As Peter Obi's relevance dwindles, AC & ANPP agree to collapse into PPA to fight Obi & the Ubas

Source: http://www.ukpakareports.com

“Governor Peter Obi is fighting the battle of his career with politically motivated crime/insecurity and wining, in spite of the distraction by enemies of progress with baseless allegations, e.g. N250million”, explained the commissioner for economics and planning who formerly served as the commissioner for information and culture, Prof. Chinyere Okunna while talking to Ukpakareports.com on the troubles mounted before the governor of Anambra State. This is as Governor Peter Obi's latest troubles have truncated his chances for a possible ticket under the party banner of the Peoples Progressive Alliance [PPA]. It is recalled that the Chairman of Board of Trustees of PPA in the person of Chief Orji Uzor Kalu had extended a public invitation to Governor Peter Obi to come over to join the PPA - that the ticket for gubernatorial run for Anambra 2010 was there for the wanting, if he [Obi] intends to return to the government house.

However, with the Governor of Anambra State battling for political survival in shark infected waters, the fast dwindling public trust over what was once a solid integrity in turn has led political blocks who once saw a beautiful bribe in the Governor to distance themselves from the embattled governor. This is as the Chairman of the South East of the Peoples Progressive Alliance [PPA] in the person of Chief Austin Ndigwe revealed to Ukpakareports.com that Governor Peter Obi has become a “political leper” and thus would not be of political value to the party as earlier thought by the party leaders. And it was against this background that the lone member of the Anambra House of Assembly who is of the All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA] in the person of Emma Iloegbunam decamped from APGA for the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] – citing that ''Governor Peter Obi is the greatest deceiver he has ever met.''

Worsening matters for the Governor is the situation in his party which remains shaky and uncertain. As many of the keen observers are aware, Governor Peter Obi is faced with a multi-faced quagmire that threatens to swallow his political career in one swoop. Wherein one face of the threat presents itself from outside of Peter Obi's faction of APGA, the other face of the threat presents itself from within Peter Obi's APGA. Chief Chekwas Okorie, from one end, threatens uprooting the party's structure from beneath Peter Obi and his National Chairman Victor Umeh of which judging from all the indications, the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] and law courts appear favorably leaning towards Chekwas Okorie as the recognized Chairman of the party, while Emeka Etiaba from the other end appears mounting an unexpected but surprisingly potent challenge against Peter Obi from within the party. Emeka Etiaba, the second son of Peter Obi's deputy is contesting for the office of governor. For this reason, Peter Obi finds his political candle burning from both ends.

Peter Obi's diminishing political currency within APGA of which has been exacerbated by PPA's withdrawal of its offer has in effect served other political aspirants a life line opportunity. The said aspirants have thus begun to eye the PPA as the beautiful bribe to be wooed.

Of the many political aspirants currently enjoying the opening created by Governor Peter Obi woes and has begun wooing the PPA behind the scene is the former Governor of Anambra in the person of Dr. Chris Ngige. Unconfirmed information available to Ukpakareports.com indicates that discussions have begun between Chief Orji Uzor Kalu and Dr. Chris Ngige. Both Ngige and Kalu who met in Maryland area on the June 2009, is said to have tentatively concluded plans on Ngige's entry into the party. While the details of the exchange between the two political giants remain unknown, close aides to Orji Uzor Kalu told Ukpakareports.com that the two big wigs have discussed possible decamping of Ngige to PPA from Action Congress [AC]. The talk according to the aide was heightened following the re-run election in Ekiti State where the AC lost an election to the PDP it believed it should have won. The election which saw the re-election of Engr. Segun Oni, according to a source close to Ngige, shock up the AC into wondering whether Anambra State would be another Ekiti in the making. According to the source, the battle for Ekiti State by the AC was supposed to set the stage for what will happen in Anambra. AC's failure to win in Ekiti is thus feared to repeat itself in Anambra, particularly noting the not-too-kosher relationship between the ruling party [PDP] and AC. Be that as it may, AC members in Anambra have denied knowledge of Ngige's pending defection to PPA. One of the members who contested for the Federal Representatives in Nnewi constituency told Ukpakareports.com that he has no knowledge of Ngige's plan to join PPA. Another member who ran for the Federal House of Representative for the Orumba North and Orumba South constituency also added that if Ngige is to join PPA, he will be the first to know. He indicated that Ngige has not made any moves towards joining the party.

A noxious dimension to the unfolding theatrics is the internal tussles within the PDP. As widely speculated by informed commentators, the tussle is expected to certainly alter the political equation in Anambra 2010 gubernatorial race. This is as impeccable sources within the Ngige team have disclosed to Ukpakareports.com of the clandestine moves by members of Anambra PDP towards Ngige - asking for Ngige to remain in AC. Personalities such as Nicholas Ukachukwu, formerly of the ANPP, Senator Annie Okonkwo, presently of the PDP, Arthur Eze, Ifeanyi Uba and others have thrown their weight behind Dr. Chris Ngige for the reason that Chief Chris Uba now controls the PDP state structure. Chief Chris Uba and mentioned personalities are reportedly at daggers drawn and could never co-exist in the same party. For this reason, Nicholas Ukachukwu and company have devised a plan to put away their differences so as to gang up and fight the PDP and its leader, Chief Chris Uba. To this effect, according to our impeccable source, the PDP stalwarts reached an agreement to invest heavily towards Ngige's eventual emergence - in the hopes that Ngige will represent the central candidate for the planned mega party currently in the offing. The mega party is said to comprise of all the political parties except the PDP and APGA. The PPA is said to be the party that other political parties will collapse into to forge the united face against the PDP.

Apart from the internal troubles threatening to cripple the PDP via an invisible divide, Chief Chris Uba faces other family induced peripheral troubles too hard to ignore. Ukpakareports.com has learnt that the riff between Chris Uba and Nnamdi 'Andy' Uba which developed following the gubernatorial campaign of 2010 in Anambra. As gathered, the riff remains an open and painful wound for Chris Uba and particularly his wife. Chris Uba's wife is said to be unforgiving. As our source indicates, the manner Nnamdi 'Andy' Uba launched his gubernatorial campaign in 2007 without involving Chris Uba who had the controls over the grassroots in Anambra angered Chris Uba. Chris Uba who largely makes his living from being the political bigwig and/or godfather in Anambra State lost out as Nnamdi 'Andy' Uba swoop into the Anambra politics to pulled the rug from underneath his brother, Chris Uba. Our source cited however that Nnamdi 'Andy' Uba sidelined his brother because he did not want to publicly and/or politically involve himself with him [Chris Uba] especially following the unpopular antics associated to him during the Ngige administration. Nonetheless, our source indicates that the two brothers have since made peace and have forgiven each other. In the peace meeting which took place in Abuja in August 2008, Nnamdi 'Andy' Uba was told to leave the grassroots control of Anambra PDP to his brother Chris Uba since he is more of a street person while Nnamdi Uba will continue to sit at the controls at the national level. As gathered, Nnamdi 'Andy' Uba agreed to withdraw from the grassroots in return for Chris Uba's guaranteed cooperation.

With the recent Supreme Court dismissal of Nnamdi 'Andy' Uba's case, it is uncertain what the extent and/or the implications of Chris Uba cooperation would be or mean. But feelers in Anambra have it that Chris Uba has agreed to facilitate for Nnamdi 'Andy' Uba to get the PDP ticket. This is amidst the coming out party of the former central bank governor, Prof. Charles Soludo who many suspects is angling for the PDP gubernatorial ticket.

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