Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Mass exodus has hit the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State, following the recent resignation of former Governor Peter Obi from the party.
Obi, a presidential aspirant, had on Wednesday resigned his membership of the PDP and also withdrew from the party’s presidential primary.
Obi had cited irregularities in the processes leading to the party’s presidential primary election as reason for his resignation.
His action was said to have dampened the zeal and aspiration of some of the party’s aspirants to national and state assemblies, as it is believed that Obi’s popularity in the state has a way of affecting other aspirants of his party positively.
Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, PDP’s candidate in the November 2021 governorship election in Anambra, Hon Valentine Ayika and Hon George Ozodinobi, former members of the National Assembly Thursday withdrew from the party’s primary.
Ozigbo in his withdrawal letter which was addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, stated that the party has been highjacked by three senatorial aspirants and their cohorts.
In the letter, Ozigbo said: “I wish to bring to your attention a series of retrogressive developments in
our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, particularly in Anambra South.
“Sir, I would like to state this clearly. The actions of Chris Uba and Linus Ukachukwu, with the support of Uche Ekwunife, and Stella Oduah, and a few others are the reasons PDP in Anambra may end up fielding no candidate in the 2023 elections.”
Consequently, he announced his withdrawal from the primary.
Ayika and Ozodinobi who are also National Assembly aspirants also withdrew from the primary, while also resigning from the party.
A source within Anambra PDP said more prominent politicians in the state will still dump PDP in the coming days. The source said it was in anger that Peter Obi left the party, as Uba and others were working to humiliate him in the state, even as he battled his fellow presidential aspirants.
“More people will leave before the end of this week. It is true that PDP in Nigeria has problem, but the problem of Anambra PDP is far more than that of the national. It is still the reason they have not held primary election for any position, till today.
“The plot is for all the Obi line-up to move en masse, and join Labour Party, from where they will give PDP a fight.”
