Elder Emma Ogidi is the Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-South Zone. On Tuesday, the PDP’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagun, announced that Ogidi would oversee the party in Delta State.
This came after Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, the state governor, and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, his predecessor, defected on Monday, shattering the state’s party system and declaring support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following Governor Oborevwori and Okowa’s shocker, Ogidi, a former Delta PDP chairman, was tasked with assessing what remained, speaking to the members, boosting their confidence, and seeking trustworthy candidates to join the caretaker committee.
The heavily built political figure and businessman arrived in Asaba, the state capital, on Wednesday, 24 hours later.
He told Saturday Vanguard that his task was to evaluate and identify the party members who chose not to participate in the mass defection and search for new leaders.
The former commissioner who served as Delta State’s representative on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board stated that he was eager to work with others to create a stronger and better PDP.
Excerpts
With Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former Governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa gone, does Delta State still have a PDP?
Yes, PDP still exists in Delta State; yes, our number has been depleted, no doubt about that, but as for the existence of the party, yes, it exists in the state.
You are to reorganize and revive PDP in Delta State; how do you plan to handle it?
When the news went out that I had been given the assignment, I received many phone calls from people who said they were not going anywhere. There is still this enthusiasm in PDP. You know why? In all these years, the development you see in Delta State is PDP-driven, so the PDP has been successful.
People ask what is happening; the truth is that we are all from different backgrounds, so those who joined the APC have their reasons for that. But those of us who remained have our reasons for remaining behind.
One reason is that PDP has been successful in Delta State. PDP brought all the development you can see today in Delta State.
Most of those hundrednaires, thousandsaires, and millionaires you see today were all made by the PDP, so, for that reason, some of us are still committed to giving back to Delta State.
PDP should be grateful to Deltans because they supported us. This is my strong view, and I plead with Deltans to see that there is still hope for the PDP in Delta State.
Are you saying that not all the PDP members joined Governor Oborevwori and Okowa in defecting to the APC?
How can? Not all; you can see some of us standing. I am not standing alone; there are numerous out there, and we will take them. In no distant time, we will address the press formally, but let me thank Vanguard for being the first to ask me this question.
Delta State is a PDP state. You would recall that a former governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, went to the APC; he came back, and I know what he said. He said he had been there, and there was nothing there. You see, the truth is that this is not a period to start responding to everything. It is a period of taking stock.
Those of us who are left in PDP are taking stock. Of course, you know this is a chapter, and we will report to Abuja, our national headquarters.
Which political bigwigs can you boast of remaining in the PDP?
I am more of a headhunter now, so the moment I start mentioning names, they will think they are automatic caretaker committee members. I do not want to do that, but if you ask me this question in a month, I will confidently tell you.
I do not want to cause them any trouble right now because the individuals in question will comprise the first eleven members of the caretaker committee, which will steer the state’s process.
Part of the reasons the governor and Okowa gave for defecting was that the PDP was riddled with crisis at the center. Is it that your party can no longer hold itself?
There is no family without problems, but the ability to resolve problems makes it a great family. PDP is still a brand. I am touched by the number of calls I get despite the issues. I know people are anxious to link up with the national PDP. Yes, compare us with 16 years at the national level.
PDP is still the biggest opposition in the country, and our antagonists are active in destroying us. The problem at the national level is glaring, but we are making strong efforts to fix it.
After all, elections are still far away, but I tell you that within less than three months, you will see what we have done in PDP. We would have fixed most of the problems.
A senior PDP leader said there would be an implosion in the APC the PDP defectors went into; do you share his opinion?
Yes, of course, there would be an implosion there. The APC is a shark-infested river. I can tell you that for free. I can tell you that the PDP people who left are survivalists.
Check them; all the successful people there try to maintain their integrity, but when they go deeper, they will still be infected, so I believe they will come back, and of course, we are always ready.
We can see that the PDP is on the verge of losing more governors. If you look at the body language of the governor, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, it is clear he wants to board another airplane; doesn’t that worry the party?
It is very worrisome; we are worried, but let me tell you, there was a time PDP had about 27-29 governors, and we lost. So, the increase in APC doesn’t mean they will win the election.
If you want to know, the ordinary man has the answer. Except that they did not vote or their votes were not allowed to count, the APC would not win the next elections.
The ordinary man is suffering; you can’t play politics with hunger. When you are hungry, you are hungry; when there is insecurity, there is insecurity; you cannot politicize that. Which is why I said I cannot go there.
I can’t even see their template for dealing with hunger. If you look at it this way, do you mean the APC will deal with hunger in a few months?
I don’t like comparing myself with others, but I am patient. The Bible says we should be patient; if you want to survive this life, you should be patient, so I know they will return soon. I have that belief.
Top politicians in the country plan to form a coalition. What is the true position of the PDP on this?
We are busy right now putting the house together. Our walls are cracking, and we want to renovate the house. You have to go wherever you want to go with a strong foundation. When you go with a shaky foundation, you lose in the negotiations.
So, at the NEC meeting next month, we will take a position on the coalition and how we go about it. It will come up, and whatever decision we take will be binding. Individuals are now going their separate ways, but as a party, we have not made that choice.
Even Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate, is reportedly planning to quit the PDP, according to former governor Okowa. How does that affect your party?
Let us look at it this way: when a woman wants to leave the house, she will look for every reason to leave. And once they have made up their minds, you cannot stop them. They don’t know it is their friend who is making them leave. They realized that another person had come to take over their seats only when they had left.
It is worrisome that the beneficiaries are leaving. I will be very worried if Atiku Abubakar leaves because he mentored many of us. I should be worried, but one thing I know and have at the back of my mind is that PDP will not die. I strongly believe it.
Human beings make up the party, and sometimes, as they leave, others will come.
What is your word to the PDP stakeholders in Delta State who refused to join the exodus to APC, as the man mandated to rekindle the party?
First, I thank God for them. I will also tell them that they are men and women of integrity. God bless them.
What should they expect from you in one month?
In the next month, they will know I am a true servant here to bring everybody back together to have a stronger and better PDP.
Some of us think that Governor Oborevwori and Okowa wouldn’t have left the PDP without at least whispering to you. Were you unaware of the planned exit all these months, or did you know only when they exited?
I was in the meeting on Wednesday; first, the caucus, and second, the general meeting. Then, I made up my mind that I wanted to remain in PDP.
Ex-governor Chief James Ibori remains a founding leader of the PDP in Delta State. He has not resigned from the PDP, but his body language smells of APC. So, will you reach out to him?
Every party in the state would want to reach him; I will contact him.