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Jerry Awa, a prominent figure within the People’s Democratic Party and previously serving as Deputy Chairman of Ikwuano Local Government Council Area in Abia State, has criticized the state’s leadership for the disappointing results of the party in the recently concluded 2023 elections conducted by the national electoral commission.
He asserted that the party’s leadership selected an unappealing candidate who lacked the ability to secure success for the PDP in the recent statewide elections held last year in Abia.
During an interview on Thursday in Umuahia, Awa expressed remorse over the party leadership’s decision to abandon the zoning agreements advocated by Abia’s founding fathers and the party, all to appease the excessive aspirations of a single individual.
He claimed that this single action led to the PDP losing a significant number of its members and supporters to other parties prior to the main elections held in the state.
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He said, ‘It’s quite unfortunate that at this moment, the so-called leaders could not close ranks, and they are still fighting themselves. The people the PDP leadership gave her tickets are not the right people. They don’t have the capacity, muscle, and grassroots base to win an election for PDP. A lot of mistakes were made by the party. Many stakeholders were against each other.
‘And also, the zoning system did not go the way it was supposed to. The PDP governorship ticket is supposed to go to Abia North because Abia Central and Abia South have taken their shot for eight years each. The former governor, Okezie Ikpeazu insisted power shift to ngwa extraction in Abia’s central senatorial zone.
‘Nobody should blame Otti or blame anyone that the labour party and Otti won the Abia gubernatorial seat poll. If Mr A did not win, Mr B would win. The major thing is to support any government that is moving, not to criticise them’, Mr Awa added.
The ex-head of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA, further characterized the recent wave of defections among former party contenders and their backers as a blatant display of disloyalty.
Expressing dismay over the ongoing conflicts of interests within the party in Abia, Awa implored key stakeholders to refrain from petty disputes and instead devise a comprehensive framework ensuring equitable representation for all factions.
He said, ‘The leadership should do the needful and forget this rancour, bickering and indoor meetings. The leadership should come up with a template and platforms where every member of the party will be involved and benefit. Politics is not about one person, it’s about service to the people’.
