The immediate past governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim scattered the entire structure of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state by working with mediocrities and political mercenaries and this led to the failure of the party to win the 2011 elections in the state.
These views were expressed last Tuesday by the pioneer Local government chairman of PDP in Owerri Municipal, Chief Cyprian N. Njoku while briefing newsmen in Owerri the state capital. “Ohakim chose to work with political mercenaries and mediocres and never worked with any grassroot politician, consequently the party lost in the 2011 election”, he explained.
Chief Njoku averred that the only elections won by PDP in the state were that of 1999 and 2003 besides these he insisted the party never won any other. According to this PDP Chieftain and apex leader of the party in Owerri LGA, there is no way the party can win future elections in the state with the present crop of weak politicians assembled by the ex-governor who drifted into the party from the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA which had no structure in the state prior to his emergence in 2007 as Governor. The PDP Chieftain opined that in 2007, the then PDP governor, Chief Achike Udenwa in a special arrangement handed power over to the PPA candidate, Chief Ohakim.
Ohakim on assumption of his position as governor, later decamped to PDP but his actions scattered the party because he vehemently refused to follow the line of party formation; he did not know any body, those that matter in the party were neglected. The Ohakim undemocratic nature, he insisted came to the fore with the introduction of template’ which was hegemonic, Parochial and dictatorial, he stressed. Many of the PDP leaders, in 2010 were consciously stopped from forming party of the state executive officers, they were denied the right to contest in the congress rather the so called leaders nominated persons made up their friends, brothers, in-laws and relatives and as such the soul of the party was scuttled. “He abandoned us (the grassroot) and we abandoned him”, he explained.
Chief Njoku said, as a pioneer LG chairman he was screened cleared but was strongly rejected from participating in the congress, so also many of my colleagues that have been toiling for the success of the party and this was main reason Ohakim failed in 2011 elections.
The Chieftain who was the chairman of planning/Strategy of the PDP in the state revealed that the party is in a serious mess presently because most of the incumbent exco members at state, LGA and ward levels are those who came in from failed political parties like PPA etc.
“Majority of them came into PDP from failed political parties with their various degrees of political viruses, and it will be very difficult for PDP to be delivered by them”, he asserted. The politician who is popularly known as ‘Tulemale’ boasted that as the pioneer LG chairman of PDP he never lost any election and no candidate he projected ever failed.
He made it clear that PDP should restructure and search for majority of them who made the party what it was and stop the accusations and counter accusations going on among its top hierarchy.
I want to be challenged, with the present caliber of PDP leadership in Imo State; it cannot win elections in the near future.
Credit, www.nigerianewspoint.com
