AHEAD of the Anambra State gubernatorial election fixed for November 16th this year, aspirants for the position on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP yesterday stormed the Wadata Plaza, National Secretariat of the party to collect forms for the sum of N11 million. What is of interest is that, if truly the call to politics is a call to service, how then would the aspirants be willing to pay 11 million Naira for an aspirant form.
According to the leadership of the party, each male aspirant will purchase expression of interest form for N1 million while the nomination form is N10 million, amounting to a total of N11 million.
Each female aspirant according to the party will purchase the Expression of interest form for N1 million and the nomination form for N5 million which will stand at N6 million as against previous arrangements where female aspirants only pay for the PDP Expression of interest form and get the nomination form free.
Meanwhile, to avoid a repeat of last governorship election in Anambra State where PDP members dumped the PDP for other parties following some irreconcilable differences and then paved the way for the incumbent, Peter Obi to win the election, the aspirants have decided to sheath their swords and embrace peace, work as one family, just as they were also determined to win the November election in the State.
Addressing Journalists at the end of the well over seven hours meeting which took place at the PDP Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja, Governor Seriake who noted that PDP was a united family, stressed that the Anambra State gubernatorial aspirants have resolved to work together, however stressed that there were issues at the State chapter of the party on structure, adding that plans have been concluded on how members of the Committee would meet with the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur led National Working Committee, NWC, Anambra State PDP stakeholders especially those not contesting.
The PDP has fixed the Anambra State primary election for August 24 where the governorship candidate of the party would emerge and wrestle it out with Senator Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Professor Charles Soludo of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, among others.
Some of the aspirants at the PDP Secretariat yesterday who got the forms for N11 Million were Barrister Obinna Uzoh, Sylvester Okonkwo, Chief Ugochukwu Okeke, among others. Twenty-six aspirants have indicated interest in the primary election of the Anambra state chapter of the party.
Speaking with Journalists after submitting his form, Obinna Uzoh who was accompanied by his supporters however said that with his pedigree especially in the provision of infrastructure, touching the lives of his people through his Foundation and with the Construction of Churches at Ihiala, provision of scholarship to his people, he would improve more on the State when he becomes the governor, adding that the area of security will be a priority for him as governor of the State.
Also speaking shortly after he submitted his nomination form at the Wadata Plaza, Chief Ugochukwu Okeke who noted that only credible and transparent congress could guarantee the success of the party in the November 16 governorship election in the state, said, “The only thing that can make PDP relevant is to allow the people to decide. Let the ordinary people decide who is going to govern them, by taking it back to the people, what we demand is free and fair election, we don’t want consensus”
Okeke stated that consensus arrangement being dangled in certain quarters was undemocratic, adding that the people of Anambra state under the platform of the PDP should be the only people to decide who should govern them and kicked against consensus arrangement ahead of the primary election.
Before Seriake’s meeting, the leadership of the party had berated members of the executive committee of the Ekiti state chapter of the party over the recent violence that engulfed the chapter over adoption of governorship consensus candidate.
Chairman of the PDP National Disciplinary Committee and governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson said during interactive session with Ekiti state PDP Executive Committee led by its Chairman, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, that as a disciplined party, the PDP was worried about the development and will not accept such from its members.
Governor Dickson made it clear that the leadership of the Party would no longer entertain any reported cases of violence in the state since the party had adequate and vibrant internal mechanism for members to resolve issues without resulting to violence. According to him, the Committee decided to interact with members of the State Working Committee first as the custodian of the Party ‘s Structures in the state, with that of other stakeholders to follow.
He said,”the leadership of the party is worried about the growing violence in the Ekiti State Chapter of our party, this must stop, we should refrain from violence particularly when we are talking about issues in our party, please convey this message to our members back home, we don’t want reported cases of violence again because the party has the necessary internal mechanism for members to resolve issues.
“We are a disciplined political party, we are a National Party, we are not a party founded on violence, Aspirants can wrangle, Aspirants may disagree, but not the members of the State Working Committee who are the Custodians of the Structures of the party, we should be able to put our house in order.”
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