A member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, has described the recent zoning of the governorship ticket by Abia chapter of the PDP, as strange.
The PDP recently announced zoning of Abia governorship to Abia North and Abia Central.
Condemning the zoning arrangement in a statement titled, “That Abia State PDP May Survive,” Ugochukwu said it was unfortunate that the Party Executive announced a zoning formula, which was totally strange in relation to the ordinary meaning of the word “zoning.”
The veteran journalist said to make matters worse, the party’s executive took the zoning decision without engagement of the statutory organs of the PDP, such as the State Caucus, thereby “making it for all intents and purposes, an imposition.”
Ugochukwu regretted that in the last few weeks, Abia State PDP has been involved in numerous controversies, which, according to him, are now threatening to throw the party into confusion, and potential disaster.
“We have had the controversy over the zoning of the governorship ticket of the party, which has pitted party members in inter-ethnic vituperations, and has severely polarised the party, with members exchanging brick bats across the widening ethnical fault lines.
“Then the Party Executive has announced a zoning formula, which frankly, seems strange in relation to the ordinary meaning of the word “zoning”
The PDP BoT member observed with dismay that in the midst of all the controversies, there were reports that a “Chairman had been appointed for the PDP State Elders Committee, outside a meeting of that organ of the party, which amounts to a breach of Party Constitution. And then there are stories, so far unconfirmed, that a governorship candidate has been anointed for the party”.
Ugochukwu cautioned that from what had been happening in recent time, Abia PDP was heading for crisis and called for urgent action to return the party to the part of democracy.
“From all these, it is clear that our party is heading towards an avoidable crisis. Thank God we are not there yet. But we need to take urgent action to return the Party to its normal democratic ways”.
While urging members of the party in the state to calm down and not exacerbate matters with inflammatory comments, Ugochukwu called on the State Chairman of the Party, Hon Asiforo Okere, to take urgent action to bring the Party back from the brink, by summoning without delay, a meeting of the Abia State PDP Caucus to discuss the aberrations.
Former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, Senate Minority Leader, Ennyinnaya Abaribe, former governor of the state, Senator Theodore Orji, leader of Abia North PDP stakeholders, Dr. Eme Okoro, among others have variously condemned the PDP zoning arrangement.
Credit: Daily Sun