Aba and Abia South. He did not receive any subsidy money for election, neither did he sit on the board of any bank with access to depositors fund as remuneration. Ikpeazu did not man any federal ministry and felt the world revolved around him. Gradually everything fell into place and the man who had equal stakes with the others in the “Project Abia” was undoubtedly emerging a front liner courtesy of those who thought they were dragging him down.

    In all fairness to Governor Orji, there was nothing to show that he had a preference for any candidate. He maintained his mien and stoic character in the face of all the horse-trading. Not even from his body language did he let out any whiff of suspicion as to his choice. If he had any preference for any of the contestants, he kept same to his chest so as to create a level playing ground for all. And why wouldn’t he? All the eight aspirants that contested the governorship primary were on one-on-one personal relationship with him. He couldn’t afford to love any more than the other given his position as father of all. And they all knew it.

    There is also no point to pretend that the whole exercise from the State House of Assembly to governorship went down well with all contenders. No. There were places like in Abia North where some political mannequins against wider desire got tickets to remain liabilities and parliamentary graffiti to their people. But that is why it is politics. Interests are accommodated through political arithmetic in power distribution. The beauty of it all was that with a man like Ochendo, even the aggrieved were ready to sheathe their sword as their own contributions and sacrifices for the sustained peace in the party nay the state. That is the attribute of a man who provided purposeful and selfless leadership. It has its reward called unalloyed loyalty.

    Little wonder the exercise in Abia was as peaceful as it was interesting. So what do we make of those who predicted that Abia will boil as a result of the alleged attempted manipulation of the process. No candidate walked out of the exercise. None alleged any form of manipulation. How come it was only a section of media that was in possession of that intelligence report that Abia PDP will expode?

    Abia is on the move and when the harvest time is ripe, posterity will no doubt show its kind face on a man who laboured to unite all interests for the peaceful co-existence and progress of his state.

    •Emereuwa writes from Umuahia, Abia State.

  • Confusion as Abia PDP goes ahead with congress

    THERE was confusion yesterday over the fate of the congress election of the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with reports that the ward congress, which had earlier been stopped by a court, will go ahead.

    Sources close PDP leaders in the state yesterday informed The Nation that party faithful close to the state government had obtained a court injunction at the Obingwa High Court to go ahead with the ward congress. A source at the Abia PDP office confirmed that the congress will hold as expected, stressing that they are continuing with the ward congress. It will be recalled that an Abuja high court had earlier gave an order restraining the state chapter of the party from conducting any congress.

    The national assembly caucus had a few days ago petitioned the national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu and the NWC over the illegal composition of congress committee by Governor Orji and Abia PDP. A source close to the trio of Senators Uche Chukwumerije, Nkechi Nwaogu and Enyinnaya Abaribe told our correspondent that the Abia NationalAssembly Caucus had since distanced itself from the purported congress and advised party loyalists not to allow political jobbers take advantage of them. But this is even as a reliable source, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that the governor’s camp has pre-arranged a congress with a doctored delegates’ list set to be adopted and ratified by illegal party officials.

    Efforts to reach the Abia State PDP chairman and Chief Press Secretary to Governor Orji were to no avail. Similarly, all efforts to speak with the three senators of the state did not succeed. But Senator Enyi Abaribe, in a response to an SMS, confirmed that the congress will hold today.

  • Kalu condoles with Abia PDP

    Former Abia State Governor Orji Kalu has commiserated with the families of eight members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, who died in an accident on the Anambra-Enugu Expressway on Tuesday.

    Kalu, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewumi, said: “I was shocked when I received the news of the death of some members of our party, who were on official assignment ahead of the Anambra State governorship election.

    “It is a painful exit coming at a time the members’ input and support to the party was much needed.”