The Abia state secretariat of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in Umuahia, was a beehive of human traffic, as stakeholders from the Ukwa /Ngwa extraction stormed the PDP office.
The stakeholders ,Chief Eme Abalimba, Rt Hon Chinedu Elechi, Chief Victor Ebere Ndokumba, Hon Lewis Obianyi, Chief Chukwudi Dike, among others, accompanied their son, Hon Solomon Ogunji to the party secretariat to intimate the party executives of the need for an Ukwa son to represent the Abia South Senatorial zone in 2019.
They said it was the turn of the Ukwa to produce a Senator, having allowed their Ngwa brother to occupy the seat for twelve years, which according to them is against the charter of equity that makes for only eight years.
Chief Eme Abalimba, who is the Director General, Solomon Ogunji campaign organization, stated that the people of Ukwa have been magnanimous enough to allow the Ngwa side of the extraction to occupy the seat for three tenures, stressing that the people won’t fold their hands again in 2019 to see their right been taken away from them.
According to him, the Ukwa people was short changed in the 2015 elections in favour of their Ngwa brother, saying they cried, but since the party wanted it that way, they casted their votes for an Ngwa man to represent the Abia zone for the third time.
Abalimba said part of the reasons they came was to inform the party that they were ready to take their turn in 2019, and at such, the state PDP chairman as the coach of the party should inform the Senator representing the zone to release the ball, else their opponent from other parties would take the ball forcefully from the party.
He continued to stress that, after much consultation, the people of Ukwa have decided to send their son, Hon Solomon Ogunji to represent the senatorial zone come 2019, and pleaded that the party should do away with impunity and imposition of candidates on the electorates.
Rt Hon Chinedu Elechi, the commissioner of Transport, said the stakeholders from the area decided to visit the party to inform them that the Ukwa people should be allowed to produce the next Senator for the zone, saying that in the 2015 elections, the Ukwa area was sidelined leading to the crisis that exhumed in the area during the polls.
“In 2015, Ukwa was a battle field; our youth took to protest, simply because our turn was taken. So to allow peace in 2019, an Ukwa man should be allowed to go”,he revealed.
The commissioner urged the party exco to understand their plight as the Ukwa area would have been going for their second term by now, but due to what transpired in 2015, they are yet to take their turn, adding that the area would not allow the marginalization again
He said after careful examination, stakeholders from the Ngwa and Ukwa sides, decided to send Hon Solomon Ogunji, saying Ogunji is well qualified to represent the zone, having worked tirelessly for the party up to national level.
The Ukwa East council chairman, Hon Lewis Obianyi, in his view, said if the Ukwa people are not giving a chance, nobody would know what they can do.
According to him, Ogunji is a man of service who fought tirelessly in 2015 elections for the senatorial seat to be retained in the party, adding that the whole of Ukwa is PDP today because of the efforts of the likes of Ogunji, stressing that such persons who have worked for the party should not be ignored.
Obianyi while describing Ogunji as a man of equity, pleaded for equity to play out in the 2019 polls.
Chief Victor Ebere Ndokumba and Chief Chukwudi Dike, pleaded for the party to consider equity and allow a level playing field for all aspirants, saying that if the former governor of the state had not kept to equity, the governorship seat wouldn’t have gone to the Ngwa nation.
They said Ogunji has done veritably well politically to represent the Abia South zone, and pleaded that no candidate should be imposed on the zone this time
Ogunji in his speech, said in the 2015 elections, he worked as party agent just to make sure the party record a resounding victory, stating that the party almost lost out in the area because their turn was denied them.
He said despite the marginalization, the area still delivered a high votes in both governorship and presidential elections, saying that if the Ukwa nation is given a chance, the people would give 100% of their votes to the PDP.
While pleading for a level playing ground in 2019, he said he can do the job of a Lawmaker efficiently.
Reacting the PDP chairman, Chief Johnson Onuigbo, regretted the mistake of the past, revealing that the party is ready to jettison impunity.
“Impunity used to happen in PDP but not anymore. This party is a democratic party, the People’s wish should be allowed to prevail,” he remarked.
According to Onuigbo, the party executives have met and had resolved to end imposition, stating that if the party should repeat the mistake of the past, it would amount to the death of the party.
He said the party can’t leave a popular candidate and settle for a less popular, urging Ogunji to go back home and mobilise votes ahead of 2019.
The party boss assured aspirants that come 2019 no aspirant would be short changed or sidelined, maintaining that a level playing ground would be given to all aspirants, stressing that the party has adopted justice and righteousness for the party to thrive in the state.
He, however, disclosed that all aspirants must submit to democracy and uphold the principle of internal democracy, adding that no aspirant would be stopped from the race.
“The party under my watch would conduct free and fair primaries. Election is contested for and it is not given, do not go home and sleep, saying it’s your turn. Go and canvass for votes”, Onuigbo stressed.
