A governorship Aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra state, Chief Obunike Ohaegbu has warned that it will be difficult for the party to win next year’s governorship election in the state without Chief Linus Ukachukwu, former governor, Peter Obi and Chris Uba being in agreement.
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The former Federal Commissioner who made this known in an exclusive interview with Elombah Television called for a round table meeting between the stakeholders in the state to resolve the party crisis in Anambra state.
“Let us work together, let us do something different,”, Ohaegbu said, and added, “if you don’t have have Prince Ukachukwu, Chris Uba and Peter Obi on the same page, it will be difficult for the PDP to win the Anambra governorship election”.
“So please, I am pleading, forget about what you are thinking,” Ohaegbu said, addressing a panelist at the zoom conference, “let us focus on how to get things done.”
People who did not know the Ward/LGA leaders in PDP joined us in 2015, got waivers from the Party and were given unprecedented support and they won their elections, the same people will turn around and say that the people they met on ground, that worked selflessly for their victory are today not qualified to even know the Party leaders even in their Wards.
“Let us discus, everybody should be involved so that on the Election Day, everybody will have a stake and sense of belonging and every stakeholder will participate.
“I still believe the NWC of the PDP has a role to play. Also, I expect NEC to do something,something urgently has to be done and the time is now.
“If Governor Wike did not speak out in Edo, we would have continued to have more crises within the Party in Edo, but after Governor Wike spoke, they realized that they needed to negotiate and everybody seemed now carried along.”
Obunike Ohaegbu wondered how PDP could deliver in Nnewi South if Chief Linus Ukachukwu and himself are edged out by the aggrieved APGA Members who just joined the Party after the August 28, 2017 PDP Anambra State Gubernatorial Primaries.
According to him, “today, all the members of the Party prior to the 2017 Gubernatorial Elections are now considered criminals to be allowed a say in the affairs of the Party even in their Wards. In 2017, we lost in the entire 21 LGAs in Anambra State.I am scared that 2021 would be worse if we continue on this route.?”
He warned that if the stakeholders of the party refuse to resolve the crisis in the party, the party will have up to four candidates in the 2021 governorship election.
He said, “As a governorship aspirant, I want a level playing ground , if we continue on this route, there is no way we will not have three to four governorship candidates in Anambra in 2021 and it is not good for our party.”
Obunike who carpeted allegations of working against the party in 2019 said that he was present when the PDP was formed in Awka and since then he has never worked against the party’s interest in the state. In the said 2019 House of Assembly Election, I delivered my polling booth, polling Station and the entire Ward even when the APGA Candidate was from my Ward. Those talking about the House of Assembly Elections should make the results of their Polling booths public.”
According to him, “I joined the party in 1998 when PDP was launched in Awka. I led a delegation of students as the then Attorney General of the Students Union Government of UNIZIK.
“We were given front seats, one of the things I cherished was a brochure given to us on that day. I still read Late Ekwueme’s speech, and read it again two days ago, and since that day till date, I have never worked for any other party. apart from the PDP,” he said.
The Governorship Aspirant further said, “I have gone round most of the General Hospitals in the State, visited almost of the primary schools, all communities. I am aware of the problems facing Anambra state. The management of the General Hospitals and the available facilities are shameful. Five LGAs in Anambra State do not have the presence of the State in their Secondary Health Institutions. No General Hospitals in Nnewi North, Onitsha South, Oyi, Ayamelum and Anambra West. How many out of the 592 Primary Health Centres in Anambra is functional? These are the conversations we should be having now. Certainly not who are the leaders of the Party in our Wars/LGA etc.
“How come we always win the National Assembly Elections in the state but lose governorship elections, it is because; people don’t want a structured head.”
Speaking further on the crisis rocking the party, he said, “As we speak today, we have more than five cases in Court. They have one in Nnewi, Awka, Abuja (Maitama) and another one in Bwari in Abuja..
“These guys are only interested in party positions. Someone who is running for an election will want the entire party to be together.
“The NWC is the only body that can put everybody together and make stakeholders work together to win an election
“Let us forget about who is wrong or who is right. The truth is that we are not in charge in the local government areas, we are not in charge at the State level, and at the Centre we are in opposition too as Ndi PDP”
He said Ndubusi Nwobu is leading a faction of the party that maintains there is no problem with PDP in Anambra, yet the party has about five cases in court?
Speaking further on Nwobu, Obunike Ohaegbu said, “I have met with him, I don’t have issues with him, I have visited him at his new house to inform him of my Gubernatorial ambition. We discussed for almost two hours about Anambra state and he gave me fantastic advice on how I will go about my governorship ambition.
“How then could he say that I am not a governorship aspirant when we are aware that the party has not started selling forms? That certainly speaks volumes on his neutrality and mindsets.”
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