With the outcomes of the 2023 general elections and court pronouncements that further divide political interests in the Southeast region, realignment of political forces, defections and bickering among party members will further define the chaotic politics of the zone this season, LAWRENCE NJOKU reports.

The expected bickering, realignments and defections, which are aimed at boosting political interests may further decapitate the political parties or impact them going by the current undertones building up daily in the Southeast region.

The five states that makeup the region are currently entrapped by four political parties including the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party (LP).

Currently, APC leads in the zone with two states of Ebonyi and Imo, while the trio of PDP, APGA and LP holds sway in Enugu, Anambra and Abia states, respectively.

The expected bickering, realignments, and defections, which are aimed at boosting political interests may further decapitate the political parties or impact them going by the current undertones building up daily in the region.

Investigations by The Guardian showed upbeats in various political parties. While APC is perfecting strategies to consolidate its lead, as well as deepen its acceptability in the region, other political parties seem uncertain of the direction to take to retain their hold in their states. This is even as they are being weakened by the day by court pronouncements and presidential appointments that favour mainly APC members.

APC since inception, made the greatest impression in the region with the 2023 elections winning two states and an appreciable number of seats at the National and State Assemblies.

At a stakeholders’ meeting on November 25, last year, which was their first after the 2023 general elections, APC in Enugu State announced its excitement at the deluge of expressions of interest in the party.

State chairman of party, Ugochukwu Agballah, deputy governorship candidate, George Ogara, deputy chairman, Austin Alumona, and acting state secretary, Walter Madu, who signed the communiqué of the meeting, said many members of other political parties have shown interest in APC and called on the leaderships in the wards and local governments to be ready to receive the new members.

“APC Enugu State has been receiving indications from a good number of prominent politicians in the state to join our party. We are excited by this development and the party will unveil our new converts in a massive rally, which will be organised to welcome them into the biggest political parties in Africa.

“We call on the leadership of the party at the wards and local government levels to be ready to welcome new members, who will help in the growth of the party.”

Although the statement did not have names of the “new converts”, many are pointing in the direction of some gladiators in the PDP, who have either become uncomfortable with the party, or itching for brighter political prospects. Some of these gladiators have either occupied elective offices in the past or currently serving public offices.

It was further gathered that some of them are becoming worried about Governor Peter Mbah’s style of administration that has allegedly paid little or no attention to PDP and its members. The development is being seen as alien in the party as welfare of its members had received priority after elections previously. Mbah has not toed this line, and this is brewing silent discontent in the party.

A lawyer and former National Auditor of the PDP, Ray Nnaji, confirmed this when he complained about the governor’s relationship with the party and criticised the appointments he made that allegedly did not take cognisance of those who worked for the success of the party in the elections.

Although it is still early in the day to deconstruct the governor’s relationship with his PDP, as his body language so far suggests a man minded by governance over party politics, however, his near frequent visits to President Bola Tinubu, has continued to raise suspicion among members of the party of his possible defection.

While the governor had said after each visit to the presidency that it was to keep him updated with developments in the state and solicit federal government’s assistance on his manifesto to revamp the state’s economy, some members of the party felt otherwise, and bandied stories of a possible defection move.

These members have hinged their belief on the fact that the governor had in the last seven months visited the president more than governors produced by the APC and queried the benefits of such visits to the state, as well as members of the PDP in the state.

Watchers of political events in the state are also divided on whether the national and states Assemblies’ members produced by LP could survive the year in the party with the Supreme Court judgment that upheld the election of PDP’s Mbah against the party’s guber candidate, Chijioke Edeoga. The elected officials and followers of the party in the state had looked up to Edeoga as a rallying point and had hoped that winning in the Supreme Court would help deepen the acceptability of the party in the state.

In Imo State, the outcomes of the national and state assemblies’ elections as well as the November 2023 governorship election won by APC’s Hope Uzodimma is putting a new thinking in the members of other opposition political parties to join the winning party or wait for another four years.

The Guardian learnt that activities have reduced drastically in the camps of the opposition political parties since these exercises were concluded.

In the PDP, the crisis that led seven members of the state working committee to resign from their positions and dump the party for APC in June last year, has not abetted. Although the members that authored the move have joined the APC and rewarded with appointments, the import of the development still festered in the November 2023 governorship election of the state, which the party lost.

In December last year, the party members took the crisis further by announcing the suspension of its chairman, Chief Charles Ugwuh, over alleged insubordination – a development that was frowned at by the national leadership of the party, which also restored him (Ugwuh) to office.

Sources stated that those who supported Ugwuh’s removal from office are insisting that he either gives way or they would drown the party and quit in their number.

In Anambra State, the governorship election of next year is reawakening fresh thoughts and would certainly bring gladiators together, especially those with an eye to replace current governor, Prof. Charles Soludo or have him continue in office.

Immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige at the weekend indicated that the APC would do all in its ability to win the state next year as part of the moves to take over the southeast region.

On the other hand, the LP, which parades the 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi and majority of elected members in the national assembly from the state would be very much interested on how to consolidate their dominance in the state and would seek valid alignments to achieve this.

Last week, the member representing Awka North and South Federal Constituency, Prof. Lilian Orogbu began moves to retain her seat, which she said would be deployed to the victories of the LP in the 2025 governorship election of the state.

For Ebonyi State, the gladiators are already gathering and showing sympathy to the APC since the conclusion of the elections in which the party retained the governorship and majority of the seats at the NASS and state assembly.

This is being further fuelled by the rulings of the courts that have not altered any of the elections won by the APC in the state as well as the stability the party has achieved since Francis Nwifuru won the governorship seat of the state. He is also said to have related closely with other opposition political parties, thereby closing gaps that could have heightened disaffections in the party.

Preparatory to the Ebonyi south senatorial by-election billed for February 3, he had guided the party members towards zoning the position to Onicha local government council in the belief that it remains the only area in the south that has not occupied office of note in the current dispensation.

This was upheld and in fact, made Austin Umahi, ex-governor Dave Umahi’s (Minister of Works) younger brother, who had earlier indicated interest in the office to quit his desire. Umahi hails from Ohaozara council, which currently parades the minister, SSA to the President and INEC REC.

The senatorial rerun primary had also seen a Professor of Agricultural Extension, Prof Anthony Ani unanimously picking the ticket after his opponent failed to return her forms.

Except some gladiators still struggling from the fringes, many appear to have accepted the new order that threw up the LP in Abia State and are jostling for possible comeback on the platform of the party in the next electoral process.

Beyond the intrigues and suspicions playing out in the states, however, lies a raging crisis that might cripple the PDP further in the region if not well handled. It is the issue of the rightful occupant of the office of the National Secretary of the party between the former governorship candidate of the party in Imo State, Samuel Anyanwu and the former National Youth leader of the party, Sunday Udeokoye.

The leadership of the party in the Southeast region had met in Enugu in October last year and unanimously adopted Udeokoye to replace Anyanwu who had gone to pursue his governorship election in Imo State. The decision had been rejected by the national leadership of the party, which compelled Udeokoye to go to court.

On November 7 last year, Justice C. O. Ajah of the Enugu High Court granted an interim order compelling PDP to accept him (Udeokoye) as Anyanwu’s replacement, just as he prohibited Anyanwu from representing himself or being recognised as the National Secretary of the party until the motion was heard on November 27.

However, on November 14, last year Anyanwu returned to the office as the PDP’s National Secretary; a development now unsettling the party, especially its leadership in the southeast region as members await court judgment in the matter.