Peter Obi’s choice as Atiku’s VP divides S’East PDP

The announcement of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as the running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate during the 2019 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has continued to generate controversy within the party faithful in the South East.

Though the announcement was made public through the social media on Friday, former Ogun State Governor and Director General of Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, later confirmed the choice of Obi as the running mate.

The development quickly put to rest speculations on certain names being bandied as the likely running mate to Atiku

But a chieftain of the party in the South East also disclosed to The Daily Times on Sunday that the South -East governors and other stakeholders preferred the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekwerewadu, on the grounds of his popularity, current position and his remarkable achievements.

The PDP chieftain, who spoke in confidence, added that the choice of Peter Obi, who he claimed is not on the same page with the South East governors, would polarise the party in the zone.

He said: “How can Peter Obi galvanise the voters in the South-East? For your information, the PDP is not the dominant party in Anambra State.

For example, APGA is the ruling party in Anambra while we have the presence of the APC. In Imo, the APC is the ruling party while in other states in the zone, other parties are making inroad to hitherto PDP dominated states.

“It is surprising that a choice of a running mate to Atiku will be made without consultations with other stakeholders in the South- East in spite of their contributions and sacrifice to the PDP. Well, time will tell if Obi’s choice will deliver South East votes to the PDP

The Daily Times recalls that the leadership of the party in the zone had, after Obi’s announcement, summoned an emergency meeting in Enugu.

But the meeting, which was slated to hold at the party’s zonal headquarters, was later shifted to the Independence Layout residence of Ekweremadu.

In attendance in the closed door meeting were all PDP governors in the zone, some members of the National Assembly from the zone, zonal leaders and others.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, stated that the leadership of the party was not aware of the choice of Obi as running mate as it was not consulted.

Umahi added that they only heard the appointment on social media and expected that they would be carried along prior to the announcement.

According to the governor, the PDP South East leadership still expected that Atiku would visit to inform them about the choice he made.

The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reports that the PDP governorship candidate in the 2017 governorship election in Anambra, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, has faulted the position of the party leadership on Atiku’s choice.

Obaze told newsmen after the meeting that it had never been heard of that a presidential candidate would consult on a zonal level before choosing a running mate.

He said that what was playing out were the antics of few individuals within the party and cautioned that they needed not go into the election divided.

“As the leader of the party in Anambra, I want to say that we support the choice of Mr. Peter Obi. He is our son but we are here saying we are not aware of his nomination.

“We need to support him and the party,” he said.

Obaze said that the conduct of the governors who took off from the residence of Ekweremadu without meeting with party faithful who attended the meeting was most regrettable.

“I have heard corridor talks about passing a resolution to repudiate the selection of Obi as Atiku’s running mate.

“I hope that those who champion such cause will also have the courage to sign their names to the resolution so that in the fullness of time our posterity will appreciate our folly.

“If we lose the present opportunity to produce the vice president due to the whims of a few among us, Ndigbo will never recover the past and history will be unkind to us,” Obaze said.