PDP Rallies Support For 2011

The Chairman of  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia, Chief Ndidi Okereke, has said that  it is only a united PDP that can upstage the ruling PPA in the state come 2011.

“No disunited party can remove a bad government,” Okereke said in Umuahia  during a sensitisation tour of Umuahia North local government by the state executive of the party.

“I want every PDP member and supporter to be united and work with one accord during the forthcoming 2011 general elections.

“This is the only thing that will guaranty us victory in all the elections,” he said.

Okereke said the party had commenced membership registration and re-registration at the wards, local government and state levels to provide level-playing field for all members.

Okereke, who said the sensitisation exercise was necessary to integrate everybody in the party, advised the party executives at all levels to avoid  discriminating against anybody.

“I want you to treat old and new members equally in the exercise.

“Do not discriminate against our returnees from PPA, APGA, ANPP and others, they have returned to help us fight our common enemy,” he said.

The Tide’s source reports that the tour took the state party executive to Umuahia North PDP Secretariat, the homes of party stalwarts like Chief Uzodinmna Okpara, APGA governor candidate in 2007 polls.

Okpara is the son of the former Premier of Eastern Nigeria, the late Dr Michael Okpara.

The others were Chief Ikechi Emenike, ANPP governorship candidate in 2007 and Chief Chijoke Nwakodo, PDP candidate for Abia Central House of Representatives seat.

Speaking during the visit, Emenike said he returned to PDP with 15 ANPP local government chairmen to join in the fight of salvaging Abia from the PPA “cabals’’.

Emenike, who declared interest in contesting the 2011 governorship race on PDP’s ticket, promised to work as a team with the party executives and members in the struggle to save the soul of the state.

He said that he rescinded his decision to quit active politics after losing the last election because of pressures from friends, saying, “every evil has an expiring date and Abia will soon be free”.

Emenike, an economist, said that PDP had the men and the material resources to move the state forward, stressing that “only positive ideas and leadership can liberate Abia”.

Commenting on the 200 million dollars (N30 billion) World Bank loan embarked upon by the Abia government, Emenike said: “The truth is that if people cannot manage the allocation from Abuja, is it the 200 million dollars (N30 billion) they will manage?

“That is mortgaging the state. Quite frankly for many years Abia has been crying about the debt burden, why are they trying to exacerbate it, why are you going to the World Bank loan to worsen the state’s problems?