Essential Ndubuisi
AIF Media
Tension has continued to rise in PDP Anambra state in the last 72 hours that AIF Media published the outcome of a close door meeting held at Enugu by the southeast caucus of the party.
AIF Media in our publication reported that the PDP southeast purportedly endorsed zoning for 2021 Anambra Guber to Anambra south senatorial zone which tactically disqualified Senator Uche Ekwunife and Dr Obiora Okonkwo who are from Anambra central senatorial zone.
The purported endorsement has been rejected by PDP leaders in Anambra central and north senatorial zones. Speaking to AIF Media, a PDP leader from Anambra central senatorial zone who asked us not to disclose his name boasted that no one from south will pick the party ticket.
He stated that “PDP leaders from Anambra south are hypocrites.”
“why is south calling for zoning? In 2013 and 2017 when it was purportedly zoned to north, many from south contested. No leader from south openly asked those aspirants from their zone not to contest against north.
“PDP moved on with all interested aspirants from different zones contesting. The same thing in APC and other political parties. They are crying foul now because it is becoming obvious that non of the aspirants from south will pick the party ticket.
“Let all the aspirants go to the field, whoever wins, the party will support him or her”, he concluded.
AIF Media public relations desk also got a call from another PDP leader from Anambra north senatorial zone who spoke angrily. He was of the opinion that talk is ongoing between Anambra north and Anambra central to pay south with its own coin. He stated that the problem of PDP has been from south.
The PDP leader specifically asked why aspirants like Godwin Ezeemo from Umuchu is also talking of zoning. He stated that Ezeemo has been contesting every guber election in different political parties. “Did he respect zoning when it was the turn of north?”
“We may vote against aspirants from south. Possibly we shall reach agreement with the central and it is over. The south is the reason PDP lost Anambra state to APGA. Let the party conduct free and fair primaries, whoever that wins will be supported, but if it is based on zoning, we shall see.”
Various interest groups in PDP have continued to reject the zoning asking the party to allow all aspirants to slug it out at the primaries.
A PDP youth group was concise in its statement. It asked all aspirants to ignore any zoning brouhaha and continue reaching out to the party delegates who will determine the next candidate of the party.
The convener of the group, PDP Youth Frontier , Comr Chika Ezediora told AIF Media that PDP will pick its candidate from any part of the state. “That’s the only way to enlist support of everyone into the governorship project. We shall not support this zoning debate in order not to destroy the party.”
With the opposition of these leaders to the zoning debate in PDP, the battle is yet over.
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AIF Media
