By Tony Adibe
A former Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo has said that, had he known earlier, he would have discouraged former Imo State Governor, Chief Emeka Ihedioha from leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Nwobodo said that in whatever party Ihedioha and his supporters would join, they would still be seen and treated as new members, unlike if he had remained in the PDP where nobody would regard him as a newcomer. He insisted that Ihedioha would have it rough and tough wherever he was going to join.
The former Governor was reacting to Ihedioha’s recent resignation from the PDP when the national secretary of the party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, a.k.a Sam Daddy paid him a courtesy visit in his country home, at Amechi Awkunanaw, Enugu South LGA, Enugu State.
Ihedioha recently resigned his membership of the PPD, but has not joined any political party. But there’s speculation that he would eventually join the Labour Party (LP), following his recent visit to the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, although he didn’t disclose his reason for the visit.
Nwobodo, who is a foundation member of the PDP said: “I’m sorry that some of them left, I wish I had seen them before they left, I would’ve asked them to stay because you’ll never get a place like PDP. You’ll never get a party closely knitted, friendly and exist as a family like PDP.
“If I had known, I would have asked Emeka Ihedioha to stay because he’s going to have it rough wherever he has gone to, he’s a new member and all those that left with him are all new and they might not get all they’re looking for in the new place. As a foundation member of the PDP, I believe that it’s in our own interest to keep this party together and strong.”
Commenting on Senator Anyanwu as the PDP National Secretary, Nwobodo said that South East Zone should be proud of him, too. He added that Anyanwu “is very, very competent to be the national secretary of the party.”
He further stated that, lol “he’s the chief scribe of the party; the general secretary of the PDP and nobody can take it away from him. I had expected that we’ll run into serious problem in the last NEC meeting but the way we went through it very easily and he’s still the National Secretary.
“In Anyanwu, I find a very competent secretary general of the party. As a critical stakeholder, my job is to make sure that there’s peace in the party and I’m very happy that he’s the national secretary of the party at this time”.
He also described the emergence of Anyanwu as divine provision and urged members of the party from the southeast zone to give him (Anyanwu) their support and advised them on the way forward.
“Mind you, what God has decreed for you, nobody can change it. No amount of intrigue can change it and I think he has been decreed by God to be the national secretary of the party. On the way forward, as a foundation member of the PDP, I believe that it’s in our own interest to keep this party together and strong,” Nwobodo said.
Earlier in his speech, Senator Anyanwu said he came to see his “leader, our leader, one of the founding members of our party; the PDP and a senior member of our Board of Trustees.
“It’s in our character as Igbo people that from time to time, you come and brief your leader on the activities of the party because it’s not all the time that he will come around the party office to know what’s happening. Having come from the southeast, it’s my responsibility and duty that I must come from time to time and brief him on the activities of the party.
“That’s why I have come to tell him that the party is doing well and we’re prepared and getting ready to take over in 2027. Also, I briefed him on what happened in most of the states because as the national secretary of the party, we have tentacles in most of the states.”
On the call in some quarters for him to be removed from his office, Anyanwu stated that he is “still the National Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party. The constitution of our party is very clear and explicit on my position. I was elected through the convention and every zone and state has their own position as inscribed in our constitution.
“On the crisis in our party, no political party is immune from it. The ruling APC, Labour party and even the NNPP all have their own share of the trouble. As far as I’m concerned, PDP is the only party that has the mechanism of solving internal disputes and that we’ve put into action and I can assure you that we will come out stronger. People didn’t expect that we will come out of the last National Executive Council meeting unscathed and a lot of prophets of doom were disappointed as the NEC meeting went on very peacefully.
Speaking on the resignation of former Imo Governor from the party, he noted that “party is a vehicle and it’s a matter of choice. PDP is an organic organization. The former president of this country, Olusegun Obasanjo tore his card as a member of the PDP in a national television, the party never died; our last presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in 2015, left the party with seven Governors and PDP never died, and he later came back to the party. If you think you’re not comfortable where you’re and decide to go to another place, if you don’t find peace there, you’ll come back.
“As far as Imo state is concerned, the party shouldn’t revolve around someone. Party is an organization where everybody has right to come in and leave as he/she wants. So, it has nothing to do with the crisis. People are coming into the party in droves now, probably because they believe that the person that has been blocking them has left. If he has chosen to go to another political party to pursue his ambition, the party will wish him well, that’s how PDP operates.
“On 2027 election, we’re searching for a credible candidate. I agree with you that we made mistake in the last election but that’s behind us but it’s not within my power to speak on what the party will do about zoning in the coming election.”
