Former state chairmen of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra state yesterday heaped the blame of the crisis rocking the party in the state on its National chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor,
saying he was on a mission to destroy the state. The former chairmen also alleged that Ogbulafor acted under the influence of money in his selection of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Chukwuma Soludo, as the governorshipcandidate of the state, threatening that if the National Chairman should deny it, they have enough evidence to drag him before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).”If he doubts it, let him go to court and we will produce evidence that will even take him to EFCC and ICPC, ” they said.
Addressing a media parley in Abuja, former state chairmen of the party, Chief Dan Ulasi and Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, said it is because the Ogbulafor-led National Working Committee (NWC) had compromised itself that it was unable to take a decision on the way forward in the state.
According to Ulasi who read their speech, “This is the first time inthe history of political process that you see somebody deliberatelymasterminding how to destroy his father’s compound. You would havethought that the first constituency of Prince Vincent Ogbulafor as thenational chairman of PDP is to use his zone as example of what he cando for Nigeria.” Ulasi, who said the morning heralds the day, queried why PDP cannotget it right in Anambra state and think it can get it right in the whole federation by 2011.
“So if an election that is coming up for February next year and the only one in the whole Federal Republic of Nigeria, PDP cannot get it right as to be able to get out a candidate for that election, I don’t know whether you people think that whenelections in the other 36 states come up, you think we can manage it?. This is a question the press should start asking the national chairmanof PDP,” he said.
On the selection of Soludo, the former state chairman of PDP in Anambrastate said, “What the national chairman of PDP did to his people isto take us to bed without a condom. It is a national tragedy. You callpeople to go for an election and you get up and announce a candidate’sname. that is a tragedy.”On the Caretaker Committee that was inaugurated yesterday, Ulasi saidit was not reflective on the stakeholders of the state. He said: “There were three main blocks running for governorship in Anambrastate.
There was the group of Chief Chris Uba that was effectively onthe ground. There was the group led by Senator Ukachukwu effectivelyon the ground and the group led by Senator Anie Okonkwo effectively onthe ground…In effect we know there are three principal actors in thepolitical scene of Anambra state vis-a-vis the primary to bring out acandidate.”Ulasi, who insisted that the party has no governorship candidate in thestate, further blamed what is happening in the state as part ofcorruption and money influences.