Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have bothered baring my mind on this issue, but for the sake of some aggrieved persons who have continued to mudsling the person and character of Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, the Chairman, Capital Oil & Gas, for his very strategic decision to rally his weight behind his brother, Governor Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano, incumbent Governor of Anambra State and Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in the forthcoming Governorship elections in our dear Anambra State, come November 18, 2017.
Baring any last minute circumstances, Yours Truly, will follow the elections from far-away Washington DC, where he would be attending the US-Nigeria Legislative & Executive Leadership Forum.
Be that as it may, it has become imperative, to enlighten these aggrieved individuals to stop attacking the person of Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, as the choice he has made to collapse his very gigantic political structure, thus rallying his supporters to RE-ELECT Chief Willie Obiano, didn’t just come by like Bread and Butter matters.
Dr. Ubah, took this very strategic decision after consulting widely and exhaustively. So, it smirks of Ignorance for some online rabblerousers to begin to question the decision of a man who has paid his dues even for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as well as to the Nigerian people in the dark days of fuel scarcity.
Origin Of The Matter
Of course, it is in the public domain that Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, contested the shambolic August 28, 2017, PDP Governorship Primaries, that was fraught with irregularities, as the delegate list used for that poll was doctored and not the original delegate list authenticated by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
It’s a common knowledge that Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, had also sworn an affidavit of the original delegate list before the Federal High Court, Awka, and the Federal High Court, Abuja, even before that shambolic primaries that produced the current PDP candidate.
It’s a common knowledge that despite these measures, the primaries was conducted by our own Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, with a doctored delegate list.
It’s also a common knowledge that PDP Stakeholders in Anambra State had before that shambolic primaries condemned the processes leading into the primaries, at an expansive Stakeholders Meeting held on Saturday, August 26, 2017, at the Miliatel Hotels & Suites, Awka, the Anambra state capital.
At that meeting convened by Governor Umahi, majority of PDP Stakeholders, who spoke at the meeting had expressed unhappiness at the way Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, messed up the entire conduct of the Ward Congresses, which produced three Delegates from the Party’s recognised 326 Wards in the State.
It is a common knowledge that six out of the seven aspirants billed for the Special Congresses for the Nomination of the Governorship candidate, which later held on Monday, August 28, 2017, at the Professor Dora Akinyuli Women Development Centre, Awka, all kicked against that Unholy processes conducted by Governor Wike.
National Assembly Lawmakers of the PDP in Anambra State also pooh-poohed the Unholy processes conducted by the Governor Wike-led panel. Other party chieftains and stalwarts who spoke at that meeting convened by Governor Umahi, all described the processes which produced the Delegates for the Governorship Primary Election as a Jamboree.
Infact, these irregularities and the passivity of the national working caretaker committee of the PDP, was what irked Hon. Lynda Ikpeazu, forcing her to earlier boycott the primaries before other aspirants.
Five aspirants, at that meeting, Sen. Stella Oduah, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Prince Okechukwu Emeka and Mr. Akolisa Ofodike took turns to express their dissatisfaction at the way Gov. Nyesome Wike went about the conduct of the Ward Congresses.
In one voice, the aspirants except Mr. Oseloka Obaze, who was already aware that the fraudulent processes were favouring him, complained bitterly that barely two days to the Primaries, the Delegate list authenticated by INEC has been doctored, noting that there were about two or more Delegate lists already flying in town.
PDP House of Representatives members, present at the meeting, who decried the processes conducted by Wike were Hon. Eucharia Azodo, member representing Aguata Federal Constituency; Hon. Emeka Anohu, member representing Ihiala Federal Constituency and Hon. Obinna Chidoka, member representing Idemili North/South Federal Constituency.
They took turns, lamenting that they were never carried along during the Ward Congresses.
Reacting at that meeting, Gov. Dave Umahi, before the whole World, confessed that the issues arising from the Ward Congresses conducted by his colleague Governor, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, were beyond his powers, asking the aspirants displeased to take their reservations to the Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led National Working Committee of the Party.
That meeting ended in a very rancourous manner without the issues surrounding the release of the authentic Delegates list settled. This was quite unfortunate as even two days to the Governorship Primary Election, the Party had failed to release its authentic Delegates list.
These were the issues leading into the Primaries which made four aspirants, namely-Sen. Stella Oduah, Prince Okechukwu Emeka, Mr. Akolisa Ofodike and Hon. Lynda Ikpeazu, not to show up at the Professor Dora Akinyuli Women Development Centre, Awka, venue for the Special Congresses, having seen the Handwriting of Irregularities on the wall.
Without mincing words, the whole processes leading to the emergence of Mr. Oseloka Obaze, as the PDP Governorship Candidate in Anambra State, was fraught with IRREGULARITIES.
The National Leadership of the Party should take it to the banks. PDP Anambra is going into the November 18, 2017, Gubernatorial elections, a DIVIDED HOUSE.
Of course, this is already glaring today, as the party stakeholders in the State, with Verified Capacities to deliver have all deserted the PDP, leaving ex-Governor Peter Obi and his adopted lackey, Mr. Oseloka Obaze in the wilderness of an impending electoral defeat.
