The ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State, may be in for crisis as one of the founding fathers of the party and the immediate-past Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Dr. Eme Okoro, has lambasted the State Chairman, Rt. Hon. Asiforo Okere for ” aborting a planned visit by Abia North stakeholders of the party”.
The former SSG is furious that Okere “for whatever reasons” scuttled the planned visit by respected elders of the party from Abia North but was quick to accept similar consultative visit by Chief Raymond Dokpesi scheduled for Monday.
Dokpesi is to lead the Atiku Abubakar presidential team to Abia State to canvass support for his presidential ambition.
Abia North PDP elders and stakeholders had in a strong-worded statement after their botched visit on Friday, insisted that power must shift to the zone come 2023 in tandem with the Abia Charter of Equity.
Okoro in an exclusive interview with Vanguard, on Sunday, demanded explanations and apology from the Abia PDP Chairman for treating stakeholders from Abia North with disdain while according respect to “an outsider”.
“Asiforo Okere aborted my own visit where I was to lead a delegation of PDP stakeholders from Abia North on consultations with our great party on our quest for power shift to the zone.
” But he accepted Dokpesi who is coming to canvass support for Atiku on Monday. It’s illogical to accept such visit from an outsider when you have rejected the one from Internal.
” I demand an apology from our party Chairman for insulting me and other respected party elders from Abia North”, Okoro fumed.
Still boiling, he queried:” Where was Okere when we formed PDP? He was not even there when we started.
” It’s too bad that Abia PDP will accept a consultative visit from an outsider when my own was aborted.
” I’m older than Dokpesi. How can the Chairman of my party refuse to receive me but receive an outsider?
” If the Chairman of my party who refused to receive me internally would open up to receive somebody externally who is rude to Ndigbo, it means that something is wrong.”
The former SSG advised Atiku to distance himself from Dokpesi if he wanted to succeed in South East until he atoned for his sin against Ndigbo.
Atiku should not send him to South East for any mission. Dokpesi should first go to a national television to apologise to Ndigbo for casting aspersions on the entire race.”
The PDP chieftain said he was not opposed to the presidential aspiration of Atiku but argued that Chief Dokpesi was the wrong person to market the former Vice President in the South East following his recent uncomplimentary outbursts against the zone.
Okoro insisted that justice and equity demand that South East should be supported to produce Nigeria’s President in 2023 just as power should be allowed to rotate to Abia North in 2023.
“It is a fact that Ndigbo have the biggest investment by any single tribe in Nigeria. We live and thrive in every part of the country. So, why can’t Nigeria trust us with the Presidency?
“I’m not against Atiku. In fact he is very close to me. But if my party decides that Atiku will be our flag bearer, the process must be consultative, participatory and democratic”.
Dr. Okoro vowed that Abia North would not succumb to any form of political manipulation or arm-twisting in its quest to produce Abia Governor in 2023.
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