Posted by By Chidiebere Iwuoha on
The crisis in the Imo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a different turn a few days ago, when a faction of the party made up of those loyal to Abuja group notably, Governorship aspirant, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume stormed the head quarters of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) along Port Harcourt road Owerri, to protest against the meeting earlier convened by suspended chairman of the party
The crisis in the Imo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a different turn a few days ago, when a faction of the party made up of those loyal to Abuja group notably, Governorship aspirant, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume stormed the head quarters of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) along Port Harcourt road Owerri, to protest against the meeting earlier convened by suspended chairman of the party, Dr. Alex Obi, claiming that he had not been reinstated by the party and that he was poised to battle the national leadership of the party, among other things.
The faction led by Chief J.I.J. Njoku, the State Vice Chairman from Okigwe Zone who was also in the recently dissolved state working committee of the party led by Dr. Edwin Anyanwu, which succeeded Dr. Obi's Executive Council said they disassociated themselves from the pronouncements made by Obi on the 4th day of August, 2005 at the PDP Secretariat Owerri.
They also said that they accepted with humility the decision of Thursday, 28th July, 2005 in which the State Executive Committee was dissolved based on the Chief Olabode George's Panel which rightly observed and confirmed the systematic destruction of Imo PDP by Dr. Obi using the Redemption Organization of Governor Udenwa.
When contacted by Telegraph, Dr. Alex Obi said without mincing words, that he called the meeting to resist the moves being made by the national leadership of the party in collaboration with Imo sons and daughters based in Abuja (Dr. Mrs. Kema Chikwe, Chief Hope Uzodinma, Chief Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume etc) to destroy the state party which he and others toiled day and night to build, delivering the President, the Governor, Members of the National Assembly, Members of the State House Assembly, Councilors and Chairmen of Local Government Areas. He added that Ahmadu Ali who is now the National Chairman was not around when the party was formed with their resources and should not stay in Abuja to dictate to those of them in the state what to do without taking them into consideration.
Obi lamented that the state party had been humiliated on several occasions, starting from when he himself was suspended as chairman, just because he refused to do what the national leadership asked him to do against the party rules and regulations. He vowed that he and his colleagues would fight to keep the party with the last drop of their blood.