Atiku wades in as Ihedioha, Anyanwu split Imo PDP over ticket
Tamarauemi Ebimini
The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has mandated the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to wade into the ongoing crisis in the PDP Imo chapter.
A former Imo Governor, Emeka Ihedioha and the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, are at war over who controls the party structure in the state.
Ihedioha and Anyanwu are battling for the Imo PDP governorship ticket ahead of the off-season poll coming up in November 2023.
While Ihedioha is one of the strong pillars in the Atiku camp, Anyanwu is loyal to the camp of the Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike.
Atiku and Wike have, in the past few months, been in a protracted war of attrition over the latter’s call for the resignation of the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
The PDP leadership failed to resolve the rift between the two Imo politicians as a meeting with stakeholders in the two camps ended in a deadlock.
Ayu, who chaired the reconciliation meeting at the PDP national secretariat, could not prevail on the two factions to embrace peace. This has forced him to seek the intervention of Atiku and his running mate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.
A statement after the meeting and signed by Ayu’s Media Adviser, Simon Imobo-Tsam, said the clash of the two Imo politicians has affected the smooth running of the Imo PDP chapter.