The micro-zoning of specific posts to certain regions has sparked a crisis among stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the party’s national convention on October 30th, where new national working committee members will be chosen. According to the media speculations, several prominent PDP officials from the country’s Southeast have rejected Senator Sam Anyanwu’s consensus nomination for the job of national secretary, which was allotted to the Southeast. Senator Anyanwu is a member of the 8th assembly who represented Imo East.
While Governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State supported Senator Anyanwu’s candidacy, former Governors of Anambra State, Peter Obi, and two former Governors of Imo State, Achike Udenwa and Emeka Ihedioha, were against it.
After viewing the names of Southeast PDP leaders who voted against Senator Anyanwu’s candidacy, one issue that sprang to mind, which I shall quickly examine, was why Peter Obi was among those who voted against Senator Anyanwu.
The likely reason might be linked to his alleged intention to run for president in 2023 on the PDP platform.
According to the Vanguard, one of the meeting’s leaders, Chief Madu Chinemerem, said that Senator Anyanwu was forced upon them by a governor from the South-South who nominated him. He went on to say that this South-South Governor is pressuring the Southeast to vote for him since he was his former aide.
After doing some investigation on who this South-South Governor is, it is likely to be Nyesome Wike, the Governor of Rivers State.
Senator Anyanwu praised the Rivers State Governor for always being by his side during a Thanksgiving ceremony he organized in 2019. Wike and Anyanwu appear to be close friends, according to all indicators.
Because both Wike and Obi are rumored to be eyeing the presidency, they’ll want their closest allies to hold important positions in the party to help them achieve their goals.
But, given Peter Obi’s origins, he has the right to reject Senator Anyanwu’s candidacy and support a candidate who would assist him achieve his goals.
