The two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State cannot lay claims to be leading the party in the state.
A former Chairman of Udi Local Government Area and stakeholder of PDP in the state, Hon Nick Ozonsi, stated this in Enugu while answering questions from newsmen. According to him, PDP in the state “is in the hands of the party stakeholders who do not belong to any faction”.
THE WHISTLER reports that the two factions of PDP in the state are led by Hon Vitus Okechi and Mr Steve Oruruo, respectively. Ozonsi said the state of PDP in Enugu State is the same in other states. He attributed the polarisation of the party across many states, including Enugu, to the division of the party into Gov Seyi Makinde and Mr Nyesom Nwike factions.
He said, “The factions started all these problems. The Makinde group carried a convention at Ibadan, which Nwike’s group said they were not part of. Makinde’s group came up with the party executives. They wanted to have access to the PDP secretariat, which brought a showdown between them and the Nwike group. Both factions established their own national chairmen. Nwike has his own faction in Enugu State led by Okechi while Makinde has the Oruruo group.”
Ozonsi, however, expressed hope that the matter would be resolved to bring the party under one umbrella. He said, “The PDP, as I know, at the end of the day, these two factions that are fighting will still come back to form one bloc. None of these chairmen will suffice. The two groups must be resolved. When they start the harmonisation, one standing working committee of the PDP will come up, and the party will have one executive at the national, and one in each of the states.”
He attributed the divisions in PDP to different people pursuing their selfish goals, adding that “the feathers of the man that held PDP down would soon be pulled down”.
In his words, “There are people who are power mongers. They actually want their names to be heard. These people are all pursuing their personal agenda. Very soon you will see what will happen. The feather of the man that held PDP to the rope will be pulled down, and he will realise that harmony is very important and no one man is greater than everybody. It is my prayer that there will be reconciliation and everybody would come together. It is not my prayer that one person will outwit others and push them out of a party they formed.”
He said the agenda of those working against the progress of PDP is to prevent the party from presenting candidates during the 2027 general election.
He said, “FCT is about to conduct area council polls, and as it is, INEC has not accepted candidates of PDP because of the pending cases in court. The person that nurtured that plan is Nysome Wike to make sure that PDP does not present candidates in some states. The other group wants PDP to present candidates. We have the destroyers, and we have the re-builders. At the end of the day, one PDP will present candidates.”
He however warned that if the matters were not resolved, PDP might not present candidates in Enugu State during the 2027 elections. He reiterated that Enugu State PDP remains in hands of the people and the stakeholders.
“Enugu State PDP is in the hands of the PDP members. It is not in the hands of the factions. The people that own PDP are the core members of PDP in Enugu State. Not until the courts resolve PDP cases and the two factions come together that we can have PDP Excos across the state. In Enugu State, no factions can lay claims to own PDP.”
