Since 2007, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State has never won the Governorship election. But despite losing this coveted diadem, which controls the soul of every state, the PDP had always swept other elections from the House of Assembly to the Senate. The only exception was in 1999 when the party shared the booty with the All Peoples Party, APP, but yet won the Governorship seat.
However, the scenario of 2011 where the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA won the Governorship Seat, and added a Senatorial position with some Federal House slots and winning the majority in the Imo House of Assembly confirms the fact that Imo PDP had a shocker not ever witnessed in the state since the inception of the current democratic dispension in Nigeria.
Therefore, in a normal clime, the fact on ground attests that the party needs to have a sober reflection and dig deep to decipher what hit her in 2011.
The ironical truth of the matter is that Imo State is densely populated with members of the PDP. Therefore, why would the party lose the Governorship election at each particular time since 2007?
In 2007, it could be said that internal wranglings among the Party’s big wigs resulted into an open squabble which created various cells in the party and therefore pitted each group against the other.
Since a house divided with itself, right from immemorial never stands, the Imo PDP House crumbled and it lost the Governorship trophy to the Peoples Progressive Alliance, PPA candidate, Dr Ikedi Ohakim.
Luckily for the PDP, Governor Ohakim, who moved to PPA from PDP after the party had “disqualified” him in their primaries, embraced the party once more, by renewing his membership of PDP.
Forgetting about the debacle which produced Ohakim in 2007, PDP oracles again revolted after Ohakim returned to the party in 2010, instead of putting their house in order by capturing the Seating Governor of PPA extraction who decided to jettison his old party under which he won the election, and joined PDP.
Before you could say PDP, the prominent Leaders in its fold who should have obeyed party rules by abiding by party principles and discipline began leaving the PDP to joining other political parties.
Dr Achike Udenwa left, Senator Araraume left, Dr Alex Obi moved, Colonel Lambert Ihenacho went, Okenze Obinna also. Infact, the bulk of Redemption 98, and Araraume’s Destiny deserted PDP and joined ACN.
All entreaties for them to come back fell on deaf ears. Araraume wanted to run for Governorship again after the 2007 confusion. Udenwa, who said Ohakim whom he handed power could not listen to him again, joined Araraume. Same Araraume he could not hand power to on a platter in 2007!
Araraume’s move to ACN could be understandable, since he knew that the incumbent, Dr Ikedi Ohakim would seek for a second term in 2011. Whatever Ohakim did to Udenwa that made him abandon his hand-picked successor in PDP for ACN was difficult to piece together!
Therefore, whether anybody likes it or not, the movement of these heavy weights to another party affected the strength of PDP in Imo State then. It depleted the party, even though the remaining juggernauts reorganized the party and moved on.
But let me state here that Imo PDP had the strength to have won that 2011 election, despite the decamping of Araraume and Udenwa.
But, many factors militated against the party winning the Guber seat outright without the supplementary election whose results are being debated in court. Though some of these factors were from outside, but the bad blood and the internal implosion which hit the PDP as the crucial election approached was the major factor.
Till date, most of the aggrieved members of the party are still nursing the “wounds” of last election, which may still spell doom in the future if not properly handled.
Whatever be the case today, the Peoples Democratic Party according to the Tribunal, lost the election, until the fresh litigations say otherwise. The party also lost many of the House of Assembly elections to APGA, on and outside the election field.
The immediate and important question now is; what is PDP doing today in the State to avoid a repeat of these obnoxious developments that put the party in grief every election year?
It is usually said that an ailment diagnosed is easily cured. Therefore, if the PDP wants to put its house in order before another election, it must tell itself the hard truths, solve them and move on.
For the party to assume that all is well, and yet is losing members, and elections it is just telling itself big lies.
I want to say that kudos must go to the State Chairman, Bar Eze Duruiheoma for realizing the true nature of the situation on ground and formed various Committees to look into the plight of the party.
Duruiheoma has kick-started the revolution of the changes expected within the Imo PDP family for it to regain confidence of Imo electorate once more by inaugurating these committees.
