Crisis tears Anambra PDP apart

Uba, Eze, Metuh lead factions
•Aspirants threaten to withdraw from primaries

There is crisis in Anambra State  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the emergence of three factions.

A source said aspirants for the Senate and the House of Representatives have threatened to drop their ambitions if by tomorrow the crisis is not resolved.

The factions are led by Chief Chris Uba, oil mogul Prince Arthur Eze and National Publicity Secretary Chief Olisa Metuh.

The source said chieftains of the party were urging the Caretaker Committee to take over the leadership from Prince Ken Emeakayi, whose tenure expired on October 24.

The Eze faction had reportedly forwarded a list of the Caretaker Committee members, led by Okey Eze, to the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu.

He was said to have rejected the list brought to him by chieftains of the party, insisting that the Uba faction was the one recognised by the party.

It was learnt yesterday that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised the Uba faction.

One of the National Assembly aspirants, who spoke with The Nation in Awka on condition of anonymity, said if the crisis was not resolved by tomorrow, most of them would withdraw from the primaries and dump PDP.

He said: “This crisis is weakening everybody. Anytime the hopes of the people are raised, other people will come from nowhere to cause problem.

“Most of us have bought forms to contest the primary election. But look at what is happening now with the emergence of the three factions.

“We know there is no way Chris Uba will allow any group to take over the party he has laboured for, for many years, while Prince Arthur Eze and Metuh are also no pushovers.

“From what we are witnessing, it will take time for the problems to be resolved before the election because there is no Caretaker Committee that will be set up that will settle these issues.

“So, from what is playing out right now, you can see that all of us are in a fix because you don’t know which of the groups the national body will recognise.”

Another person, who spoke with The Nation, said if by Friday the crisis persisted, he would join Senator Chris Ngige in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Said he: “APC is the only party among the leading parties in the state that is not swimming in crises.

“The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is engulfed in a tussle, with many aspirants scrambling for the few tickets, while PDP’s problems are chronic.”

Source: The Nation