Inauguration of Anambra PDP Caretaker Committee Stalled

A new twist has emerged in the political crisis rocking Anambra State as the planned inauguration of the Caretaker Committee for the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) billed for Monday couldn’t hold.
The ceremony was allegedly stalled by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who summoned the national chairman of the party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, to the presidential villa, Abuja about the time the inauguration was slated to take off.
Since Ogbulafor announced that the tenure of the former executive of the party in Anambra State had expired and unfolded the list of the caretaker committee Thursday, November 5, 2009, there have been complaints about the decision.
By the announcement, the PDP chairman had dissolved the party’s executives in the state believed to be loyal to the self-acclaimed god-father of Anambra politics, Chief Chris Uba.
All the 18-member caretaker committee of the party led by Dr Osita Ogbu was already seated by 1.00 pm at the PDP national headquarters at Zone 5, Abuja waiting to be inaugurated.
Around 2.00pm the candidate of the party for the February 6, 2010 Anambra governorship election, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, came in and announced that the national chairman of the party had been summoned to the villa by the president.
He told them further that there was no specific time when Ogbulafor would be back from the State House.
Soludo therefore suggested to the committee members that they rather go for lunch since it was already 2.00pm.
Neither Ogbulafor nor any member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party was in sight to perform the swearing-in ceremony even when the committee members waited till about 3.00pm.
The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Prof. Ahmed Alkali, couldn’t offer any reason why the planned inauguration was put off when he was contract last night. He only said that the inauguration had been put off. It was gathered that there was no prior announcement of the committee for party stalwarts to be part of it. Members of the committee left the PDP secretariat, but did not return till press time.
Some of the former aspirants had complained about the composition of the committee, which they said failed to accommodate the various political tendencies in the state.
According to the statement last week by PDP National Publicity Secretary, members of the party’s caretaker committee include Hon Vincent Achigwe, Chief Chisata Okoye, Hon Emmanuel Nsoede, Chief Alphonsus Oguonu, Hon. K. G. Enemuoh, Mrs Oby Okeke-Okwubanego, Chief Solomon O. D. Onyekwelu, Chief solomon O. D. Onyekwelu Chief Dennis Ngere, Chief Odumegwu Sunny, Hon Mbamalu Emmanuel, Chief Joe Oforkansi, Dr Ugochukwu Okafor, Hon Okwudili Uzoka, Ike Onyeabor and Hon. Handel Okoli.
Others are Dr Harry Oranezi and Hon. Anthony Muobike as members/secretary, respectively.
Members of the former state executives were directed to immediately handover all party property, in their possession to the committee.