With the 2011 elections approaching, political parties are gearing up for stiff competition and challenges. CHINELO AGINA x-rays the hurdles, the challenges confronting the Progressive Peoples Alliance(PPA)
The beginning
It is undeniable that the political atmosphere in the country is getting heated as a result of the forthcoming elections. Not a few political parties in Nigeria are gearing up in preparedness for the much-awaited 2011 general elections.
For a party like the PPA, and given the turbulence it experienced in the past, the 2011 elections may serve as a litmus test to determine its tenacity in remaining relevant especially in the politics of the South-East region of the country.
When PPA birthed, not many people gave it a chance of survival. While some critics saw it as a party that will not stand the test of time considering the highly competitive nature of the nation politics, many others saw it as a party that will represent the true interest of the people, especially the South-East region because it held great promise as an alternative structure that will fulfill the yearnings of Nigerians.
Before then, the party which had dominated the region was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But with the passage of time, many party faithfuls felt aggrieved and disenchanted with some of the ‘undemocratic’ happenings in the PDP, and this gave rise to the increase in defections of notable people from the party to other parties. This situation was one of the reasons that gave birth to the PPA, which was seen as a ‘child of circumstance’.
The founder of the party, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu reiterated this much in his leadership series where he said the PPA was formed to meet the yearnings of Nigerians. “When I chose to defect from the PDP to form the PPA, some political watchers did not see the wisdom in my action. I left the PDP, in which I was a major stakeholder, purely out of principle and to demonstrate my discontentment with the way the party was being run. Up till date, the party has not done anything to prove me wrong. It was to offer Nigerians an alternative leadership style that I formed the PPA “he stated.
No sooner had PPA emerged than it won the 2007 governorship elections in Abia and Imo States in one fell swoop. These states were formerly controlled by the PDP. It also won one seat in the Senate and three seats in the House of Representatives and observers described this as a feat considering the fact that PPA was still relatively a new party. Gradually, it was beginning to be looked upon as a strong voice for the common man and a platform on which anyone who had the drive could achieve his political ambition.
The turbulence
But despite the early success PPA recorded in the 2007 elections, events started taking a downward turn when Governor Ikedi Ohakim who was elected on the platform of the party defected to the PDP after making what he described as “wide consultations.”
Later this year, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State followed suit when he decamped to the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) and shortly after, to the PDP. He was followed by Senator Uche Chuwkumerije(representing Abia North Senatorial district) who hitherto had been a strong believer in the ideals of the PPA.
In Anambra State, former PPA gubernatorial aspirant, Uche Ekwunife (representing Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency) defected to APGA, the ruling party in the state.
With the series of defections, the general belief is that PPA is heading for the brink and may not bounce back from the turbulence that befell it.
But the former national chairman of the party and governorship aspirant in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Larry Esin, in a chat with Daily Sun remained unperturbed saying that challenges are a way of life, and that the defections have not altered the structure of the party.
“ It is true that there has been some defections in the party, but I can assure Nigerians that the structure of the party is still intact and many of our members are still active. We will be fielding candidates for political positions from the Local Government to the State levels. We are not only going to reclaim the states we have lost, but by God’s grace we are going to win new ones’’ he stated.
On how the party intends to win Akwa Ibom State in 2011, he stated that the PPA and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) have agreed to collapse their different structures and produce a consensus candidate for the elections. His words: “PPA and CPC have formed an alliance, and we agreed that we are going to collapse our structures into one to enable us present a strong candidate that will defeat the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP). That is the reason why I am contesting on the platform of the CPC and I believe we will win.”
Can the party bounce back?
Esin is undaunted about the success of the party. He believes that the party will certainly reclaim the states lost and plans are underway to achieve this. For the new chairman of the party, Mr. Sam Nkire, the victory of PPA is non-negotiable. When the Daily Sun sought to confirm the alliance between the CPC and PPA, Nkire said the alliance is a fact which stemmed from the need for the party to strengthen its structure.
“Right now, we are in alliance with the CPC to join forces and produce candidates. We have agreed that we are going to run for governorship elections in all the states. PPA will concentrate on its area of strength which is the South-East, while CPC will concentrate on its area of strength, but contrary to speculations, we are not going to present presidential aspirants. For Abia State, we all know that it is traditionally a PPA state, and I assure you that we are going to reclaim it. All that I will say is that everyone should watch out” he stated.
As if to buttress this point, former deputy governor of Abia State, Chris Akomas has declared his intention to contest the governorship position on the platform of the PPA and he is said to have the full backing of Dr. Kalu who is still a force to be reckoned with in Abia politics.
Observers believe that Kalu’s presence in Abia will be a huge factor in determining the way in which way the pendulum will swing. It is left to be seen if the feat the PPA achieved in 2007 will be repeated next year.
Source:http://www.sunnewsonline.com/
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