The
national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ali Modu Sherrif has
been tongue lashed by some elders of the party in Imo East Senatorial zone
(Owerri zone)
They
accused the national chairman of manipulating the just concluded congress in
Imo State and want it cancelled.
Speaking
to newsmen, a former state chairman of the party, Dr. Alex Obi,
called for total cancelation of the congress because of its flawed processes,
stating that the national chairman showed personal interest and manipulation of
the process.
Dr. Obi
who was the longest serving chairman of Imo PDP that produced two state
governors, accused the national chairman of bias by compromising the process in
connivance with a serving senator in the State.
Obi who heads Coalition of Imo True PDP Democrats said ““We in Imo accuse him (Modu Sheriff) of having compromised.
“We accuse him of disrupting the process to further his own interest. We accuse him of using his cronies to manipulate the process because he wants to be the national chairman. We want total cancellation of the entire process so that life can be brought back to the party.
“Ali Modu Sheriff must reverse the process and he must come clean and must not use individuals.”
The PDP
in Imo State has further polarized after the conduct of the ward and local
government congresses.
" We accuse him that he is using his cronies to manipulate
the process because he wants to be the national chairman.
"We want total cancellation of the
entire process so that life can be brought back to the party. Imo
hungers for a credible process so that the party can stand firm in the
state.
“Ali Modu Sheriff must reverse the
process and he must come clean and must not use individuals, no matter
how close he has been with those people from party affairs. If this is
the type of leadership he is made of, then he is unfit to lead the
party.
"He is inexperienced to manage the party
nationally. One good way to encourage people to participate in the
party is to allow them be part of the process, they should be allowed to
freely choose their leaders and not handpicked or cronies to represent
the interest of the party”, he said.
Dr. Obi observed that congresses
generally were designed to give a party new lease of life, particularly
after elections when there would have been bickering, suggestions here
and there, adding that congresses were supposed to give members measure
to correct a few things that went bad in the process after an elections.
“Imo state particularly welcomed the
congress that was long overdue. We looked up to it with optimism that it
was going to solve a lot of problems. At the grassroots the party had
died because the party members were denied the opportunity to select
their leaders.
"While those people who call themselves
leaders are one side the grassroots was disassociated from them. It was
expected that this chance to have the congress should give the
grassroots the chance to nominate the leaders they have confidence in
the name of the party, and that would have given the party a good light.
“The national leadership met and drew up
a wonderful guideline in conduct of the congresses. As the congresses
started in Imo, it was terribly flawed on several grounds. First, the
issuance of forms for expression of interest of those who want to
contest and Abuja only issued one form per position for each ward. In
issuing one form for each office in each ward that means only one person
is supposed to contest, no other person should contest in one position,
it would have suffocated the interest of others who wanted to contest,
and you will be killing the party by so doing.
“Therefore those who handled the
congresses mis-handled it by issuing only one form for each position in
each ward. There are about 18 positions to be contested for in each ward
and only 18 forms were given.
"Secondly, they issued these forms
through individuals, when they should issue it through the congress
committee. They set up the congress committee and we were not
quarrelling with the set up, what they should have done was to lodge it
into a bank or set up an office so that anybody who wants the form
should go and obtain the form and freely contest. Until people are
freely allowed to contest and a winner emerges in the open field there
would be no peace”, he observed.
BY EZE EGEJURU.
ADDITIONAL REPORT: THE LEAD
PHOTO: Modu Sherrif, PDP National Chairman
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