The crisis rocking the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has taken a turn for the worse.
Barring any last minute changes, the party in the state might be grappling with a gale of defection as topshots resigned from the party.
The development follows the resignation of the former governor, Peter Obi, from the party.
Recall that Obi, a presidential aspirant had on Wednesday resigned his membership of the PDP and also withdrawn from the party’s presidential primary.
His decision was said to have dealt a fatal blow to aspiration of some of the party’s aspirants to national and state assembly, who aimed to piggyback on Obi’s clout and influence in the state to actualise their ambition.
According to Daily Post, Valentine Ozigbo, PDP’s governorship candidate in the November 2021 governorship election in Anambra who is running for the Senate has also withdrawn from the race.
Valentine Ayika and George Ozodinobi, former members of the national assembly are among those who also withdrew and resigned from the party.
Ozigbo in his resignation letter which was addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, said the party has been highjacked by three Senatorial aspirants and their cohorts.
He listed the aspirants to include; Senator Uche Ekwunife, Senator Stella Oduah and self-styled godfather of Anambra politics, Chris Uba, who is also running for the Senate.
In the letter, Ozigbo said: “I wish to bring to your attention a series of retrogressive developments in our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, particularly in Anambra South.
“Sir, I would like to state this clearly. The actions of Chris Uba and Linus Ukachukwu, with the support of Uche Ekwunife, and Stella Oduah, and a few others are the reasons PDP in Anambra may end up fielding no candidate in the 2023 elections.”
Consequently, he announced his withdrawal from the primary. A source stated that he is also on his way out of the party.
Ayika and Ozodinobi who are also National Assembly aspirants also withdrew from the primary, while also resigning from the party.
In what could cripple the chances of the party in next year’s general election, a source who’s familiar with the development, said that more prominent politicians in the state will still dump PDP in the coming days. The source said it was in anger that Peter Obi left the party, as Uba and others were working to humiliate him in the state, even as he battled his fellow presidential aspirants.
“More people will leave before the end of this week. It is true that PDP in Nigeria has problem, but the problem of Anambra PDP is far more than that of the national. It is still the reason they have not held primary election for any position, till today.
“The plot is for all Obi line up to move en mass, and join Labour Party, from where they will give PDP a fight,” Daily Post quoted the source to have said.