Tied to this, the deaf ears the National Leadership of the PDP paid to the contentious legal issues raised before the Primary Elections Appeal Panel against the candidature of Mr. Oseloka Obaze is already spelling doom for the Party ahead of November 18.
For the umpteenth time, it must be stated that Mr. Oseloka Obaze was foisted on the PDP in Anambra State. Mr. Oseloka Obaze had barely spent 4 months in the PDP before he picked up the Party’s Governorship Nomination form. This goes contrary to the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (As Amended in 2012).
Section 50 (4) of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (As Amended in 2012) states that: “There shall be a minimum of two year membership span for a member to be eligible to stand election into any public office, unless the appropriate Executive Committee gives a waiver or rules to the contrary.”
Section 50 (5) (b) states that in considering the Waiver: “for members aspiring for Party positions or nomination for State House of Assembly election, National Assembly, posts of Governors or Deputy Governors, President or Vice President, the deciding authority shall be the National Executive Committee, through the National Working Committee, PROVIDED that the process of clearance of the waiver starts from the Ward level.”
Mr. Oseloka Obaze outrightly fell short of these provisions of the PDP Constitution because he had not spent Two years in the Party, before picking the Party’s Governorship Nomination Form in Anambra State.
Also, Mr. Oseloka Obaze didn’t exhaust the processes for giving of Waivers before picking the PDP Nomination form, and thus, not qualified to contest the Party’s Governorship Primary Election which held on Monday, August 28, 2017.
All these irregularities were brought before the attention of the National Working Committee of the PDP led by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, before and after that shambolic primaries, but to no avail.
It’s therefore, against this backdrop that Anambra PDP Stakeholders, including our own Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, abandoned Ex-Governor Peter Obi and his lackey, Mr. Oseloka Obaze in the wilderness of an impending electoral defeat come November 18, 2017.
The question now remains: If major PDP Stakeholders in Anambra State, abandoned the Peter Obi and his lackey, Oseloka Obaze in the wilderness of an impending electoral defeat, why is there so much Hoopla and Masturbations about Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah’s own decision?
Aha! the answer is not far-fetched: Without being imodest, these aggrieved individuals are certainly aware that Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah is one man who possesses the Financial War Chest, Verified Capacity and Deep-rooted Grassroots Political Structure far ahead of others who have nicodemusly endorsed Governor Willie Obiano for second term.
Of course, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah is one man blessed by God Almighty and carries the Grace of God with him, that whatever he ventures into is given a midas touch.
He is one man who does not do what he strongly believes in NICODEMUSLY.
Here is a man who believes in the supreme sanctity of Transparency, a Level Playing Field, Fairness, Equity and Justice.
He fought so hard to entrench all these in the PDP, but the hawks and political shenanigans who have sworn that the PDP must continue play a second fiddle in Anambra State, wouldn’t allow him.
However, rather than wailing without recourse to Justice, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, having exhausted all justifiable measures, had no option but to rally his weight behind his brother, Chief Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano, thus, leaving Mr. Peter Obi and his lackey, Mr. Oseloka Obaze to enjoy the glaring repercussions of their seeds of impunity.
Of course, in 11-12 days time from the time of writing this piece, their Harvest of impunity will come home to roost.
Let it be reiterated that Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah raised an early morning alarm, alerting the National Leadership of the PDP, and the World, of the Great Dangers that lie ahead, if it goes into the November 18, 2017 Governorship Election, with Mr. Oseloka Obaze.
Let it also be reiterated that Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, exhausted all measures and consulted widely, before he took this bold step to rally behind his brother, Governor Willie Obiano.
So, dear aggrieved social media rabblerousers, I appeal that you take some chilled pills, as you got no right to determine what political strategic decision our own Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah takes, ahead of the November 18, 2017, Governorship Elections in our dear Anambra State.
As Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, launches #AfaIgboEfuna, the Mother of all Political Rallies in Anambra State, come Monday, November 13, 2017, I urge Ndi Anambra, including our aggrieved friends to be calm and remain #Articulate, so as not to take our dear state back to the EGYPT, we had left some few years ago.
Ndi Anambra must never go back to the Dark Days of Kidnapping Governors, as well as innocent Anambrarians, Armed Robbery, Unpaid Salary Arrears, Pensions and Gratuities for our industrious Workers.
At this juncture, Yours Truly joins our own Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah to say #AfaIgboEfuna.
For Ndi Anambra South, Yours Truly joins our own Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah to say #4IsBetterThan8Years. Of course, Governor Obiano needs to consolidate on the good works he has started, so that by 2022, the Power Equation returns to Anambra South.
Take it to the banks, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, would definitely ASSIST to hold Governor Willie Obiano accountable to Ndi Anambra, and not to any political god-father, within or outside Anambra State.
Ndi Anambra, indeed, it is not yet UHURU!
Let’s set our eyes on the ball, so as not to repeat the mistakes Nigerians made in 2015, at the centre, seeking for a Phantom Change that never comes by.
Ikenna Asomba is a Social Commentator.
