[ads1]There is palpable tension in Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as the Supreme Court decides the fate of the two factions jostling for the leadership of Nigeria’s main opposition party.
News filtered to this news website that the nation’s apex Court has scheduled July 12,2017 for the ruling.
There are two factions in the PDP in Imo State. Each of them loyal to the contending factions scrambling for the leadership of the party at the centre- the Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sherrif factions.
For long, the two factions in Imo PDP namely- the Charles Ezekwem faction and the Nnamdi Anyaehie group- have been locked in war of supremacy in the state chapter of the party as they tailored their allegiance to the two factions seeking for legitimacy as the authentic national executives of the party.
News of the judgement day has not been made public by any of the factions in the State but those in the know expressed apprehension as uncertainty of the outcome of the judgement appears to determine their political relevance in the party.
A top party official loyal to the Ezekwem faction said he is optimistic that the judgement will be in the interest of the party just as he expressed concern that it will further open up fresh hostilities if not carefully managed.
Each of the factions are hopeful the ruling will favour them and more importantly empower them to be in a position of full authority to articulate the way forward for the party in the state as the general elections draws close.
While fears of further polarization of the party continues, there is the general belief that contending forces in the party will close ranks and forge ahead.
A party official told this website” Because if the rudderless leadership of the APC in Imo State and at the federal level, party stakeholders irrespective of the Supreme Court ruling will come together and re build the party in Imo State”
Another party leader said the ruling does not affect the party structure in the State.
He said ” The Anyaehie executives are just doing a yeoman’s job for their agents which is to destabilize the party in the state just as their pay master- the Sherrif faction are doing the same for the APC at the federal level. Their tenure has elapsed for a long time and fresh congresses have been held from the ward to the state levels that produced new officers. They are just bunch of confusionists”
” The judgement of the apex court is just to straighten things out at the national level between the Makafi and Ali Modu Sherrif faction. And this will held us a lot in re-positioning the party in Imo.
” Its just that we need to get it right at the national level and every other thing will fall in place in the state chapter of the party. Here in Imo , there is only state executives led by Charles Ezekwem”
Asked if there would not be a process of re integration and reconciliation to accommodate aggrieved members after the ruling, he said ” That would not be a problem. We are all PDP members but anyone trying to hide under the canopy of such process to further cause confusion will be shoved aside”
” Our priority is to get this irresponsible APC government in the State out of power and offer the people good governance in 2019″
