NO VACANCY IN ASO ROCK BECAUSE JONATHAN IS DOING WELL - OBANAGHA, EX PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANT

Former PDP presidential aspirant, Rev. (DR) Emma Obianagha said the exit of Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo as chairman of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) has again sent the party often referred to as the largest political body in Africa to the political market to shop for a new helmsman.

He wondered whom the Wadaza Plaza cap would fit. 'Already, eminent personalities in the party such as former senate president, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, former governor of Ebony State, Chief Sam Egwu, current vice chairman of the party in the South-East, Chief Olisa Metu and others have indicated their interest to wear the cap.' In an interview, Obianagha also spoke on President Goodluck Jonathan and the 2011 General Election.

In 2007 you aspired to be president of Nigeria under PDP, why couldn't you try your luck again this year like Buhari, Harry Akande, Okotie and Tofa?

Politics involves calculations, if you look at the scene and the atmosphere you use your number six to calculate whether it will favour you or not. I think this is the way good politicians should do it. In 2007, I calculated that President Olusegun Obasanjo was bound to leave office. That the PDP was going to zone the presidency to my region, the South East. This was the reason for my decision to seek the PDP presidential ticket in 2007, but it didn't work out for me as Obasanjo opted for a Northern president. Efforts made by Ohaneze Ndigbo and myself to convince the PDP to give the presidential ticket to an Igboman hit a brick wall. I didn't seek for presidency this time because there is no vacancy in Aso Rock. Jonathan is there and he is doing well to the satisfaction of Nigerians and the international community.

In 12 years five people have chaired the PDP. The latest is Dr. Nwodo who spent seven months. Does it mean that the party is difficult to chair?

I don't agree with you that the party is difficult to chair. The problem is that from Solomon Lar, Jemade, Ogbe, Ogbulafor down to Nwodo, they were all making the same mistake. If you have been following my comments, you will find out that anytime the PDP sacks its National chairman; I use to blame the chairman for one genuine reason or another. Let me use Ogbulafor and Nwodo for example. The duo failed because they did not consult, seek nor accept advice. They were lone rangers. There is no leader that can thrive without borrowing ideas and knowledge from somewhere. President Goodluck Jonathan is thriving because he accepts advice. Shortly after he was sworn in he set up Advisory Council headed by a veteran soldier, Theophilus Damjuma, a retired Army General. In leadership, such is fundamental, it can't be over-emphasized.

So are you blaming the problems the party
has on its past chairmen?
Yes, of course. They failed to respectively correct the mistakes of their predecessors so as to revive the party. What makes a good leader is his ability to amend the errors he inherited. Those who have led PDP as chairmen failed to deal with the problems they inherited and what they inherited consumed them. In Igboland we use to say that, if a son is not wise enough to kill what killed his father, he is bound to be a victim of what killed his father. What I'm saying is that PDP at this moment needs a revivalist who can solve the problems of the party in Anambra, Enugu, Oyo, Ogun and so on. We are tired of litigations; we are tired of factions, tired of changing chairmen. We need somebody who will come and correct the mistakes of the past. President Jonathan is doing well because he is correcting the mistakes he inherited. That is what is expected from a good leader.

Some people are saying that the PDP has failed the nation and going by the endless crises in the party, there is need to vote the party out of power in April 2011

That is not true. PDP has not failed the nation. Look at the nation since 1999 when the party came into power, it has ensured that the nation moved forward by appointing credible people into service in various sectors. The likes of Akunyili, Soludo, Ribadu, Okonjo Iwuala, Sanusi and others were products of the PDP government. This is one. Two, the PDP has provided the nation with quality legislature and judiciary. The judiciary under the PDP has enjoyed freedom more than ever in the history of this country and we can't over emphasize that. Have you forgotten the legislative prowess of Ken Nnamani, Umar N'Abba, Aminu Bello Masari, Ben Obi, Chukwumerije, Farouk Lawan and that of the current leadership of the National Assembly under Mark and Bankole? On the issue of endless crisis in the party, I don't think that there is any party that doesn't have problems. I'm happy that Mr. President is not indifferent to the squabbles in the party. If you listened to his comment on the resignation of Nwodo, he said that there were lots of litigations surrounding Nwodo and such is capable at distracting the party ahead of the 2011 polls.