The People’s Democratic Party in Ebonyi State has, in a press release signed by its publicity secretary, Nwoba Chika Nwoba advised the Senator representing Ebonyi Central Zone, Sen. Obinna Ogba to keep quiet and focus on sabotaging the APC in Ebonyi State.
The press release came on the heels of the press statement signed by the Senator and published widely where in he alleged that the defeat of the PDP in Ebonyi State was a deserved one. The statement of the PDP replying the Senator reads:
PDP Didn’t Lose In Ebonyi, You Have No Moral Justification To Lie Against Party — Ebonyi PDP Replies Ogba
The attention of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a piece of press statement credited to the Senator representing Ebonyi Central Zone, Sen. Obinna Ogba wherein he cast aspersions at the party and its gubernatorial candidate over what he called misappropriation of party’s governorship ticket.
In that bizarre- tasting statement, we read Sen. Ogba gleefully talk about losing the election by the PDP in a manner suggestive of mockery of a party he did all he could to pull down. We also read him make reference to the fact that the governorship ticket of the party should have been zoned to the Northern axis of the state. We read this with consternation knowing full well his efforts at tearing apart what he now talks about as zoning graph. For purpose of clarity, we would like to enumerate a few out of the destructive efforts of Ogba in retrospect as follow:
1. A year to the primary election of the PDP during the caretaker administration of the party piloted by the late Chief Fred Udeogu, Sen. Obinna Ogba was made the party’s 2023 Zoning Committee Chairman. After the seating of the committee he chaired, the Committee addressed the entire PDP members, stating that they recommended the governorship ticket of the party be zoned to the “Abakaliki Bloc” of the state. Many opposed to this as it was alien to the circumstantial zoning arrangement of the party in Ebonyi State since 1999. Ogba in collusion with other critical stakeholders insisted on the committee’s recommendation. Suffice it to say that the state has what is now described as decrepit two zones structure: The Afikpo and Abakaliki political Blocs. The Abakaliki Bloc as it were is made of the Ebonyi North and Central zones, while the Afikpo Bloc is made of only the Ebonyi South District. Should the argument of the Ogba-led committee be taken seriously, it should, therefore, mean that since the Abakaliki Bloc had produced two governors of the party – Their Excellencies, Sen. Dr Sam Egwu, CON (1999-2007) and Chief (Dr) Martin Elechi, MON, MFR (2007-2015) with Engr David Umahi, CFR being the only one from the Afikpo Bloc, wasn’t it wise to allow the Afikpo Bloc complete a-16 year turn as the Abakaliki Bloc?
2. In order to factor himself into the race, Sen. Obinna Ogba bypassed the usual circumstantial zoning structure of Senatorial Districts knowing full well that it would not favour him since he’s from the Central Zone which produced Chief Elechi. He refused all the advances from the stakeholders of the Ebonyi North Zone who felt it was their turn. Rather than heed the advice of concerned stakeholders, Ogba resorted to canvassing that the ticket of the party be thrown open. Chief Ifeanyi Odii who’s now the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ebonyi State from Ebonyi South senatorial zone prevailed on him countless times to allow the North have the ticket, but Ogba blatantly refused. It was the insistence of Ogba that aroused the interest of Hon. Anayo Edwin and Engr Chris Usulo from the same Central and from Ezza who enjoy enormous goodwill from their people and population advantage as they believed they could stand a ground to get the ticket. Chief Ifeanyi Odii in order not to leave the South vulnerable and to oblige the call of the Ebonyi people to govern them, purchased form at a dying minute and won the ticket effortlessly, defeating the other 11 aspirants including Ogba. Chief Odii at no time wanted to contest the ticket with the Ebonyi North Zone, but it became imperative since the ticket was thrown open to all the zones.
3. The same Sen. Obinna Ogba jumped out of the circle in pursuit of a defeated ambition. He did all he could to upturn the victory at the Supreme Court, but the reality of the victory of Chief Odii was too obvious to be tampered with. Chief Odii not minding the opaque opposition posed on him by Ogba and his league still approached him solemnly so that everyone should come together to forge a common direction for the party ahead of the 2023 polls. Ogba who only hears the dialectics of “self” defaulted and instead, joined forces with the APC to destabilise the chances of PDP in the elections. It’s on record that all the stakeholders of PDP who subscribed to the malignant school of thought of Ogba openly declared support for APC including the former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim which led to his suspension from the party by the National Working Committee.
4. We wouldn’t want to talk about the winning or losing of our party – PDP at the polls since our petitions are already in the tribunals. The outcome of the petitions will best say how mellifluous or otherwise our performance was at the polls.
Therefore, we would like Sen. Obinna Ogba to focus more on his mercantile and selfish political “jobsmanism” with the APC and leave the PDP alone. He has no moral grounds to question or say anything regarding the elections as PDP performed beyond his expectations and wish. Our party has a mellifluent governorship candidate who doesn’t join issues, so, Ogba and his minions should face their transactional politics with the APC. Again, we wish to let him know that we’re aware of his nascent deal with the APC to cause disaffection in PDP and thwart the judicial mandate recovery efforts of the party by creating leadership discord. We are aware and want to tell him categorically to steer clear!
▪︎Nwoba Chika Nwoba,
Publicity Secretary of PDP, Ebonyi State on behalf of the Ebonyi PDP.
