PDP risks losing Abia, Group tells Jonathan, Mu’azu

A group, known as the Abia Professionals Forum, has warned that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP risks losing Abia State to the opposition in 2015 except concrete steps are taken by the leadership of theparty at the state and national levels to pacify aspirants who are disgruntled with the recent governorship primary of the party.The group, made up of people who are also leading members of the Abia State chapter of PDP, said thisin reaction to recent appeal by President Goodluck Jonathan and National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, to aspirants who are dissatisfied with the result of the recent primaries of PDP not to defect to opposition parties.While noting that many PDP members had indeed defected to other parties while others are on the verge of doing so, the group, in a statement signed by Mr.Sam Onukwe, its President, on Sunday, advised leaders of PDP to go beyond “mere appeal” if the party is not to suffer for the mismanagement of its primaries in the February 2015 general elections.The group noted that some of the aspirants who are now being paraded as candidates of the party in the state are not only unpopular among the electorates, while there also seem to be total loss of confidence in the leadership of the ruling party.The statement said, “We particularly note the situation in Abia State where there seem to be total loss ofconfidence in the leadership of the ruling party and particularly, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the governorship candidate of PDP.“We wonder how a candidate who is so unpopular will go round the State to canvass for votes. It is our fear that unless urgent action is taken by the leadership of PDP at the state and the national level, the electorates may be forced to speak with their voters’ card during the election, a situation which may turned out to be very unpalatable for the PDP.”The group noted that PDP is especially in a dire situation given the calibre of candidates that have emerged on the platform of key opposition parties in the State.The group also noted that Abia electorates had in 2007 voted for the incumbent Governor, Mr. TheodoreOrji, on the platform of Progressive Peoples’ Party, as a result of similar messy situation PDP was then.According to the group “There is no doubt that Abia PDP and its gubernatorial candidate will need all the help they can get in the next few weeks if they are to survive the blitzkrieg expected from the opposition in the state in the next few weeks.