From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Barely 27 days to the 2023 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is battling internal crises in some of its state chapters.
This is amid fears among party leaders and supporters that the internal wranglings may rub off negatively on the PDP in the affected states.
Sunday Sun gathered that no fewer than 10 state chapters of the PDP are currently embroiled in one crises or the other. The affected states include Edo, Ebonyi, Kano, Delta, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ekiti, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Ogun and Lagos. The wranglings are traceable to the dispute that arose in the PDP in the aftermath of the nomination of candidates for the 2023 polls, as well as battle for control of party structure among party leaders.
However, while a semblance of peace have returned to the Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Akwa Ibom states chapters, where some of the aggrieved members left the PDP to actualize their ambitions on the platform of other political parties, what obtained in most of the other affected state chapters is peace of the graveyard.
Sunday Sun gathered, at the weekend, that PDP stakeholders, Edo, Delta, Imo, Ebonyi, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Ekiti, Cross Rivers states are still sharply divided, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Sunday Sun also gathered that in Delta, supporters of the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and those of his predecessor, James Ibori, are still locked in an epic battle over the governorship ticket of the party. However, the court has ruled in favour of the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori, who is supported by Okowa. Also, in Ebonyi, and Ogun states, the court has declared Ifeanyi Odii and Ladi Adebutu as the governorship candidates of the PDP in states respectively.
Nevertheless, the intra-party crises in the concerned states is yet to abate. Recently, the supporters of Ibori, who are rooting for David Edevbie as the PDP candidate allegedly dumped the major opposition party for other political parties.
Last Friday, the PDP National Working Committee ( NWC) suspended the chairman of the Ebonyi chapter, Tochukwu Okorie, over alleged anti-party activities. Okorie’s suspension, it was gathered, may have added a new dimension to the crisis in the Ebonyi PDP, which has been polarised over the tussle for party structure in recent months.
A party source told Sunday Sun that though Odii is making overtures to aggrieved members in the Ebonyi PDP, it will be “difficult for the party to go to the 2023 general elections with a united house.”
Similarly, last week, the PDP National Working Committee ( NWC) dissolved the executive of the party in Ekiti State and replaced it with a caretaker committee. The NWC also suspended some members of the Ekiti PDP for alleged anti-party activities. Among those suspended are supporters of the former governor of the state, Ayo Fayose.
In Imo, the battle of supremacy between the PDP National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu and former governor of the state, Emeka Ihedioha, ahead of the November governorship poll in the state, has caused a big division in the chapter.
Recently, the party directed all the gladiators to to all the issues relating to gubernatorial primary in the state to sheath their swords; pending the conclusion of the 2023 presidential poll; while the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and Okowa were mandated to intervene in the crisis.
A former Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, told Sunday Sun that the battle of supremacy between Governor Godwin Obaseki and the PDP National Vice Chairman, South-south, Dan Orbih, might cost the opposition party national and state assemblies elections, next month.
«We are still going back and forth. One group will go to court, the other group will appeal. We are caught up in the brickbat. It is not a good story at all. I am afraid the way we are going, APC may clear the assembly elections. In Edo State PDP, there is no peace yet,” he stated.
Nevertheless, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, told Sunday Sun that the party was intensifying efforts to resolve all the issues.
Ologunagba noted that, for instance, “in Lagos, there have been so much improvement in the area of crossing in the gaps.”
He added that “in politics, 24 hours is a lifetime. In 24 hours anything can happen; including reconciliation of very divergent views. And we are on that course working, believing that we will be able to solve the problems. In any event, reconciliation is not a 100 meters dash. It is a marathon.
“We acknowledge and recognize the anxiety and interest of Nigerians, because they look unto the PDP. And so they want to see PDP settled substantially. We acknowledge that and we appreciate Nigerians interest in PDP.
“Activities ( peace talks) are going on at different levels. From NWC level to BoT, to governors to leaders and even statesmen that are not even party members. I believe not too far from now we will get ourselves together.”