Imo PDP Lacks Competent Leadership And Management Capacities

OGU BUNDU NWADIKE, M.A

The above-stated subject matter refers. Mazi Emenike Nmeregini is the Acting Publicity Secretary of Imo PDP. I was his boss in my capacity as State Publicity Secretary when I was still in the umbrella party. By the way, Nmeregini is a controversial pensioner in Imo State, in his capacity as a retired principal of a school in the State, who champions perennial union fights against the Uzodimma government. His decision to fight me is therefore in his character! 

Nmeregini, recently wrote an essay, which he entitled: “Ogubundu Biting The Fingers That Fed Him”. On reading through, I noted it was an ill-advised hasty rejoinder to the essay I wrote and entitled it: “PDP Looking Set To Lose Imo Again In 2023”.

Incidentally, instead of addressing the issues raised in my aforesaid essay, which is trending on social media, Mazi went personal aiming for my down below. That’s how he came out with “Ogubundu Biting The Fingers That Fed Him” instead of “PDP Didn’t Lose In 2019 And Won’t Lose In 2023” or something like that. 

That direct attack on my person is a violation of the agreement that I won’t attack PDP and PDP won’t attack me. So far, after two months, I’ve kept the agreement, but PDP through Nmeregini has broken the agreement and hit at me personally and directly. 

Therefore, in the following paragraphs, to set the records straight, I will review my stay in PDP and how hunger and lack became my second nature. It’ll be to prove PDP wrong that it was a finger that fed me, which I turned around to bite. Happy reading! 

First, before I joined the PDP as State Publicity Secretary, I was an ordinary happy floor member. I have since 1993 always been a journalist, writer and author. It was in the course of my humble life as a pen pusher that I used my resources to write in support of the Party and Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. That was as far back as late 2014, when I returned to Imo State from Lagos, where I had lived all my childhood, adolescent, youth and adult life. 

It all began when I was engaged as Managing Editor of Horn Newspaper, the indisputable leading tabloid in Imo State. The 2015 general election was by the corners. Without application, without any permission sought and without any approvals granted, without any remuneration negotiated, I began to do pro bono public relations work for Imo PDP and Ihedioha. No kobo was given to me for all my public relations work for PDP and Ihedioha. 

My media interventions for PDP and Ihedioha went on for the entire 2015, 2016 and 2017, before Ihedioha invited me to be a part of his Media Team in his campaign organization in late 2017. No remuneration was discussed. All I wanted was for PDP and Ihedioha to supplant the then unpopular governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. So, no money was involved. No money was given to me!

From that late 2017, through the tedious electioneering consultations and campaigns of entire 2018, till the general elections in 2019; nobody paid me kobo as specific remuneration. As novelist John Grisham entitled one of his best sellers, I was “playing for pizza”!

All the while, all I got was pat’s on the back and words of appreciation and encouragement. Many that vilify me today are witnesses to my unflinching and unfettered service to PDP and Ihedioha. I never withheld anything that will advance the cause of PDP and Ihedioha. They can also attest to my going on and making do with nothing. 

Then, came the 2019 governorship election and PDP with Ihedioha won. Fortunately, as I got to learn, after much squabbles by some PDP leaders, I was reluctantly offered appointment as Special Assistant to the Governor. I later learned that the burning question among leaders of Imo PDP was “what was my electoral value”! I was shocked and surprised at such questions. For example, it’s yet to be explained why somebody like Hon. Jones Onyereri, with deep hatred and malice for my person, never wanted me to be offered appointment in the Rebuild Imo administration! He kept fighting me from a distance until I left PDP for APC. 

Yet, with all that made me Ogubundu, I gave my all to the public relations job for PDP, Ihedioha and the Rebuild Imo administration. There are living witnesses to that. I took terrible risks fighting with the Rochas administration, of which I boasted that he would never succeed in foisting his son-in-law upon Imo State and Imo people. God answered and Rochas failed. 

The records are there to prove what I got as salary or allowances for the seven and half months I was Special Assistant to the Governor. It was simply less than peanuts! But I continually fought like a guard lion for PDP, Ihedioha and the Rebuild Imo administration until the Supreme Court ousted the PDP/Ihedioha Rebuild Imo administration.

While I was still doing my usual little best, I was unsurprisingly invited by the powers that be to resume work at the State Secretariat as Acting State Publicity Secretary, following the resignation of the Hon. Damian Opara at the time. That was precisely on May 29, 2020. And l continued to do my usual little best until August 1, 2020 when I officially emerged as the State Publicity Secretary and inaugurated on August 3, 2020.

