Abia PDP yet to correct election failure mistakes

From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba

Chief Obinna Nwankwo, a former adviser to ex-Govs TA Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu, has said the Abia Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lost the 2023 governorship elections due to recklessness and failure to heed advice.

Among the ills of the party, according to Nwankwo, who was also chairman, Arochukwu Council Area, was a resultant refusal by those in charge, to honour agreed zoning arrangements, arguing that Dr Alex Otti, won as the most purposeful contestant, for which the people are now happy.

You are a strong pillar in Arochukwu Council Area PDP, and in fact Abia, in general. What in your observation, led to the dismal performance of the party in last year’s elections and how are you coping with being in the opposition, out of government?

Let me begin with saying that a lot of things led to our dismal outing in the election. We lost woefully in all parts of the state, never mind the vague arguments, that PDP would have won. You see, our problems started with leadership failure to honour agreements and promises involving commitments between the then governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, some of his kinsmen and his predecessor, Chief TA Orji, stakeholders from Abia North Senatorial zone, during a meeting at Uturu in Isuikwuato. While I’ll not mention names here, I’ll tell you that the agreements were poorly managed, relationships damaged and it brought damage to reputations, legal action breaches, among others. Things got to a point in which, people used lies, crooked ways and mudslinging to reach out to the leadership and some of the governorship aspirants, just to extort money from them. Added to that was the poor method used to screen the aspirants to get a strong, competent one among them who will fly the party’s flag as its authentic gubernatorial candidate in the election. Members of the committee, on their part, made things worse by trying to take instructions from a source rather than play neutral role. This led to their being entangled in corrupt practices, engaging in bribery and pursuit of selfish interests that characterized the situation into one of paying highest so as not be screened out of the contest on the D-Day of primary election. This polarized the party, even at the grassroots ward levels, with their leaders including those at the local government levels, being left in the hands of sycophants for funding to carry out party activities. These in a nutshell were the principal reasons, that led to desertions from identifying openly and ensuring that voters cast their ballots for PDP candidates. We knew that things were not going on well with our party then, but when the leadership turned deaf ears and did nothing to check some of the excesses, we left our chances to fate and that’s why we lost.

Having identified these problems that led to losing the election, has the leadership of the party in the state or council areas called the members to discuss on what happened and find ways of reuniting and repositioning for future contests? Is it now playing its new role as a leading opposition party to ensure that the party in power, does what is right, provide Democratic rule to the people as appropriate?

This is a very vital question you’ve asked and I will answer it directly by saying that those that led the party to the position it found itself presently, seem not to have learnt anything from their misdeeds. Instead, they are now trooping out, leaving PDP in groves, to join other parties, especially the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is governing at the federal level. Over the months, I personally, have held discussions with many of our members in some wards and Council Areas, on the way forward. My finding, is that every sincere PDP member is worried about its current state. The general feeling is that of the need to reshuffle the leadership, to bring in new hands that would reverse the old, destabilizing trends, reposition the party in order to return it to what it was in the past, providing power to the people, especially at the grassroots. We need to look out a way to rebuild confidence in the minds of the people who have been debased, dehumanized and brought down through mis-governance. I tell you, our people are hungry, not just from the misrule of the Buhari/Tinubu led APC Federal Government. Our party, the PDP, failed in the state. Infrastructures were left to decay, lack of roads, poor educational and healthcare facilities at the rural communities levels. Workers were owed, thereby stopping cash from flowing in the Council Areas. I have played politics at the rural community level and discovered that what the masses, the society desire are conducive environment to operate and live their local lives without impediment. When you deny them access to their farms, neighbouring villages to visit their kins and contemporaries, then you’ll be left with no followership. That was what happened with the PDP governnent in Abia. While the majority of the people were suffering, a few individuals and their families and friends in the corridors of power, were class-showing their ineptitude in governance. They were living in affluence, enjoying life openly, yet telling us there was no money, while the things they engaged continued to intimidate, harass and extort the poor masses through collection of illegal levies, unapproved or double taxes, laying siege and destroying people’s lives and properties for refusing to pay. I had wished that those leaving the party, who have contributed to making it what it has become, should not abandon it, rather to turn new leaves, or should they not remain to put things right, become visionary, accessible, as well as compassionate enough to obey laid down rules of their new places.

About two weeks ago, PDP stakeholders met in Umuahia where they resolved to reposition the party and announced some changes in zoning its leadership positions with the chairman going to Abia North. As a senior member from that zone, are you comfortable with the outcome?

Like I said earlier, the problems with the current PDP leadership in Abia, is not carrying the entire membership along when making decisions. You see, we have a zoning formula which we have followed over the years and that brought unity and oneness in the management of the party. It was the refusal by those in authority, to adhere to that thereby scuttling the process of choosing those to present for elective offices, that brought us to where we are now. After the tenure of the past governor, who is from Abia South, what ought to have been done would have been to return the position of who would contest for the position which is coming within the next two, three years, to Abia North. So, why zone the party chairman position to them when it is their turn to provide the next governorship candidate, going by the zoning arrangement. We are watching the unfolding scenario and would make our feelings known at the appropriate time. Like I said, what destroyed Abia PDP, is the leadership not coming to terms with laid down, agreed norms in how things will go for the good of all parts of the state. Some of us believe that they own the party today and will call the shots. Party politics is not played like that. What happens is give and take, compromise to accommodate everyone. That’s what we should look at while trying to rebuild, reorganize and reposition Abia PDP.

Let’s look at the Dr Alex Otti’s administration, which has been one year in office, having been sworn in, on May 29, last year. Though you are of the opposition PDP, which from it’s statements, have not seen anything good coming from the Labour Party (LP), since it took office, how would you personally score the Otti governnent, vis a vis what you see and hear it is doing in parts of the state?

To me, Gov Otti has done so much for Abia, in its one year in office. I’m impressed with his style of management of the state and its resources. I tell you, majority of Abia residents have for sometime, been desirous of a new beginning in the state, in view of things that were happening then. All I can say is that those saying he has performed poorly, are not telling themselves the truth. I see them as sychophants, who have no better programme for the state’s development. I will score him very high in changing the mindset of the people that good things can come from within us. I see Gov Otti, as a well educated, committed leader, who is honest in his desire to make a change and reposition Abia for better growth. If one follows his promises during campaigning for the governorship seat, he or she will discover that he has been following those promises. I believe he has done well and ought to be allowed to continue and not distracted, while putting Abia on the map of states making progress.

Another area, he has done well, was the auditing to verify the actual nominal roll of workers in the state services. That has restored sanity in the government and one can see that all systems, including the local governments, local government schools and health institutions that were abandoned due to non payment of salaries and provision of funds for running of their offices have returned to life.

Council elections are being planned and may be held soon in the state. You are a key player in grassroots politics, do you see your party, the PDP, winning, especially in your Uturu, Arochukwu area, where it used to win landslide in the past?

Honestly, I feel bad to say openly, that the PDP, the good home boy of Abians in the past, has today become the street urchin, with no one to turn to for succour. For elections into Councils, I doubt if anyone would want to vote for any of its candidates, at the moment. It may be revived in future but as things stand, it’ll be difficult. During our time, we abused traditional opportunities given to our party by our people, at all levels. We were returning 100 percent in Abia, but it may not work this time, except we reposition in the coming dispensation and show restraint and change. I know difficult times, suffering can make a people resolve to repent and return to their good. It can be possible but, that is for the future. Today’s Abia, can be said to be in safe hands with Dr Alex Otti, and they say it to our face, without a whim.