Politics
2011: Nwodo Assures Level Playing Ground
National Chairman of the Peoples Democatic Party (PDP), Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo has again assured members of the party aspiring to contest for any elective position in the forthcoming general election in 2011 that the field would be level for them.
Dr. Nwodo, who reiterated this during a recent interview with a London-based television station, Benty, said under his watch any member of the party aspiring to run for any election is assured that he or she would enjoy level playing ground.
A statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the National Chairman’s Media Assistant, Ike Abonyi said Dr. Nwodo said, “the era of people sitting down somewhere in the name of Godfathers and God mothers to determine who flies the flag of the party is gone for good”.
Nwodo, the statement continued, also said the party would ensure that anybody who is to be the flag bearer of the party would not only have gone through the rest of the people, such person must scale through the integrity test of the party.
“Without internal democracy in the parties, our democracy cannot grow, and that is exactly what I intend to pursue to a logical concusion”. According to Dr. Nwodo, who was in Londo to attend a two-day conference on 50 years of Nieria and also meet with the leadership of the party in the United Kingdom.
On the contentious zoning being debated across the country, Dr. Nwodo said that the part intends to revisit it with a view to carrying everybody along since it has been operated in breach in the past.
He said the part previously had zoning arrangement which was never fully followed by some aspirants, saying there is need to revisit it to have something that everybody would agree with.
The chairman continued that the position of the party o the zoning will be made public before the party picks its Presidential candidate.
Nwodo, who parried questions on President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential aspiration emphasised that “What I am assuring every member of the party is that internal democracy will take place under any watch”.
Justus Awaji, Abuja
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.