Abia 2015: Gov Orji under fire over selection panel

There is alleged dis­satisfaction among Abia State citizens as well as within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state over the setting up of a 17-man panel by Governor T. A. Orji for selection of his successor.
It was alleged that the se­lection committee was out­side the statutory political party structure, a develop­ment, according to sources, which had pitted the gov­ernor against the people of the state and his party, PDP, which had described the move as illegal and one that could throw the party into needless crisis.
Sources in the state dis­closed that the governor, who was said to be bent on hand-picking his succes­sor, secretly constituted the committee allegedly chaired by one of his kinsmen, and sacked national chairman of the PDP, to help him rubber stamped his suggested crony.
Daily Sun gathered that apparently angry party chiefs were considering petitioning the National Working Com­mittee (NWC) and the Presi­dency, on the premise that the move negated the new policy of the party to pro­vide a level playground for a primary election to be freely conducted by the party.
This was believed to be the only way to guarantee the party’s victory and avoid pro­longed post-primary intra-party crisis.  It was, however, learnt that the committee had already run into stormy wa­ters, with some of the nomi­nated members rejecting the offer to serve in the commit­tee on the basis that its goal had been pre-determined.
Those who rejected the offer to serve in the com­mittee wondered why the governor, who bemoaned the syndrome of godfathers in politics, would attempt to set himself up as a godfather using eminent personalities in the state.
“Posterity will not forgive us, if we are used to enthrone another government in the state that will not reflect the people’s choice, especially against the feeling of general despondency on the level of development in the state, even in the country,” said one of the elders in confidence.
“Cracks were said to have appeared in the committee when it became obvious that each member had his own preferred choice among the army of aspirants,” said the source.
“The fear now is a possi­ble implosion if the people of the state notice any slightest form of imposition,” another source informed.