New ministerial slot: Anambra PDP alleges marginalization

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

As President Goodluck Goodluck Jonathan searches for a replacement for the Anambra State ministerial slot, stakeholders of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) has said the party is being marginalized over the choice of a new nominee.

Rather than allow the party leadership to screen and nominate a suitable replacement, the state PDP accused the state governor, Peter Obi, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) of doing everything possible to influence the choice of the next ministerial nominee from the state.

President Jonathan recently dropped four ministers from his cabinet. One of them was the Honourable Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah from Anambra State. Others included, Caleb Olubolade, Police Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, Niger Delta Affairs and Alhaji Ngama, Minister of State, Finance.

In a statement issued by the Anambra PDP Elders Council (an association of founding members of the party in the state), the council alleged that in the past eight years, APGA cornered to itself all federal appointments due to Anambra state since Peter Obi became governor.

A member of the Council, Chief Ejiofor Maduako gave two instances of Mrs. Bianca Onoh-Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain and Dr Mrs Joy Emodi immediate past Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters and elder sister to Gov. Obi both of whom are APGA members.

He also alleged that Obi is presently lobbying President Jonathan to be made a Minister once he steps down from his present office on March 17, 2014 or be allowed to nominate a proxy to occupy the position.

He also said that nominations for the past three Ministers from the state were made outside the state PDP stressing that that accounted for why the ministers did not show much interest in the affairs of state PDP chapter.

“We have it on good note that Gov. Peter Obi has nominated himself as the next minister from Anambra state. Remember that the National Assembly is presently on vacation and would not reconvene until March 21 when the President would forward names of ministerial nominees to Senate for confirmation.

Coincidently, by that time Obi would have stepped down as governor and would be available for any other political assignment, having succeeded in handing over to his crony.

“But why should everything in Anambra be taken over by Peter Obi? All nominations from the state in the last 8 years have been made by him from APGA members with no input from the state PDP. That is not what obtained in other states. This time around, we the PDP members in Anambra state want to have a say in who becomes the next minister from Anambra”.