Abia PDP heading for avoidable crisis, says Onyema Ugochukwu

How party can douse zoning tension, by guber aspirant
Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be heading for a major crisis over the zoning formula of the 2023 governorship position as announced by state chairman of the party, Dr. Alwell Asiforo.

A MEMBER of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, stated this yesterday in Umuahia, insisting that the earlier the party resolved the zoning controversy, the better the chances of PDP in the 2023 poll.

But former National Organising Secretary of the party and former Minister of State (Defence), Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), expressed the hope that the party’s leadership would address the controversy arising from the zoning of the 2023 governorship position to Abia North and Abia Central Senatorial districts.

He said combining the Central zone with Abia North Senatorial District that was supposed to take the next turn based on the order of rotation among the three senatorial districts, would be counter productive.

In a statement titled: That Abia State PDP May Survive, Ugochukwu, a former Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said in the last few weeks, Abia PDP had been embroiled in controversies, all of which threaten to throw the party into confusion and potential disaster.

He consequently urged the party to take urgent steps to bring back the PDP from the brink by summoning a meeting of the state caucus to discuss the aberrations and for party members not to make matters worse with their inciting comments.

Besides, Akobundu disclosed that the South East region has commenced lobbying in all the geopolitical zones of the country to solicit their support for the presidential ticket to be ceded to the South East zone in 2023 for equity, fairness and justice.

MEANWHILE, a governorship aspirant from Abia North Senatorial District on the platform of the PDP, Dr. Sampson Orji, yesterday, said the zoning of the 2023 governor position to Abia North and Abia Central will continue to divide the party along ethnic and sectional lines.

He said the decision would continue to haunt the party leadership until an acceptable redress was mutually decided.

Orji stated this, yesterday, after presenting himself and addressed party members at the state PDP secretariat in Umuahia, insisting that the different views on zoning would continue to polarise the party if not well addressed.

He said that the party can douse the tension by promising to conduct a free, fair, transparent, credible and acceptable primary under the terms and conditions to be acceptable and endorsed by all aspirants of the party.