Gov Orji Gives Terms to Join PDP

Written by This Day Tuesday, 27 July 2010 02:31

Governor of Abia State Theodore Orji has given conditions to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of a planned meeting with the party on Wednesday.

Also, National Assembly legislators from the state are kicking against the planned move that is expected to be finalised this week.
Orji listed five conditions for leaving the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) that he only joined less than a month ago.

He said in a document circulated among journalists in Abuja yesterday: “All officers of PDP Abia State Chapter as presently constituted are asked to resign and the structures dissolved from the ward level to the state level to allow all of us equal footing in order to avoid unnecessary litigations as was the case in Anambra.
“That the leadership of your party at State level be given to me to constitute as commonly practiced when a governor joins a new party.

“That the National Executive make a pronouncement in giving waivers to me and all intending aspirants to enable us contest the primaries of PDP without being held to the two-year membership clause.
“That the other aspirants of the PDP, particularly the governorship aspirants must indicate their total support for ceding the governorship and others to us.

“That the leadership of PDP meet with the National Leader of APGA Ikemba Odimegwu Ojukwu to appeal to him to support us in this journey. It is absolutely necessary to receive his blessing hence we do not intend to go contrary to Ndigbo agenda and do not want to be perceived as sell-outs.”It is expected that the meeting between Orji and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP in Abuja would sort out the areas of differences.

But some politicians from the state are kicking.Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has written to the PDP, informing the party that he intends to contest the 2011 governorship election. He was deputy governor when Orji’s predecessor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu ruled the state in 1999.
Other members of the National Assembly from Abia State are kicking against Orji’s move on grounds that they were not carried along.

Meanwhile, Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has asked the PDP to stop poaching people elected on the platform of other political parties in its bid to retain its position as the largest political party in the country. CNPP dared the PDP to go to the polls and win Abia State instead of urging Orji to cross carpet.

A statement by CNPP Secretary General Chief Willy Ezugwu said the CNPP’s reaction followed last weekend visit to Abia by the PDP Chairman Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and other PDP chieftains to pressure Orji to abandon APGA.
“Any right thinking person will immediately see through the trap that the PDP is setting for the Abia State governor. The man just got out of one form of bondage and they are offering him another term of slavery with the PDP.”

The statement said it is surprising and appalling that Nwodo who promised his party and Nigerians that the era of political impunity is over, is now leading the campaign to have Orji cross carpet again.

“Dr. Nwodo should know better that he and the PDP can only build credibility by going to the polls to genuinely win votes (and not allocating votes and offices to themselves) instead of wooing those already in office to jettison their mandates.

“We are worried about what the PDP will do next if Governor Orji turned down their overtures as we are all living witnesses to the underhand tactics that the PDP had employed in the past. They may not stop short of resorting to the outrage that characterized the Olusegun Obasanjo regime when those who refuse to follow the PDP are hounded on trumped up charges.

“As for the sweet talks of reforms in the PDP that Dr. Nwodo is using to woo the Abia State governor, we advise him to first go and implement them in the states where the PDP holds sway and that includes allowing for credible elections at all levels as well as giving the Independent National Electoral Commission a free hand to conduct the polls.”
CNPP urged the PDP chairman to shop for competent candidates from within his party as his attempt to lure Orji has further confirmed that the PDP as presently constituted lacks credible candidates.

CNPP warned Orji to perish any thought of dumping APGA for any other political party. “People understand that the problems he had in PPA made him leave the party for APGA. But he will be portraying himself as unserious, unstable, unreliable and not worthy of receiving even one vote if he drops APGA so soon for whatever reason because he was supposed to have carefully gauged the situation before joining APGA.”