lVerdict phenomenal — Umahi

By Chidi Nkwopara, Dennis Agbo & Peter Okutu

Mixed reactions have started trailing the Supreme Court’s judgment on the lingering crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The immediate past Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, who spoke to Vanguard yesterday on phone, said that “although the Supreme Court has finally given its verdict on the PDP crisis, the true position is that we have a no victor, no vanquished situation.”

He called the crisis era “a sabbatical period, from which the party ought to have learnt some lessons”, even as he cautioned that the leadership should not be in a hurry to jump into actions and conclusions.

“The PDP has gone through a lot of trouble for too long. This is the time to sit down, do a lot of soul searching on how to reorganize the party and restructure the country. Nigeria is honestly looking up to PDP for a new lease of life”, Chief Ohakim said.

In his reaction, the National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, South East zone,   Chief Austin Umahi described the Supreme Court judgment that declared Senator Ahmed Markafi as the authentic national chairman of the party as phenomenal.

Umahi said that God by the judgement has raised the banner of the party above those he described as destructive elements whose sole aim was to render the party powerless.

Speaking also to Vanguard on phone, the State Secretary of the party in Ebonyi State, Nze Raymond Emeana  said it was time to reconcile and face the onerous task ahead.

“Nigerians are expecting so much from the PDP and we can’t afford the luxury of failing them. We must rescue them from their current APC inflicted punishment”, Emeana said.

For an Owerri based legal practitioner, Mr. Emeka Umah, “the judgment did not  come to me as a surprise because based on their previous decisions, Markafi was going to coast home in victory.

“The job starts now, the job of not doing a blind and destructive reconciliation. This is the time to distill the faithful from contractors and fraudsters. This is the time for reappraisal, a time to get back to the grassroots for confidence building in forthcoming polls”, Umah said.

Reacting to judgment,  Dr. Fabian Ihekweme, an acolyte of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff,  said “the internal battle was unnecessary, especially as it gulped huge resources and time that would have been properly channeled to improving the lot of the citizenry”.

He said: “Senator Ahmed Markafi should be magnanimous in victory. This is the time for true reconciliation. He should carry  everyone along. If the party is looking forward to dislodging the All Progressives Congress, APC, wherever we find them, it will definitely be counter productive to keep fighting after the Supreme Court judgment.”