Some stakeholders of the Nigeria Democratic Party in Enugu State have warned the national hierarchy of the party to avert a looming collapse of the party in the state.
Groups and individuals that interacted with THEWHISTLER in Enugu warned that if the structure of the party in the state is allowed to be hijacked by some selfish interest that NDC would die in the state. They advised the national chairman of the party, its presidential candidate and his vice to ensure that due process is followed in running the party in the state.
They accused a former Governor of the state, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, and former Federal Permanent Secretary, Mr Chnyeaka Ohaa, of “deliberately trying to squeeze the structure of the party from the party officials for their personal gains”.
A support group, Obi/Kwankwaso United Front, charged NDC’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and his VP, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, to halt the hijack efforts of some interests, and return the structure of NDC in the state to the original party officials chosen to run the affairs of the party.
The group’s Coordinator, Charles Nwadike, said NDC might lose its support in Enugu State unless the national office of the party stops any hijack moves.
“We know our leaders in the state,” he said. “We shall resist moves to impose candidates on us by the likes of Nwodo. Let the affairs of the party be run by the officials elected by our structure.
“Nwodo and co were in ADC, and when they heard that Obi was joining NDC, they quickly joined, and now want to manoeuvre the affairs of the party. We hear that some aspirants are allegedly being charged 40,000 dollars to get the party’s candidacy. Obi and Kwankwaso will lose our support if they allow this ugly trend to fester.”
The youth wing of NDC, operating under the aegis of the OK Movement in Enugu North Senatorial District, also raised concerns over what it described as Nwodo’s moves to influence the party’s internal affairs ahead of future political contests.
The group, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Nsukka and signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Theophilus Eke, claimed that the moves by Nwodo could undermine the party’s structure and electoral prospects in Enugu State. . It claimed that Nwodo is working to influence candidate selection processes within the party. The youths claimed that some aspirants who emerged through the party’s internal processes were allegedly being targeted for substitution in favour of other candidates.
It said, “We are concerned by what we view as attempts to undermine the democratic choices of party members. Candidates who emerged through the party’s established processes, particularly within Enugu North Senatorial District, are allegedly facing threats of substitution. We believe such actions could weaken the party’s position ahead of future elections.”
Chief Tony Ugwu is a staunch NDC leader in the state. He warned about the dangers of not following due process in decision making of the party n the state.
According to him, “NDC is a new party, with the target of defeating the ruling APC in the state. If the proper thing is not followed, there will be implosion, which can threaten the gains the party has recorded in the state. If the process is hijacked, popular candidates with the clout of winning elections will not emerge. The result will be failure. NDC is gathering momentum in Enugu State, but the outcome of the primaries and the transparency in running the party from the National will matter a lot.”
Efforts to get reactions from Chief Nwodo did not yield reports as he didn’t not answer a call out across to him.
