*As Soludo launches reconciliation initiative
*Moves to isolate Chris Uba

By Jide Ajani

THIS  is the full inside story of how   leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State met in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, last week to deliberate on the way forward after what is being described as a state chapter ruptured by incessant crises.

However, observers say whatever moves made now to bring all the factions together can not be described as consummated but a ‘work-in-progress.’ Last Wednesday, November 4, came with its own flavour for Chukwuma Soludo, the embattled Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate for Anambra State.

It was a day a section – and need it be said, the more responsible section – of the leadership of the party in Anambra State had agreed to meet. Venue was Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. In attendance were  Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Second Republic vice president of Nigeria, Senator Onyeabor Obi, another PDP leader from the state and the three serving senators from the state – Joy Emordi, Annie Okonkwo and Obiora.

In attendance also were some members of the House of Representatives. The reason for the meeting which had been brokered by some concerned leaders in the state was to bring the leaders together to resolve their differences in favour of peace and stability for the state chapter of PDP.

And whereas the meeting had been long in coming, earlier attempts were frustrated by the other faction of the party led by the self-acclaimed strong man of Anambra politics, Chris Uba.

Therefore, the Wednesday meeting was both instructive and strategic. Instructive because whatever the outcome was would create a new life for the struggle for the control of the soul of the party in the state. Strategic because a successful outcome was bound to further push away the spectre of doom from the party and, by extension, the state. The meeting also had the principal, Soludo, in attendance.

Senator Obi moderated. It  was another step towards reconciling all the factions of the party in the State. But conspicuously  absent from the meeting were the Uba brothers, the eldest of who was Andy who spent 17 days as Anambra State governor before the Supreme Court ousted him on the ground that there was no election in the state. The reason for the absence of Chris Uba was because his person radiates a peculiar aura for the Anambra State chapter of the party.

For Andy Uba, the PDP had declared him a solo actor in his pursuit of his ‘governor-in-waiting case before the Appeal Court, the judgment of which was postponed to next Friday. So, what was discussed and agreed to at the meeting? First, attendees put their cards on the table and expressed their disappointment at the way and manner Soludo emerged. However, having expressed their anger, there was said to have been a consensus that Anambra State could not continue the way it was going, especially the way the PDP as a political party was conducting its affairs in the state.

A senator was said to have lamented that there was a splatter of the tar of irresponsibility all over and it was becoming even more embarrassing with recent developments in the state. Obi, who was calm all through the meeting, spoke of the need for peace and ability at a time like this.

Ekwueme, on his part admonished everyone to take the resolutions at the meeting very seriously. In fact, Ekwueme recalled one of the peace meetings he had called in Anambra State, where those in attendance agreed to work together for the peace and progressive of the party. In an earlier interview with Sunday Vanguard, Ekwueme lamented his failed attempt to bring the leaders of PDP in Anambra State together: “I once called a meeting of stakeholders from all the local governments where we reached some basic understanding on modus operandi and modus vivendi, but within a week, a full page advert was in the papers castigating me for supporting one faction against the other.”

Ekwueme then told the meeting that he hoped this attempt would not go that way. He then offered what could be described as avuncular advice on how best to move the state PDP forward. At the end of the meeting which lasted about three hours, a strong degree of bonding was fostered. There was also a palpable degree of satisfaction among all the people in attendance.

There was also a unanimity of purpose as all those in attendance agreed to work together and bury the hatchet. As a first step towards keying into the resolutions of the meeting, one of the major points was that the state executive committee of the PDP should be dissolved. It was. The national chairman of the party, Vincent Ogbulafor, announced this during the week and instituted a caretaker committee. But Chris Uba is not lying low and is not about to be enveloped by all these.

In a recent publication, Uba reportedly said: “As a BOT member in the South-East, I spent close N800 million to buy brand new 406 cars and shared to all the party executives in the State. I bought 5000 motorcycles, 5000 bags of rice and 5000 wrappers and shared N500,000 to each local government area, just for the purpose of mobilizing for the party.”

For Uba, this was not just the time to let go. In a publication last week, he alleged that Soludo had attempted to buy him over with a sum of $10million. He claimed he turned down the offer.

The Soludo camp was quick to debunk such a claim as nonsense. Whereas Pa Simeon Soludo who was kidnapped penultimate week was released late Wednesday, the spectre of violence in Anambra State, particularly the PDP, may not have been blown away. In times past, various attempts had been made to stem the tide of violence associated with PDP politics in the state but it had always come to naught. However, during the last days of President Obasanjo in Aso Rock Presidential Villa, something happened.

One of the kingpins of Anambra politics and a man usually associated with almost always hijacking the party structures had to be put away with a view to enabling Andy Uba a lee way for the governorship race in 2007.  The PDP leader was invited to Aso Rock Presidential Villa for consultations.

Upon arrival, he was prevailed upon to allow peace reign and work for his party, the PDP.  He was non-committal. What was to happen shocked the PDP leader. He was simply locked up for two weeks during which time the election was conducted and PDP successfully won. He recounted his ordeal to some House of Representative members who were in Anambra State for the botched congresses.  That was how the PDP had been getting by in the state.

The idea being floated now is for the PDP to find a way to isolate Chris Uba. In fact, that was the reason why he was never even contacted for the peace meetings. The thinking in Anambra PDP today is that majority of the people of Anambra State are not disposed to another regime of gangsterism, especially in view of the rampage which occurred during the reign of Chris Ngige as governor of Anambra State between 2003 and 2006.

With this latest move on reconciliation, Soludo may be heaving a sigh of relief. But the barrage of litigation against his candidacy would still have to be dealt with, one way or another.