By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, & Ochuko Akuopha
Elder Emma Ogidi is the caretaker chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-South geopolitical zone. In late April, the National Executive Committee of the PDP mandated him to take over the structure, conduct an appraisal, and rebuild the Delta State chapter.
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The decision followed the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and members of the PDP in the state to the All Progressives Congress, APC, on April 28.
In this interview, Ogidi spoke on the state of the PDP in Delta State and the happenings in the national leadership, expressing optimism that the party remains formidable ahead of the 2027 general elections. Excerpts:
What is the present state of PDP in Delta State?
The PDP NEC tasked me to take stock of the PDP in Delta State and determine if we have members and the spread. I say that by the grace of God, we have an overwhelming number of followers and members in the state.
The day I walked out of Government House, Asaba, I thought I was the only man going because I saw only myself. However, when I came back, after visiting most of the local government areas, I saw that we have not just members but also sympathizers.
You know that the electorates don’t defect; it is the politicians who defect. Electorates are electorates, and PDP is still a brand in Delta State, so I am happy.
You mentioned the last time that part of the assignment you were given was to put up the structure of the PDP at a caretaker level. What is Delta State’s current PDP structure?
When you meet people, you tell them to get together, so they have congregated in the different local government areas. I have compiled the list of names and will present it to the party’s national leadership.
The NWC will now appoint the state caretaker committee and grant it the power to organise ward, state, and local congresses to preserve the state’s PDP status.
The PDP’s spirit and soul were carried away by Oborevwori and Okowa, leaving only the carcass, despite your claim that PDP supporters are overwhelming in Delta State. Is this accurate?
They didn’t go with anyone who wasn’t directly benefiting from the government. Delta’s PDP remains intact. Similar to an Iroko tree, the PDP is hard to overthrow. In Delta, the PDP is the brand.
Coincidentally, we are in the rainy season. It is the umbrella that you can use; you can’t use the broom in the rainy season. PDP is rooted and strong. We were shedding leaves in the dry season, and now that the rains are here, the leaves are coming back.
The reason some PDP members in the state defected to the APC is that the party is bedeviled by crisis. Since they left on April 28, the PDP has been in an even bigger crisis. What assurances do you have that the PDP will survive? Even Atiku and others have practically left PDP for the ADC. Is the PDP still alive?
After a long time, to be precise, on June 30, we held our NEC meeting. In that meeting, six of our governors were present. BOT members, former governors, ex-ministers, and all the forums attended. It was in that meeting that we took what I call a bitter pill.
Before the meeting, a few of our elders met with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which announced on its website that Senator Samuel Anyanwu is the secretary it recognises. As a result, any correspondence should be signed by both Damangun and Anyanwu. Therefore, we all decided at that NEC meeting that Anyanwu should sign our documents.
We will hold another NEC meeting on July 23. The convention committee and zoning committee lists will be approved at this NEC meeting. It will also approve the date of the national convention. By God’s grace, I am the chairman of the South-South Caretaker Committee and the Delta Caretaker Committee, two of the many appointments by the NWC, and will be approved by this same NEC.
The significance of the 23rd meeting is evident. Following the Monday meeting, a group of concerned elders convened on Tuesday to assess the broader picture. Concerning the African Democratic Congress (ADC), they posed inquiries.
They have not gone to the ADC. Only a few of them went there, and until they resign, they are members of the PDP. That is why we are working to ensure everything is right. When they see the success of this NEC meeting, those who have been standing on the wings will finally come back. That is why I can confidently say that PDP is an Iroko tree.
How is PDP an Iroko tree when Atiku and others are leaving the party?
They have not gone anywhere; they will be back here. Let me tell you, we have seen people who left and came back. We have seen this, and more so, when they see that we are doing the right thing.
You know, we all don’t have the same temperament, and you must respect people’s feelings, so it is our job to bring everybody back.
Not many see this hope; even Okowa, after he left, had cause to say that from his interaction with Atiku, he was on his way out of PDP.
I admitted something: that one per cent up there is always the problem with everything, but see, let’s not forget the electorates; they are the key. Their one per cent vote is one per cent, but the electorate is 99 per cent. Therefore, any good politician should concentrate on the 99 per cent. It is the votes that make people win elections, not your ambition. That is why I beat my chest that Delta is a PDP state.
Why is it that in the past two months — May and June, and we are now in July — we are not seeing the evidence that PDP is still alive in Delta State?
What evidence do you want? I have visited almost all 25 local government areas and met with the people. By the time the caretaker committee is inaugurated, you will see what I told you. It is not about me; the committee will now come, and you will see them conduct ward and local government area congresses and all that. Then, you will understand where I am coming from.
You are the chairman of PDP in the South-South, but the concern that many people have is that only one man, Nyesom Wike, has dominated the party and caused ripples. What is happening? Is it that the South-South PDP can’t talk to Wike?
It is not about South-South; it is about PDP nationally. The people own PDP, not one man. He has access to communication, so he can say what he wants. But we are doing what we are doing.
I know you are going to ask me about discipline. Yes, we have a disciplinary committee. We are now in a trying time and must be very careful.
By the end of the convention, in just a few months, you will see the discipline that you are talking about. There is going to be discipline. The PDP is not owned by one person. Yes, you respect people with money and respect people with power, but that does not mean that they own the party.
The party is well-constituted. It has a National Working Committee and the NEC. Yes, he has talked down on the NEC, but you must follow due process, and that is what we are doing.
Are you not part of the ADC?
Our party, the PDP, is not yet discussing a coalition. We are building our roots; they are strong, and we are the most viable opposition party. We believe, by the grace of God, others will join us to take power in 2027.
I am sure that you may have heard people say that you (Ogidi) are still in PDP because Oborevwori and Okowa asked you to hold forth as part of a plan B?
I work for PDP; the PDP national appointed me, and I report to it.
In a nutshell, what is the message to the PDP faithful in Delta State?
As the rain falls in its season, so also, the PDP will reign in its season. I pray that God gives us long life and sound health. They should remain steadfast and maintain the trust they have in us and the PDP, and we will not disappoint them. Delta State’s PDP is still strong.
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