BY VINCENT UJUMADU
THE recent release of the list of candidates of the various political parties that will contest the April 2011 state and national assembly elections in Anambra State has renewed the battle for the control of the machinery of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Since the display of the list at the state headquarters of the Independent National Election (INEC) on Tuesday in Awka which showed that only members of the Chief Chris Uba faction of the party, with Chief Benji Udeozor as chairman made the list, those belonging to the other factions appear set to repeat what was done to the party during the February 6, 2010 governorship election in the state when those opposed to the nomination of Prof Chukwuma Soludo worked against PDP during the election.

In the controversial list released by the Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, former presidential aide, Dr. Andy Uba, former minister of state for health, Chief John Emeka and Mr. Ogugua Okoye were the senatorial candidates of the party.

Those that did not make the PDP included Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu who struggled for the ticket with Uba for Anambra South, Senator Annie Okonkwo who lost out in Anambra Central and Mrs. Margery Okadigbo, widow of the late senate president, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo.

The names of Ukachukwu, Okonkwo and Okadigbo had appeared in another list that circulated in the state after the primaries, while yet another list had Chief Chudi Ofodile, Ukachukwu and Okadigbo as the candidates.

Shortly after the primaries, court orders obtained by the combatants began to fly from Awka to Abuja, thereby leaving supporters of the party in a more confused state. For instance, Senator Annie Okonkwo got an injunction to stop INEC from accepting any list other than the one containing his name. Also, a chieftain of the party, Chief Ken Emeakayi secured an interlocutory injunction restraining INEC from accepting the list containing Okonkwo’s name, along with that of Ukachukwu and Okadigbo.

Emeakayi’s injunction secured in an Anambra High Court sitting in Awka was to restrain PDP, the acting national chairman of the party, Dr. Bello Mohammed, the national secretary, Alhaji A.K Baraje and the former national chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo from presenting the list of candidates that allegedly emerged from the controversial primaries.

In the suit No A/19/2011, the court also granted an interlocutory injunction restraining Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, Mrs. Maggery Okadigbo, Senator Annie Okonkwo, among others from parading themselves as candidates of PDP for the 2011 general elections, pending the hearing and determination of the originating summons.

The court also restrained PDP, its officials and INEC from organizing and conducting fresh special congresses and from cancelling and nullifying the results of the congresses that produced the three ad hoc delegates, state House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senatorial candidates of PDP in Anambra State for the April, 2011 elections already conducted, concluded and submitted to PDP headquarters by the Anambra State executive of PDP.

According to the order, the names to be submitted by PDP to INEC for the April election as published by the state executive of the party are Hon Chudi Offodile for Anambra Central senatorial zone, Prince John Emeka for Anambra North and Dr. Andy Uba for Anambra South, as well as others that emerged with them during the said primaries. The juggling of the names from two opposing groups confused the people more and it is therefore difficult to know who is working for who in the state.

It also restrained INEC from accepting, recognizing or dealing with any other person(s) as candidates other than the names that were submitted as contained in the list published by PDP state executive in Anambra State, excluding those that are not qualified as candidates and directed the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the State Security Service, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State and their officers to ensure compliance with the judgments of court on the matter.

As that issue was still being discussed, the Chris Uba -led faction of the party, at a rally held by his faction in Awka, announced the expulsion of the South East zonal chairman of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh over what they described as his administrative incompetence and default in payment of his dues at his Nnewi Ward 1 for the past 13 months.

In a communiqué issued after the rally, the faction alleged that it was due to his lack of administrative acumen that led to the crisis existing in the party in almost all the state branches of the party in the five South East states.

Before the communiqué was read, officials of the faction of the party at both his Nnewi Ward 1 and the local government had announced that they decided to expel him because he has not been identifying with the party for the past one year, adding that he has consistently failed to pay his dues which would qualify him to be a member of the party. According to them, instead of working hard to unite members of the party, he was busy encouraging disunity in the state branches of PDP.

After the speech of the ward and Nnewi local government chairmen, the state factional chairman, Chief Benji Udeozor read a communiqué which said: “Consequent upon the receipt of the resolutions namely: Resolution of Otolo Ward I executive committee, Nnewi North LGA and Resolution of Nnewi North LGA executive committee held on 26th and 27th January 2011 respectively, both on Olisa Metuh, the state executive committee and stakeholders of PDP, Anambra state hereby adopt both resolutions of Otolo ward I executive committee and Nnewi North LGA executive in compliance with Article 12:37(a) of the PDP constitution.

But Metuh dismissed his alleged expulsion, saying that it was the handiwork of those he called a “bunch of irresponsible people who were bent on destroying PDP in the zone”.

The zonal chairman, said that the main concern of the party is to properly plan its campaign to ensure that the party wins all the seats during the forthcoming April general elections.

According to him, those who claimed to be from his Ward were not members of PDP, adding that it is one of the anomalies that had existed over the years which the party is fighting to correct.

With the acceptance of Uba’s list, the question now is whether Metu, and other aggrieved members of the party would still work towards returning those being presented for Anambra State during the polls. Many PDP members in the state have already vowed that rather than work for the party under the present circumstance, they would work for other political parties.

While PDP members are battling each other, the other contending parties in the state namely, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) are seriously organizing their campaign machineries for the April polls.

With the emergence of Senator Joy Emodi, Professor Dora Akunyili and former member of the House of Representatives, Chief Chuma Nzeribe as the candidates of APGA for Anambra North, Anambra Central and Anambra South respectively, only a united PDP can face that squad.

If PDP eventually presents the trio of Uba, Emeka and Okoye as its senatorial candidates, political analysts are already giving the three seats to APGA in April. Recall that all the APGA senatorial candidates left PDP for the party and that, in itself, depleted the party already.

Also, with the former Governor Chris Ngige still enjoying some measure of popularity in the state, his party, ACN is likely to make some impact. The only snag here is that the battle would have been tougher if Senator Ikechukwu Obiora, presently representing Anambra South who earlier defected to ACN from PDP, had been given the ACN ticket for the zone. Obiora will contest the April election on the platform of Accord Party (AP) for Anambra South.

But like a member of one of the factions told Vanguard, the last has not been heard about those to carry the PDP flag fro the April election in Anambra State.