Except a last minute change of mind occure, the governor of Imo state of Nigeria, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim will formally declare publicly his membership of Nigeria's ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in less than an hour from now. This declaration is the result of discussions between the governor and the national caucus of the PDP. Dr. Ohakim, a former member of the party, decamped to the Progressive Peoples Alliance(PPA), which gave him the platform to contest and win the 2007 gubernatorial election in Imo state. The declaration, chidi opara reports gathered authoritatively would be made at the opening ceremony of the new PDP secretariate along Okigwe road in Owerri by the Nigerian President, Mr. Umaru Yar'Adua.
chidi opara reports' network members in Owerri report that the Imo state capital city is agog with expectation of the Ohakim declaration, which is the main reason for the President's visit. An Imo state government house insider informed one of our network members yesterday at the premises of the Imo state owned Concorde Hotel Owerri that; "the main reason for Mr. President's visit is to personally welcome our governor back to PDP".
Our investigation revealed that although majority of PDP members in the state are happy with this turn of event, some powerful cabals within the party feel threatened by the governor's imminient comeback. chidi opara reports can confirm that there is disquiet in the camp of Mr. Ifeanyi Ararume, the PDP governorship candidate in the 2007 gubernatorial election in the state and in the camps of other potential governorship aspirants. This disquiet we learnt is due to apprehension that the governor may use the advantage of incumbency to get the party's ticket for the 2011 governorship election. Mr. Araraume who recently joined forces with former governor Achike Udenwa's formidable grassroots political platform known as "onongaono", hopes to use that platform to clinch the PDP governorship ticket come 2011. Governor Ohakim is reported to be keeping his next political move very close to his chest.
chidi opara reports does not have details of the Ohakim/PDP agreement prior to today's declaration, unconfirmed information however, have it that the President had insisted that the Imo state helmsman should come back without conditions.
