People’s Democratic Party which has historically controlled the Anambra State political landscape is absent as political parties continue to strategise on how to win the Anambra gubernatorial seat in the 2025 election, scheduled for November 8.
The party fielded the most candidates (10 in all), including some of the state’s top lawmakers, in the 2021 gubernatorial election.
Among the candidates were Hon. Uche Ekwunife, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, Hon. Chris Azugbogu, Mr Winston Udeh, and Mr Valentine Ozigbo; other candidates included Mrs Chidi Onyemelukwe, Hon. Ifedi Okwenna, Hon. Tony Nwoye, Mr Walter Okeke, and Mr Godwin Ezeemo.
The state was rocked by the power struggle that occurred during the party’s primary election, which was held at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women’s Development Centre.
At that time, it was thought that the calibre of politicians who had regrouped inside the party would challenge the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the dominant party, and seize control of the state.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party, was not yet well-liked in the state at that time either.
In a primary election that many considered fair but that the candidates felt was rigged from within, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo emerged victorious.
The celebration was brought to its knees by this catastrophe. The party’s chances of winning the election were diminished when several of the candidates defected with their supporters to other parties.
A recent visit to the PDP secretariat at Udoka Housing Estate in Awka revealed that, despite the fact that many party offices are bustling with activities, such as rallies and nighttime meetings, the PDP secretariat in Anambra State is overrun with weeds, and dust has taken over tables in the party hall and numerous offices.
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This indicates that the party is virtually out of the race as the Anambra governorship election approaches and that they have only registered one candidate, Hon. Jude Ezenwafor, who has been characterised as a proxy.
With the dwindling popularity of the party, both at the state and national level, including the crisis in the party, no one in his right senses will dole out N40 million to purchase their forms, which is the price pegged by the national secretariat.
A source said: “As for Mr Ezenwafor who bought the form, we all know that he is holding it forth for one other aspirant in the APC, who is using the party (PDP) as a platform he will use to cause crisis if he fails to win the primary election in his preferred party (APC).
“We all know these things, even though I’m a member of PDP, I feel very bad that our party has now become a platform where people use pseudo personalities to secure form as an alternative option.”
However, Chief Chidi Chidebe, the state party’s chairman, has maintained optimism in an interview, stating that steps had been taken to revitalise the party.
The chairman, who was elected in November of last year and has only been in office for five months, stated: “We have been doing a number of things in the party.” Prior to today, the party had difficulties, which brought us to this point. However, we have been taking steps to reorient the party ever since.
“We have reached out to members who were indifferent about decisions in the party, some of them aggrieved and some not.
“We have reached them, some in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt and other towns. Are they all back into the party? The answer is no, but this is a process, and we will keep working on them to build back the party.
“We will not mention the names of those we have approached to avoid calling some and not calling others, but the truth is that we have been getting good feedback.
“We have been able to put in standing committees, this is the first time we are having such committees in the party, not ad hoc committees that get disbanded immediately after serving their usefulness, and the essence is to see that people who want to do something for the party get the opportunity to serve in any capacity they deem best.
“We have created five standing committees and the sixth one is the elders committee.
“In doing so, we considered very good areas of interest and we also considered the membership and the committees are working and making sure they reach out to more people who are still aggrieved.
“We have the grassroot mobilization committee headed by Tim Egboka which is working to ensure that we mobilize people at the grassroots.
“We have another one on policy development and planning which is headed by former chairman, Ndubuisi Nwobu; we have the media committee headed by architect Afam Mommah and so on.
“These five committees were inaugurated in February and the committee was constituted after wide consultations and the members of the committee came from stakeholders.
“We did not just sit and write names. We met stakeholders and every stakeholder who was interested made their input in it.
“The collation of names started from November last year and this was to ensure that we captured all interests. All this was an effort to get the party united, get more people involved so that we can generate activities.”
On whether it is still hopeful of fielding a candidate in the forthcoming election, Chidebe said: “It will not be fair for us to begin to mention the names of people who are already angling to contest on our platform, but I can only ask you to beam your searchlight well, and you will see the people coming out from our political party.
“We will field a candidate and we will ensure that only credible and electable people are fielded. What we want today in the party are not people who will come and cause confusion, but people who will come and help us to build the party.”
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Meanwhile, the party seems to be a butt of jokes as young people have started designing posters of themselves as candidates of the party and cracking jokes about being begged by the party leadership to contest on the platform of the party.
One of the youths, who refused to mention his name said: “PDP has squandered its goodwill, and today all the big men they have, have all left and moved into APC.
“From what we are seeing, these same characters may again do the same to the APC if the party is not careful.”
The recent ruling by the Supreme Court about the party’s legitimate national secretary seems to have added to the party’s problems.
While the appellant, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, celebrated what he called a favourable judgement, the party leadership has also come out to jubilate that the verdict affirmed SKE Ude-Okoye as its scribe.
