THE political temperature in
Abia State rose significantly at the weekend after Chief Alfredo Awa was named
acting state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by a faction hostile
to Governor Orji Uzor Kalu.
Indeed, top political figures opposed to Kalu and led by
Senate President, Adolphus Wabara had stormed the state secretariat of the party
in Umuahia where Chief Awa, incumbent state deputy chairman was elevated to
acting chairman. Governor Kalu, and his supporters were absent at the meeting.
In what the Kalu camp is already calling a preemptive strike,
Wabara, PDP National Secretary, Vincent Ogbulafor, chairman of the Niger Delta
Development Commission, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, federal legislator, Mao
Ohuabunwa and former deputy governor, Enyinnaya Abaribe installed Awa and made
fiery speeches critical of Kalu’s administration.
The move squelched reports making the rounds last week of
reconciliatory moves between Kalu and the "Abuja Group" which included Wabara
and Abia State politicians holding national offices.
In a swift reaction, Kalu’s Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Udeala
told Sunday Champion on phone that a crucial meeting of the Abia State
PDP Chapter already scheduled for Tuesday would go ahead where "far reaching
changes where necessary" would be taken to strengthen the party.
Our correspondents report that there was heavy police
presence at the PDP meeting ostensibly to provide protection to the top shots
from Abuja.
Incumbent chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Uzodinma
Okpara is to end to a three-week suspension slammed on him for "anti-party
activities" this week. It was not clear whether the "newly-elected" acting
chairman would step down should Chief Okpara, son of the late Eastern Region
premier, Chief Michael Okpara, returns to claim his post.
In the meantime, Chief Wabara in his speech at Friday’s
meeting spoke of the need to reform the party in the state.
He said what took place was a change of leadership in order
to make the party more embracing in the state.
According to him, "what used to be here was politics of
exclusion, but the party has been reorganised to allow everyone who was outside
to come in.
"We left the party in the hands of certain persons, and that
made us to lose a lot of people."
Senator Wabara said that anybody "who loves Abia State should
start to weep for it from now till 2007."
He added that it is only then that it would be known how bad
the finances of the state are, pointing out that "everyone must give account of
his stewardship."
He however noted that, "it would not be good when the time
comes for some people to disappear few days to the end of their tenure."
He called on the new state chairman of the party, Chief Awa,
to call a caucus meeting of the party to find out "what is happening in the 17
local government councils of the state."
He advised that any council chairman who refused to attend
should be made to know that there is change in leadership.
He made a donation of N5 million to the new leadership as
take off grant.
National secretary, Prince Ogbulafor, said he would brief the
party national secretariat on the outcome of the meeting by Monday.
He agreed that it was a collective decision of leaders of the
party in the state that PDP in Abia should be one and urged members to give the
Senate President all the support he needs.
Earlier, the new state chairman, Chief Awa, said he would
carry everybody along which will make every member to enjoy dividends of
democracy.
He said what the meeting had done was to "ratify certain
decisions."
But the Abia State government has condemned what it called
"the illegal and undemocratic manner" in which Abuja-based PDP members invaded
the party secretariat.
Commissioner for Information, Chief Ralph Egbu, called on the
national leadership of the party, to "call those men to order" and urged
President Olusegun Obasanjo, "to look into what has happened in the state "this
is a signal for danger."
Chief Egbu noted that the meeting "was a deliberate plan to
destabilise the state" pointing out that the state government, "is not taking
the matter lightly as there are elected officers of the party in place."
He said, the only time they expect any change is at the state
congress of the party in October, 2005. "The way the whole thing took place was
undemocratic.
"Abia State Government wants to inform the whole world about
what has been happening in the state since the last 48 hours."
Asked if governor Kalu felt threatened by the formidable
forces against him, he replied that his boss was not, insisting that as a
grassroots mobiliser, none of the Abuja group could match him.
Mr. Udeala alleged that the Abuja group "invaded" Umuahia
with lorry loads of heavily-armed mobile policemen.
He said the "illegal meeting" held on Friday was pre-emptive
and calculated to forestall a meeting of the party fixed for Tuesday.
