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PDP National Secretary: S’East consensus arrangement collapses

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.As Anyanwu, Muo-Aroh set for showdown

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

Crisis is brewing in the South East zone of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP over the purported consensus arrangement which threw up a former Senator that represented Imo East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the sole candidate for the office of the National Secretary for the October 30/31 convention of the party.

 

But another contestant, Chief Okey Muo-Aroh has said the consensus arrangement which he claimed was orchestrated by a governor from the South South in collaboration with PDP governors from the South East zone was unacceptable to him.

 

Senator Anyanwu while at the PDP national secretary on Monday to submit his nomination form for the office of National Secretary said his emergence was a collective decision of the governors and stakeholders from the zone. He debunked insinuations that he was imposed on the zone by a South South governor.

 

Sen. Anyanwu who said that he has been a loyal member of the PDP, a moving train who has never lost an election for the party maintained that his emergence has already sent some jitters to the ruling party as some members stayed away from the APC state congresses that held last weekend so as to join the umbrella.

 

“I know even before my emerging as the National Secretary of the party, there are a lot of indication that there will be a tsunami in the next few weeks in Imo state, those who are going to move out from the APC because of hearing my name as the national Secretary of the party.

 

“I said that there is going to be a tsunami of defection of people from APC to PDP especially from Imo state where I come from and other states in the Southeast. I can tell you as we speak, most people in APC, having heard that I have emerged as the consensus candidate of the party, have refused to even participate in the last Saturday congress of the party, because they are preparing to move into PDP. So there is going to be a total tsunami, total earth earthquake in the southeast, from APC to PDP” Anyanwu said.

 

The lawmaker described the emergence of APC governor in Imo state has an aberation and pledged to work hard to reverse the tide.

 

He said, “I can assure you like in my state where I came from, Imo is traditionally a PDP state. What happened in the last election was an abberation and we are going to take it back by the special grace of God.

“The South East zone is traditionally a PDP zone and we are going to bring back all our states come 2023”.

He went further to state that his emergence was popular and that he was not a product of imposition neither was his candidacy influenced by Gov. Wike of Rivers State.

“I can never be imposed by anybody because I am a moving machine for the party. I have never lost election in PDP even when it mattered most, I have always won in Imo state. The South East, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi, there is no leader that does not know who I am.

“I was nominated by consensus by governors and leaders of the South East. Gov Wike is not from the South East and couldn’t have played a role in my emergence” he assured.

The lawmaker was accompanied by PDP National Vice Chairman South East Ali Odefa and other PDP stalwarts.

But Chief Okey Muo-Aroh, a PDP member of the National Executive Committee who also submitted his form said he can not be intimidated out of the contest because the alleged consensus was not biding.

He said that the office of the National Secretary was initially micro-zoned to Anambra state while Auditor was micro-zoned to Imo but that it was shocking when the governors turned around to change the arrangement.

He said, “A situation where the party in its wisdom zone offices to the south east, and nobody was privy to any arrangement order, that we had the Office of the National Secretary has been zoned to Anambra and Auditor to Imo state. That was why I and CID Maduabum and Osita Chidoka started doing consultation and  moving around. Only for us to come to Enugu on Thursday and the zonal chairman said that the governors will brief us. Gov. Ugwuanyi introduced Gov Ikpeazu and Ikpeazu  read  from a script, and said that they change their mind, they now put the Secretary to Imo state, and they have already had a candidate in the position of Anyanwu and they called somebody from Anambra as the Auditor.

“Thank God that leaders like Peter Obi, Aduphus Wabara, Eyinnaya Abaribe,  Emeka Ehidioha and Olisa Metuh said the things I would have said.

Achike Udenwa got up and said gentlemen, the structure of the party, ought to take a decision. At the end of the day, the delegates from Imo state said they were not vying for the Office of the National Secretary, because it has been given to Anambra.

 

“But like I said, politics is about  negotiation and compromises. Our people are ready to sit down at the round table and talk to this problems, because we are members of the PDP. We cannot run away from this party. No amount of shenanigans, no threat, No impunity can stop somebody like me from PDP because I’ve been there.

“If I did not leave in 2012 when I was told point blank, that the office I was contesting was zoned to somebody personally. It is not this time around that I know that the caliber of the man whom the nothern zone has selected as the chairman is a man, I have worked with over the years from PDM to the formation of this party. And I believe that Iyorchia Ayu will not be party to any type of impunity and that is what is giving some of us the confidence to even want to participate further. I’ve submitted my forms.”

Other aspirants including CID Maduabum, the Director General of the PDP governors forum and former Aviation minister, Osita Chidoka stepped down.

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