The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State is yet to get over the internal wangling that has ravaged the party in the State, as the PDP failed to hold the National Convention billed for yesterday in Portharcourt, Rivers State, but instead extended the Caretaker Committee to twelve months (one year).
According to Trumpeta Reporter at the venue, men of Nigerian Police, and other Security personnel had taken over the venue of the Congress, PortHarcourt Stadium, as early as 6am, and prevented Delegates from accessing the venue.
Following this shocking development, the PDP top hierarchy, led by the Chairman of the Convention Organizing Committee, who also is the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, had muted the idea of shifting the exercise to another venue.
But following superior arguments that a Court had stopped the Convention, the National Executive Council NEC, of PDP resolved to extend the tenure of the National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi to another twelve months, after its earlier mandate of Three months had expired.
The NEC is made up of the members of Board of Trustees, Senators, Governors, House of Representatives and various caucus of the PDP.
Therefore, the latest decision affords the Chief Charles Ezekwem led PDP Executive, supported by Hon Emeka Ihedioha in Imo State, a respite to remain in office because the faction identifies with the Makarfi Group in Abuja.
However, the Senator Hope Uzodinma faction, which produced another parallel Executive led by Bar Nnamdi Anyaehie is rejoicing that the PortHarcourt Convention could not hold as it would have sealed their fate, and therefore now they still see a ray of light for negotiations since holding the Convention would have produced a substantive brand new National Chairman, who may have worked with the Ezekwe Executive that has the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) approval.
The Hope Uzodinma faction is romancing with the Senator Modu Sheriff Group, who necessitated the Court injection that stopped the PortHarcourt exercise.
From all indications, it looks like the crisis in Imo PDP is far from over, as the Ihedioha Camp, though temporary happy, would have loved that the Convention held so that the issue of who is the authentic Chairman of Imo PDP would have been settled.
But pundits predict that since the Convention did not take place the Anyaehie Group will still continue to occupy the PDP State office at Okigwe Road, while sources told Trumpeta that the Ezekwem Executive will look for a new office where it would operate side by side with that of Anyaehie, until the next one year when there would be a National Convention after the Court must have amicably resolved the imbroglio.
However, legal sources told Trumpeta that the whole scenario may change, following the legion of litigations in Court, from both the Sheriff and Makarfi camps who sued each other.
But for now, while other States in Nigeria with existing State Chairmen build on their achievements, Imo PDP is in a quagmire, following two Groups, who have refused to give in to the other. So, the crisis is far from over.
