Leading members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State are now at loggerheads over the National Working Committee (NWC) post zoned to the state with former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi’s group being accused of imposing a candidate on the state chapter for national auditor.
Opposed to Obi’s camp is the group led by former national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, which has vowed not to succumb to the whims and caprices of the PDP presidential running mate in the 2019 election.
Obi has the support of Senator Uche Ekwunife and the PDP Vice Chairman, Southeast, Chief Ali Odefa, who are putting forward as the consensus candidate the name of Obi Okechukwu, which the opposition claimed is not known to the party.
It was gathered that a stakeholders meeting where the issue was discussed, generated a heated argument with Odefa insisting that Okechukwu had been selected as the candidate against the vehement opposition of the Metuh group.
Apart from Okechukwu, two other aspirants in the race for the post in the October 30-31 national convention are Hon. Mrs. Chibuogwu Benson-Oraelosi, and Prince Samben Nwosu, a former state organizing/state publicity secretary.
One of the Anambra state PDP stakeholders, and former Organizing Secretary in the state, Chief Amaechi Onowu, affirmed that there had been no consensus on the national auditor post in the Anambra Chapter.
He described the declaration by Odefa as a complete nullity adding that there is no way a person, who is a “stranger and unknown to PDP members”, put forward by persons from outside Anambra, can represent the state at the NWC.
He said: “Upon my embarrassing receipt of the Press Statement by Chief Odefa, I inquired to know how and when the consensus agreement was reached, only to discover that one of the PDP leaders from Anambra State connived with some leaders outside Anambra state to impose the so-called Mr. Obi Okechukwu on our great party members.
“The said Mr. Obi Okechukwu has never been an executive or major stakeholder of the party at either the ward, LGA or State level, but just a personal associate of the leader” Onowu declared.
Also speaking on the matter, a PDP chieftain in the state, Chief Obinna Okafor, stated that Anambra has resolved to bring a party person for the position.
Okafor maintained that Okechukwu’s credential is best suited for external auditors and not for membership of the NWC, especially as he has no knowledge of party affairs.
Another prominent PDP member in Anambra, Princess Ifeoma Anazodo, in her reaction, called on stakeholders in the state to project Mrs. Benson-Oraelosi, as a woman and get her elected to show that it is not a question of “monkey de work, baboon dey chop.”
Sources close to the meeting held in Enugu revealed that following the disagreement between the two groups, Governor Ifeanyi Uguanyi has urged the party leaders in Anambra to meet again to come up with a consensus candidate for the position.
