PDP In Imo Pardon Saboteurs, Recall Suspended, Expelled Members

BY GRACE IGWEANYI

The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has pardoned those who sabotaged the party’s bid to wrestle power from the All Progressive Congress, APC led State  government during the April 2015 governorship election in Imo.

The party in the State had suspended some of its key members whom they had labeled as saboteurs.

 It also expelled those who defected to the APC barely a week to the governorship election in April 2015.

But in what appears a dramatic u- turn at the weekend, it has suddenly reconsidered its stance and lifted the sanctions placed on its erring members and recalled them to the party.

At a meeting well attended by party bigwigs in the State, the suspension and expulsion order against members who erred was weighed down after several considerations.

A member of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party, Barr C.O.C Akaolisa who spoke to INNONEWS.COM confirmed the story. He said he was part of the decision.

Another source also told this newspaper that the party is concerned over the its present condition in Imo State  such as losing its members in droves and therefore decided to pardon those who erred as a first step towards rebuilding the party in Imo State.

This is said to be part of series of measures introduced by the party leadership aimed at strengthening the party in Imo State more so now that the re- run elections are coming up in some parts of the State.

The source said “We have lifted the sanctions and we believe those who erred have learnt their lessons. PDP is now one big family in Imo State.

 This newspaper however gathered that the Okigwe (Imo West) senatorial re- run election has now become one of the rallying points for the aggrieved party leaders in the State.Some party chieftains said it is the need to recapture the zone that strongly motivated the need to recall  those who faltered in the past.

Former Governor of the State, Ikedi Ohakim who is from the zone is speculated to have aligned strongly with his erstwhile political foes  in the PDP in the area to ensure the return of Athan Achonu, the PDP senator whose election was nullified by the Appeal Court in favour of the APC candidate, Benjamin Uwajumuogu.

Ohakim’s political foe, Ifeanyi Araraume is backing Uwajumuogu for the Imo West senatorial seat.It remains unclear if those who were axed will return to the PDP as most of them have already joined the ruling All Progressive Congress in the State. They include Dr. Nnamdi Obiareri, who is now an aide to Governor Okorocha, Chief Rex Anunobi (SOKOM) and strongman of Owerri Federal Constituency politics and former Mayor, Chief Gibson Achonwa Njemanze (Oyiga).

The trio were among several others hurriedly sacked by the PDP in Imo State few months after the governorship election which the party’s governorship candidate, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha lost to incumbent Governor Rochas Okorocha of the APC. They were accused of working against the party.

The PDP in Imo State has been in tatters though its members at the grassroots have continued to stay glued hoping that the party will get its acts together to sack the ruling APC in 2019.

Some party members alleged that some of their leaders engaged in fraud and other sharp practices that contributed to the collapse of the PDP at the governorship polls in Imo in April last year.

In Owerri municipal, members strongly accused the party leadership of diverting millions of naria meant for election purposes.  Such scenario is also prevalent in almost all the Local Government chapters of the party in the State.

Reconciliation moves carried out by the party leadership to resolve such differences have achieved little or no results as aggrieved members have stuck their guns hoping to use the forthcoming congress to effect change of leadership at the Ward, LGA and State levels of the party

The last time the PDP produced a governor was in 1999 when Achike Udenwa was elected on its platform. Udenwa handed over to Ikedi Ohakim, a governorship candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) in 2007.

Ohakim defected to the PDP in 2009 and lost his second term bid in 2011 to Rochas Okorocha, then governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

  

An attempt by the party to recapture power in Imo State crumbled in 2015.