This is where the Chief Jerry Chukwueke Committee on Mobilization comes in. Much as major task of the Committee is to Mobilize PDP members once more, but members should be given the opportunity to bare their minds.
For me, I think that the PDP members give much emphasis to pecuniary gains than success of the party. In the last election, while APGA, ACN and CPC members were tasking themselves of money to prosecute the election, PDP members were rather asking their leaders money before they could do their jobs to the party, as if such Leaders were paid any money from any where.
While other political members go to meetings and expect nothing more than kola and may be drink, PDP members want your life after calling them for a meeting that would benefit them and their communities.
Members of political parties are supposed to contribute some thing every month in support of their parties, but PDP members believe that the party should contribute something to them instead.
Most times, attitude of PDP conotes arrogance to the voters. A voter is like a customer, and is always right. Therefore, voters should be courted for their contributions during elections.
The truth is that the political awareness of 2011 will double in 2015. The electorate, mostly made up of the teeming unemployed graduates are very much informed today. They are waiting for their pound of flesh in 2015. Therefore, any Lawmaker who earns N30m a month or Governor who thinks because he has looted enough funds to hoodwink the electorate in 2015 would be surprised.
What is needed now, by all political parties is the education of the masses with their manifestoes. Enlighten the electorate how to vote, and vote correctly. Any other thought by any candidate on how to win election in 2015 will end in doom.
Moreover, with the registration of various political parties including Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, All Progressive Congress, APC, and too many others coming, there are many options for both for the candidates and electorate. So, it will be a close call. Mark my words, it will not be easy to win election in 2015 without transparency and hardwork.
Therefore, PDP should avoid its usual imposition of candidates. This act may chase many members away, who may take solace in any of the political parties, and surface in the election proper to fight the party. In my place, they say those who breed pigeons know how to gather its eggs. Am I making sense?
However, in an encounter with Jerry Chukwueke, he told me that his party, PDP is aware of many of these short-comings and have decided to tackle it head-on. He spoke with confidence, and sure of changing Imo PDP, and the perception many hold about the party.
He sees it as “rebranding of Imo PDP” which he said will give birth to new Imo PDP. Part of his assignment he said is to reach-out to some of the disgruntled members who left in anger and bring them back.
But why is it that PDP is always reconciling and remobilizing place members after sending them away with frivolous acts in the first?
They will tell you that PDP is a large family, therefore fighting is always expected. Sure, it could be, but some families are large yet you cannot hear of any quarrel.
What Imo PDP should realize is that other political parties see it as a stumbling block and plots against it in unison at all times. The earlier the party realizes this the better, so that it would stop these internal squabbles that cost it the major diadem in the state every election year.
Imo PDP has never been able to settle its problems amicably after every internal fights. If so, why does it lose Governorship elections all the time?
But Jerry Chukwueke said this will be the last time a disagreement will cost Imo PDP the Governorship Seat again. He said he has the magic wand to re-tar the Imo PDP with a white paint.
I learnt many PDP members are returning in their droves, according to the Mobilization Committee, but it should also define a mechanism to keep them permanently in the party, part of which should be to throw its doors open for all people, and allow justice and equity to reign.
We know that all times some Animals must always be more equal than the others, but PDP’s type rankles most of its members.
The worst thing that can happen to Imo PDP again is to lose the Governorship Seat in the State in 2015. If it does, no amount of plea can reassure the members that a Party who lost Governorship election three consecutive times has any future for Guber hopefuls and other aspirants for elective positions and that may signal a bad omen for PDP.
The party must count itself lucky that it won the Presidency, which keeps it bubbling in the state, despite Governor Okorocha’s efforts to annihilate the party.
Despite the reassurances by the Chukwueke Committee that Imo people will see a rebranded PDP in 2015, there still exist pessimists among pundits, who swear that Imo PDP usually implodes during election year. But Chukwueke insists it will not re-occur this election period.
Has Chukwueke the magic wand to calm Imo PDP at the usual moments of its madness as witnessed in 2007 and 2011? Will he correct this anomaly and “step aside” for others to enjoy his sweat? Or is he running in 2015 to maintain the peace and sustain the “New Imo PDP” in 2015? Next few months will answe
