There are indications at the weekend that the political whirlwind may yet carry the Abia State governor, Theodore Orji into the waiting arms of the Peoples Democratic Party as national leaders of the party yesterday stormed the state to woo the governor back to the party he left in 2007, describing him as their missing rib.


Mr Orji, who won the state's governorship election on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), left the party for the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) recently following a public falling out with his predecessor in office and frontline leader of the PPA, Orji Uzor Kalu.

Incidentally, Mr Kalu has himself been negotiating a return to the PDP amidst opposition from party's leaders in the state. The high powered delegation to woo Mr Orji, led by the PDP national chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo said they were in the state in search of their ‘missing rib' in the same way a man who wants to marry does. The team also said Mr Orji ranks among the best of the former members of the party they want back because of their pedigree. Mr Nwodo said he is bent on restoring it to the original concepts of the founding fathers and to re -enact the covenant it had with the people to form a government where all Nigerians would have a sense of belonging, good education, free health and food.

"We have enough in this country to go round. These are the things we want to internalize before we go into elections in 2011," he said. He said the party's leadership was looking for people like Mr Orji because the party was set to remove things that made its candidates win elections without winning the heart of the people.

"To do so, we must remove everything that would prevent people from associating with us," he said.

Unpopular actions

Mr Nwodo listed some previous actions of the party which made it unpopular: "writing results that were not a true reflection of the votes cast for us and imposing leadership on Nigerians within our party and at the national elections. But now we want your votes and earn your confidence. We are making a promise and we will not disappoint you," he said. The PDP chairman, who said the party has removed all obstacles that would prevent people from joining it or flying its flag at elections, said it was ready to present to Nigerians its first eleven to win elections in the country "We are revolutionalizing our party," he said. "There was intrinsic value that we put into our constitution and manifesto. We have intrinsic meaning in our flag and an umbrella that is large enough to accommodate Nigerians. It is these meanings we are looking for to put our party in the front burner." He said the party needs Mr Orji to return to its ranks because the PDP leadership have watched Mr Orji as governor of Abia state and because it is poised to unite the eastern part of Nigeria. "When that unity is achieved, the area would not be left outside when decision are being taken at the national level," he said. Mr Nwodo, who said the party leaders were not in the state to talk to the governor alone, but to the Abia electorate, said the party has removed every obstacles that would prevent people from re-entering the party,

including the clause that puts a time limit of two years before one was allowed to contest for elective positions.


Beautiful bride

Mr Orji, who said he was glad that he is now a beautiful bride, added that the visit of the PDP chieftains was a way of cleaning his face which his former party, the PPA tried to rubbish. The governor said he would have to conduct wide consultations before giving them an answer, just as he did before leaving the PPA. He reminded the PDP leaders that he already has a ticket to contest for the 2011 elections. The PDP team included the Ebonyi State governor, Martin Elechi; Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Sunday Onyebuchi; Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; and senators from the state; Nkechi Nworgi, Uche Chukwuwerije and Osta Izunaso. Others were former national PDP Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor; Nze Ozichukwu Chukwu; Chukwunenye Ike, Nkeiru Onyejiocha and Ojo Maduekwe.

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