On the whole, I served as State Publicity Secretary for about 15 months. Within the period, because of the questionable excuse of PDP being in the opposition and lacked funds and funding, the majority of the members of the State Working Committee played for pizza, patiently waiting for the party to return to power. “No money” was a big song at the State Secretariat, yet we held forth. 

Meanwhile, there were incidences that proved that there was a cabal in the Party’s leadership that excluded others from the affairs of the SWC. Yet, that didn’t deter me from doing my usual little best. Few animals are more equal than the others in the current Exco of Imo PDP! It was indeed just like George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”! 

I may not know about others, but I know that I wasn’t motivated to perform in the office of State Publicity Secretary. Besides a room, a table and a seat, I hadn’t any work tool and equipment, I hadn’t staff, I hadn’t impress. I hadn’t anything. Allowances weren’t specific and seldom came. When it came, it was transport fare. That’s verifiable! 

All the while, I operated from outside Owerri, junketing steadily from Nwangele LGA to Owerri since late 2017 when I joined the Ihedioha Media Team, through the 2019 period when I was Special Assistant to the Governor, the 2020-2021 period when I was State Publicity Secretary of Imo PDP. I couldn’t afford to pay for an accommodation in Owerri. Till date, I hadn’t bicycle, Okada, Keke or car! No money! 

There are a lot of shortcomings of the leadership of Imo PDP that I feel shouldn’t be made public here, except circumstances necessitate my opening up about them. The essay: “Why PDP Looks Set To Lose Imo Again In 2023” was a poke at some of the inadequacies and insincerity associated with the current leadership of the Party.

It may be necessary to mention here that expectedly, foot soldiers from the Government of Imo State led by the Executive Governor, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, had been stalking me, toasting me with juicy promises and making irresistible overtures. And from time to time I openly hinted about it at the State Secretariat.

When the SWC became segmented into a cabal and others, with the pressure mounting from the ruling party for me to join them, I gave it a final thought and all is now history. I’m happily in APC.

In my letter of resignation, I, inter alia, pointed it out that I left on personal reasons as I had no qualms with the Party. The letter is there and can be made reference to. I was told that because of that public declaration of mine in which I stated that there were no quarrels between me and the Party, nobody should attack me, just as I agreed not to attack the party.

But with each passing day, PDP media aides hit me left, right and center with abuses, insults and curses for my personal decision to leave PDP to APC. I called the State Secretary’s attention to the attacks on my person, and he assured me it would stop. But rather than stop, the abuses, insults and curses got worse! Then, I hadn’t any option than to hit back in self-defence.

Yet, my strategy for hitting back is to open the eyes of the Party to what isn’t going right in the Party, of which a couple of notable PDP leaders called to commend my insights and illuminations on the problems with Imo PDP.

Unfortunately, obviously without official clearance to bomb me, Nmeregini released his missiles to which I owe this rejoinder. All the abuses, insults and curses by Imo PDP through their Acting State Publicity Secretary are noted and will be responded to at an appointed time soon. 

From the foregoing testimony, it can be easily established that there is nothing like Ogubundu biting the fingers that fed him! How? When? Where? Am a professional with the nine lives of a native cat. I survive by and by to the amazement of the poor managers and administrators of Imo PDP. I wish them what they wish themselves! 

To a large extent, I quit PDP almost as lean as I entered it. Who fed me? How? When? Where? For example, I didn’t own a car when I joined Ihedioha Media Team. I couldn’t afford a car as Special Assistant to the Governor. The pay was transport fare. And on the day I left PDP, I still didn’t have a car. And Nmeregini talks about “Ogubundu biting the fingers that fed him”? How? 

That’s an unresearched confessional that conveyed lies, falsehood, and blackmail against my person. However, I’ll reiterate my resolve not to attack the party or its leaders except am forced to. Till now I haven’t attacked Imo PDP or its leaders. I’ll keep it so as much as possible. 

What I can’t promise, however, is to keep mute on every issue concerning PDP. After all, when I was in PDP, I took very seriously my checkmating of APC and Governor Uzodimma. 

Let me leave it at that now, but not without challenging Nmeregini or anybody for that matter to prove how I bit the imaginary fingers that fed me with God knows what! Till soon again, I thank you for reading! 

By God’s grace, Imo State must be rehabilitated, reconstructed and recovered!!