By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, who became the sixth National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on June 17, 2010 was best positioned to be the national chairman of the lot before him. Not only did he have the advantage of being the pioneer party national secretary, he also had the advantage of having observed the party from outside after his unceremonious removal from office as secretary and then exit in the party’s early years.

Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo

His bold return as party helmsman was that of a revolutionary determined to heal all the wounds of the self acclaimed largest political party in Africa. He, however, ended not just bruising the party but bruising his own image.

In his early days in office, he was faced with the problems of intra-party crises in the state chapters of the party particularly in Delta, Plateau, Kano, Adamawa, Oyo, Kwara, Enugu among others.

His message in those first days were words of conciliation with a promise to bring all factions together, but as he left office albeit unceremoniously, there is no record of any permanent healing that he achieved.

Crises in the states heightened especially after the last primaries which saw a record number of parallel primaries at virtually all levels of the party with the only exception of the national convention. Indeed, Nwodo’s alleged effort to also cause problem at the national convention was the main substance of the allegation that turned the screw against him at yesterday’s Natioanl Executive Committee, NEC meeting of the party.

As soon as he became the party’s national chairman, Nwodo was also faced with the major challenge of granting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar a waiver to enable him contest the presidential election on the platform of the PDP, a problem he had inherited from his predecessor.

Ogbulafor had insisted that Atiku must go to his Yeli Ward in Kojoli, Jada, Adamawa State to register if he must return to the party. What Ogbulafor denied him, Nwodo easily granted him, fuelling suspicions that Nwodo was set to scale the balance in favour of his one time political soul mate.

During Nwodo, one major incident that happened to the party was the fire outbreak which took place on Saturday, August 28, 2010 and affected the NWC Conference hall of the party. President Goodluck Jonathan, former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, Atiku Abubakar, among others visited the scene, donations were made and the party raked in some money which was used in not just renovating the burnt place, but he gave the floor, the Chairman’s office and others good look. His unfinished project here is that he had no time to enjoy the office he renovated.

Also during Nwodo, the PDP lost the governorship of Ekiti and Osun States.

This was a major achievement for Nwodo as National Chairman of the party, just as he said in his letter of resignation:  ‘’I may not have achieved all the goals I set for myself and the party, but I am exceedingly happy that under my leadership as the National Chairman, the party was able to organise the most transparent presidential primaries in the history of not only our party but the country as a whole. I take pride in the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as the flag bearer of our party and I pledge to support him wholeheartedly throughout the campaign leading to his election in the Presidential election. ‘’

Nwodo also tried to bring reforms to the party especially the on-line registration, but the project was thrown out by NEC after it was launched because, members of the NWC were not carried along.

All was not well with the immediate past National Chairman and members of the NWC right from the time he became the Chairman of the party, they complained about not being carried along, they only tolerated themselves until yesterday that he had to resign.

They also complained of the dissolution of Enugu and Ogun state Executives without carrying them along and the problem grew till the last stroke, the convention drama of who was in charge.

Nwodo had dreams for the party, but his most unfinished project which Mohammed will accomplish is the submission of successful candidates of the party to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Nwodo like Ogbulafor was swallowed by the politics, intrigues in the party.