The battle for Abia Government House intensified yesterday as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Dr. Kelechi Anosike, issued a quit notice on Governor Alex Otti, stating that his party had started a movement to reclaim the state in the 2027 election.
Anosike, who spoke at the inauguration of the management team of his Campaign Council in Umuahia, also moved to tackle one of the biggest issues that could dog the PDP throughout the campaign – its 24 unbroken years in power before Otti and the Labor Party swept it out of Government House in 2023.
Instead of running away from the party’s past, the governorship candidate attempted to turn the issue on his opponents, saying many of the political actors blamed for the PDP’s years in government had since migrated to Labor Party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties.
“When they tell you PDP killed Abia for 24 years, tell them those actors are no more in PDP. “They are in Labor, APC, ADC, NDC”, Anosike said.
“This is a new PDP. Same party, different attitude, different focus, different direction,” he added.
His declaration has raised what is likely to become one of the major faultlines of the Abia governorship contest: whether the PDP can convince voters that it has sufficiently reinvented itself four years after its rejection at the polls and whether Otti can persuade the electorate that his administration has delivered enough change to deserve another mandate.
The inauguration was not only about putting a campaign organization in place but the formal commencement of a movement to take power from the Otti administration, Anosike said.
“To me, we have started a journey. And the journey is to take back the soul and future of our state. He declared a “crusade to wipe out the lies and swindles in our state.”
“It’s not just the launching of the campaign council. It’s more like starting a movement. A movement that believes in ‘Abia First, People Always.’”
Anosike said the coming contest will be fought on ideas and not insults and personal attacks, despite the harsh attack on the government. His campaign would challenge the incumbent administration on bread and butter issues including hunger, unemployment, industrialization and opportunities for young people, he said.
We are not giving them the normal campaign promises and rhetoric. “We are going into specifics, that if before now, you no dey get food to eat, when Anosike come, you get more than enough to eat.
“We don’t have opportunities for our youth, when Anosike comes, opportunities will be everyplace, because we will create at least three industries in a year. It can be done.”
He challenged members of the campaign council to take what he called, the party’s message of welfarism to “every local government, every village, every community and every ward”.
In a further escalation of the attack on Otti’s government, Empire Kanu, former Nigerian Ambassador to Argentina and Chairman of the campaign council, said the Labor Party is only a temporary occupant of Abia Government House.
“PDP is not a new party. Abia PDP and PDP Abia State. “Labour is just holding the position temporarily,” said Kanu.
“We knew what happened in 2023 and that error is never going to happen again. This young man Dr. Anosike is a very serious candidate. “Very, very ready,” he said.
Kanu said the Otti administration and the ruling party are on “very, very shaky ground” and stated that the PDP’s grassroots structure will be crucial in the election.
“I don’t see how you can run without a strong party structure,” he said.
Hence, he pointed out the wards as the battle ground and tasked the campaign officials to deliver their areas.
“You know where we usually get our votes from? It’s at the level of the ward. So that is where we are to work. When you deliver in the ward, we have won. You have been appointed to ensure the delivery of all the wards in this state to PDP. We don’t want any excuses at all. “By His grace we are heading to Government House.
The PDP also admitted that its own failures played a role in its loss of power in 2023. Chief Obinna Nwachukwu, Director-General of the Campaign Council, said the party would learn from the mistakes of the last election and would approach the 2027 contest differently.
We know why we lost the election because we were not intentional in the last election. “This time we are going to be intentional, and committed,” said Nwachukwu.
He made no bones about the party’s determination to regain power, saying its members were suffering from a “hunger for power” after three years outside Government House.
PDP people have been eating and in the last three years we are all hungry. hunger for power, not hunger for food. “We want to go back to power,” he said.
Test us. If this is the same Abia State of old, you will be shocked.”
The emerging battle thus provides contrasting records for both sides to defend. Anosike must convince voters that the PDP seeking power in 2027 is not the same PDP that ruled Abia for 24 years. Otti will go to the electorate as an incumbent who has to defend his record after spending four years in office.
The Campaign Council Management Team has Kanu as the Chairman, Nwachukwu as the Director-General and Ukpai Ukairo as the Secretary.
The inauguration which took place at the Anosike Campaign Office on Aba Road, Umuahia, was also attended by Abia PDP chairman and deputy governorship candidate, Elder Amah who presented PDP flags to the team members.
