PDP launches ‘Operation Hijack Igboalnd’

It was, indeed, the mother of all rallies at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu on April 14, as the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) launched its ‘Operation Sweep Igbo land’ in the forth-coming general elections across the country. While Anambra state holds its governorship election next year, 2010, elections would be conducted in the other four southeast states of Ebonyi, Abia, Imo and Enugu come 2011.(Pictures show Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, national chairman of PDP, and party chieftains and supporters at the rally)

The PDP rally was, in particular, meant to welcome back some aggrieved members of the party from the southeast geo-political zone who had, overtime, cross-carpeted to other political parties.

The returnee politicians were three former governors of the southeast states, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Navy Captain Anthony Oguguo (rtd) and Commodore James Aneke. While Nwodo, also, pioneer national secretary of PDP, governed Enugu state, Oguguo and Aneke were Military Administrators in Imo state.

Others who were formally admitted into the party included Senator Offia Nwali and Anthony Oka (Ebonyi); Ikechi Emenike (Abia); Chief Ebele Udeagu, former Deputy Governor of Imo; Chief George Moghalu (Anambra) and Chief Chris Anene (Abia) among others.

In addition to welcoming its ‘prodigal sons’ back to the fold, other ambitious party members, successfully, turned the rally into a campaign ground for the forthcoming governorship elections, especially, in the three non-PDP southeast states of Imo, Abia and Anambra.

Of course, governorship hopefuls from Enugu and Ebonyi states dared not campaign openly at the rally because the incumbent governors, Barrister Sullivan Chime and Chief Martin Elechi, as well as their legion supporters and hangers-on literally took over the rally arena. Countless placards and political Posters adorned the rally venue amidst a mammoth crowd of party men who were mobilized by Chief Olisa Metu-led southeast zonal leadership of the party.

Leading the pack of the returnees, Nwodo, in his address, says their return to the party is to ensure that Ndigbo, who had, in one way or the other, been losing out in the national scheme of things, bounce back to the mainstream of Nigerian politics.

Nwodo says readmission of former members was made possible by acceptance of recommendations of Jim Nwobodo-led Reconciliation Committee by the national leadership of the party, adding that the leadership is desirous to welcome back all those who had worked very hard for the progress of the party at its founding stage.

Nwodo, also, hails Metu’s executive of the party, which, he adds, had set machineries in motion to reach out to all aggrieved members of the party, so as to bring them back to its fold. The party, Nwodo stresses, had been transformed and taken to enviable heights in the southeast zone.

Former Governor Nwodo maintains that PDP had fast regained its popularity and now confident of recapturing the entire southeast zone in the next general elections, assuring that the new entrants would contribute their quota towards the realization of this objective.

“As we come back to the fold, we shall join our brothers and with their efforts to bring about the needed development in our states”, Nwodo states.

Nwodo, it would be recalled, decamped to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and, later, to the Action Congress (AC) in the run up to the 2003 elections. On the platform of ANPP, Nwodo contested and lost his senatorial seat of Enugu North (Nsukka) zone.

And the other returnees had similar history of woeful failures in their forays to other political parties. Udeagu, former Deputy Governor of Imo state, was the deputy presidential candidate of Democratic People’s Party (DPP) where he lost deposit. Emenike and Oka, on their parts, contested the governorship of Abia and Ebonyi states on the platform of ANPP. Though they put up gallant fights, they lost out to Chief Theodore Orji and Elechi of the then newly formed People’s Progressive Alliance (PPA) and PDP respectively. Apart from being its national secretary, Moghalu, similarly, contested for Anambra state governor on the same ANPP platform, and lost like his fellow political ‘harlots’.

As expected, PDP governorship aspirants from Anambra state thronged the rally ground with their supporters, shopping for the support of both the regional and national leaderships of the towards the realization of their political ambitions. Such aspirants were Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, Senator Annie Okonkwo and Sam Ikefuna among others.

Not only that they all attended the rally physically, their supporters sang their praises all over Enugu city.

Welcoming the returnees back to the party, National Chairman of the party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, swore that PDP would reclaim all the five Igbo states it lost to opposition parties in the 2003 elections. Boasting that PDP is a party of substance, Ogbulafor expresses satisfaction at the performance of the two governors of the party in the zone, Chime and Elechi. Ogbulafor, as it were, enjoins the returnees not to ever lose faith and dump the party in future despite all odds.

Among numerous chieftains of the party who graced the occasion were former Governors Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Education Minister; Achike Udenwa (Imo), Minister for Commerce and Industry; Minister for Information, Professor Dora Akunyili; Chief ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President; Chief Ayogu Eze, Chairman, Senate Committee on Information; Chief Rochas Okorocha, former presidential candidate of the party.

But the conspicuous absence of some prominent PDP members of Igbo descent indicates that all is not yet well with the ruling PDP. Such politicians include Senator Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), Dr. Andi Uba, former governor of Anambra state, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, former PDP governorship candidate in Abia, Dr. Chris Ngige Ngige, former governor of Anambra, as well as another past Anambra governor, Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju among numerous others.