The struggle for the sole of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State chapter is now at a serious stage, with Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha undoubtedly losing sleep over the towering stature of Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu (Samdaddy) within the circles of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the national level.
The last PDP gubernatorial primaries in 2018 ended with Emeka
Ihedioha declared the winner while Samuel Anyanwu headed to the court to
declare the exercise a charade, claiming to have won the primaries
instead.
The legal tussle which ended at the Supreme Court, created so
much ripples within PDP in the state and created so much division among
members of the party.
In order to have his pound of flesh on
Samdaddy, when he won the gubernatorial election and was eventually
sworn in as the Governor of Imo State, Ihedioha was said to have
masterminded the purported suspension of Samdaddy by the PDP at his ward
level. A situation that did not go down well with PDP at the national
level.
Ihedioha cannot pretend not to be afraid of Samdaddy because he
has done all he could to dwarf him politically. But the more he tries
same, the more popular Samdaddy continues to be.
In the PDP congress
that produced party officers in the state, as a build up to the 2019
general election, Emeka Ihedioha was said to have allegedly influenced
the process from the wards to the Local Government and state levels.
Other stakeholders of the party felt shortchanged by Ihediona and
decided to leave PDP for other parties, saying that the former governor
had bought over the party.
It was through the instrumentality of Senator Samuel Anyanwu
(Samdaddy), then as a serving Senator, and the doggedness of his
supporters that brought PDP back on track once more.
In order to
give life to his dear party, Samdaddy rather declared to contest the
governorship election, instead of the Senate he had earlier declared to
contest for the second time. His declaration attracted more contestants
who came in succession to declare in PDP to run for governor.
In fact, the general feeling of most politicians in Imo State
was that Samdaddy would win the PDP gubernatorial ticket and go ahead to
win the general election. Most of Samddady supporters who were
surprised with the turn of event believed that it was election jumbo
jumbo that gave the ticket to Ihedioha and not that he defeated Senator
Anyanwu at the primaries
As it were, it has bamboozled Ihedioha that despite all
frustrations laid on the part of Samdaddy to make him leave the party,
the Senator has refused to leave PDP but rather he is gaining popularity
by the day in the party, especially at the national level.
There
seems to be a replay of what happened in the very congress that produced
PDP officers in Imo State in the past at the recently concluded party
congresses, from wards to LGAs, as Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha has been
fingered to have planted his cronies in most of the party positions,
thereby pushing away most of the party stakeholders to join other
parties.
Meanwhile Samdaddy is holding firmly onto PDP at the national
level. Samdaddy was made secretary of the panel that conducted PDP
congress in Edo State this year.
One thing is certain. Samdaddy
having rescued PDP in the last exercise can not be wished aware by the
party at Abuja. It was his gingering when he declared for the guber race
in the last dispensation that opened up space in the party and made the
party attractive to Imo people and eventually led to the gubernatorial
victory of the party.
Be it as it may, there is the Igbo saying that no one knows the womb that will give birth to the King. It is wise that PDP honours Samdaddy at the national level, no matter how he is vilified at home. While Ihedioha and his supporters are doing there own at home, Samdaddy is cruising high within the party hierarchy in Abuja. Why then will Ihedioha not be afraid of Samdaddy?
NIGERIAN HORN
