Senator representing Imo West (Orlu Zone) Senatorial zone who was election under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Hope Uzodinma, has given insights on why he dumped the party for the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) ahead of 2019 elections.
Answering an interview question bordering on the fact that he pulled out with his followers to APC based on the fact that they lost a suit at the Supreme Court, he averred that “if anybody told you we can still achieve whatever in the present PDP, that person must be a joker”.
He argued that “The PDP on ground today is a shadow of itself. It has shrunk into a regional party and that was not the dream of the founding fathers of the party. I was a foundation member of the party so I should know better. How can you protect the interest of the South-east in a regional party? It does not make any political sense to me”.
On referring my group as bad losers in PDP, “I assure you were the most patriotic group in the PDP while they were still members. After the Supreme Court judgment, we stayed on and pushed for accommodation of everybody to ensure a real family reunion of sorts”:
“That was why we hung on up to and into the national convention, hoping that it was the opportunity we needed to re-jig the party. But what happened at the convention was appalling. Rather than open the doors for everybody, those who saw the Supreme Court victory as personal victory, shut the doors against the vast majority of PDP members and produced a regional party from the convention.
“At this point, it became clear to me that the PDP had lost it and can no longer champion real national issues. So as patriots we had to look for better alternatives so we are not bad losers rather it is those who saw the Supreme Court victory as their personal victory that you can call bad winners.
“They have destroyed the party. When you win in a battle and you are not magnanimous in victory then you become parochial and even paranoid, so the winner can actually turn his victory into a loss through ignorable actions. That was what happened to the PDP.
Continuing, Senator Uzodinma argued that “If you look carefully, you will notice that some political forces are at play right now in the nation. Some people from the South-east are being sentimental and politics is not about sentiment but reality. In my view, the political reality on ground today is that some unseen hands are either wittingly or unwittingly taking actions and inactions that if not checked could confine the South-east further to the fringes of the national platform.
“There is an urgent need to address this squarely and let our people see the need to look beyond our noses and become part of the national build up for 2019.We do not need to complain again after the elections. This is what I am working on now. After taking care of this then one can begin to talk of the elective office I shall be seeking.
Explaining more on national building, “You see, let us be frank, in 2015 the South-east voted massively for PDP. Perhaps, we had good reasons to do so. But the truth is that our calculation failed us. At the end, the South-east was among the two geopolitical zones that did not read the mood of the nation properly, in terms of the political alliances at play. After the election was won and lost we started complaining of marginalisation.
“Now another election is around the corner and if you look carefully you will discover that the alliances of 2015 are still intact. The election of a Nigerian president has always been a product of alliances, not sentiment. So can we really afford another miscalculation and be the complainant again in 2019.
“I think the South-east should put on her thinking cap and take the right political steps for 2019. This is what I am working on right now with like minds.
While denying the trending poser that he joined APC to actualize his governorship ambition, the chairman, Senate Committee on Customs relied that “If being governor of Imo State is my only worry, I can actually achieve that from any party platform. I could have joined APGA or any other party. I can assure you that my support base in Imo State is quite formidable and I can use that to pursue a governorship ambition. But there is more at stake than just being Imo governor”. “I will not want to be a governor of Imo State while the South-east is not adequately accommodated at the Federal level. So I think the immediate task now is to reverse the relative exclusion of the South-east from the Federal Government. An assurance of that is my priority and that is what I am working on right now.
On the denial by Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha that he is not aware he has joined APC in Abuja, instead of ward level, Uzodinma stressed that “I don’t want to believe that the governor actually said that because as the leader of the party in the state, he should have known that I joined the APC in my ward almost three months ago. If he did not know this, then that speaks volumes of how much grip he has on the party in the state”.
“At any rate why should a governor that means well for the party feels rattled that a ranking Senator from his state is joining the party? That doesn’t speak well of him. If he truly loves APC, he should be happy that I have joined. After all, they say that the more the merrier. Besides does he need to be told that I will add a lot of value to the party both in the state and the South-east and Nigeria? I really do not understand why he appears rattled, it does not add up at all.
Continuing, the Orlu senator argued that “At any event, the governor himself was once a member of PDP. He left the party to join APGA and I am not sure he took permission from anybody to either leave PDP or to join APGA. He also left APGA for APC, he did not take permission from anybody to join or leave. So I don’t think I need anybody’s permission to either leave PDP or to join APC. This is democracy and the constitution guarantees all citizens freedom of association. So I think the governor is making much ado about nothing”.
