From FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU, Enugu-Ezike
Enugu State Commissioner for Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Deacon Okey Ogbodo, has lashed out at “disloyal” members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State for their “anti-party activities”, describing the wide-spread anti-party voting by many of them, which rocked several parts of Enugu State, especially Enugu North zone, in the last general election as the “worst sin to be committed in politics by any party member”.
The PDP was trounced by the Labour Party (LP) in many parts of Enugu State in the 2023 general election, the defeat allegedly fuelled, in most part, by unresolved conflicts in the party prior to the election, resulting in many PDP members voting against the party in the election.
Deacon Ogbodo, who spoke at a one-day conference, organized by the PDP in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State and held at the local government pavilion, Ogrute, Enugu-Ezike, on Thursday last week, under the theme “Empowering Grassroots Party Executives For Strategic And Sustainable Leadership”, noted that while conflict in a party, as in all human interactions, is inevitable, “it becomes dangerous when unmanaged.”
“It (conflict) is natural, especially when passionate people pursue a common purpose. Even in the best of families, disagreements will come…but it is how we manage conflict that determines whether we rise as a party of progress or fall as a house divided,” Ogbodo, a lawyer and founding member of the PDP, stressed.
Ogbodo delivered a sobering verdict on the state of the PDP in a paper titled “Strategies for Conflict Management”, speaking before a capacity audience comprising party executives, government functionaries, legislators, academics, traditional rulers and journalists, among others.
Among participants at the conference were Secretary to the Government of Enugu State, Professor Chidiebere Onyia; Enugu State Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike; Igbo-Eze North Local Government Chairman, Engr. Michael Uchenna Ogalla; Igbo-Eze North Local Government PDP Chairman, Engr. Solomon Ogili, PhD; Enugu State Commissioner for Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Matters and founding Member of the PDP in the State, Deacon Okey Ogbodo; a former SSG to Enugu State Government, Dr. Dan Shere; a former Enugu SSG and former PDP National Auditor, who was also the Conference Planning Committee Chairman, Arch Innocent Agbo; Chief Whip Enugu State House of Assembly and Member representing Igbo-Eze North Constituency 1, Hon. Ejike Jude Eze and Member representing Igbo-Eze North Constituency II and Chairman of the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure, Hon. Clifford Obe.
Others were former local government Chairman, Igbo-Eze North and State financial Secretary of the PDP, Engr. Ejike Williams Itodo; former Igbo-Eze North Local Government chairmen, Nze Chidi Nwomeh and Dr. Emeka Ukwuaba; former Member Enugu State House of Assembly and former PDP Zonal Chairman, Enugu North, Rt. Hon. Mike Onyeze; Secretary to the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area (SLG), Mr. Onyekachi Eya; PDP Women Leader, Enugu North Zone, Hon. (Mrs.) Ngozi Ezeja; PDP ward chairmen in the 20 wards of Igbo-Eze North, Councillors; Leader, Igbo-Eze North Legislative Council, Hon. Celestine Ali Omeke and other councilors, HRH Igwe Chidi Abugu, Chinyereeze 1 of Umuokoro Autonomous Community and Royal Father of the Day, among many others.
Ogbodo, who appreciated the “respect” given him to speak at the conference and on the topic he had chosen, described himself as “a messenger of unity, an apostle of reconciliation and a believer in the great destiny of our beloved party,” noting that the theme of the conference, ‘Empowering Grassroots Party Executives For Strategic And Sustainable Leadership’, “is apt and contextually relevant in the present circumstances.”
“It is also of immense relevance to our democratic evolution, party stability and leadership credibility at the grassroots. I have implicit trust and confidence in the ability of the executives and members of our party in Igbo-Eze North LGA to show a good example for others to follow,” the Enugu Local Government Commissioner added.
Ogbodo reminded members of the robustness of the PDP Constitution, emphasizing that “a well-ordered political system is a sine qua non to economic development.”
“Our ability as a party to handle conflicts and misunderstandings in a mature, orderly and peaceful manner will help the government, which our party formed, to bring about development and dividends of democracy,” Ogbo argued. “Conflict is not strange; it is a sign of robust life. But unmanaged conflict is a threat. Let me make it plain: effective and peaceful grievance redress mechanism and conflict management is a sign of mature leadership.”
Speaking to the Igbo-Eze North and other PDP chapters’ conflicts that caused the widespread anti-party voting in 2023, Ogbodo philosophized that “when brothers fight to death, strangers inherit their father’s property”, warning that allowing internal disputes, ego clashes and factional interests to overrule the party’s collective mission, “then we hand over our hard-earned gains to those who never toiled in our vineyard.”
The need has, therefore, risen more than ever before for the PDP to more effectively manage its conflicts so as to avoid a repeat of the ugly 2023 electoral experience going forward, Ogbo said.
To this end, Ogbodo urged the PDP to confront its conflicts in their political and grassroots contexts, with a view to understanding and managing them more effectively, explaining that conflicts, as a situation where two or more parties perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns, may arise, in political and grassroots settings, due to, among others, power struggle within Party structures; resource allocation and favouritism; poor communication and misinformation; leadership disputes; youth exclusion and marginalization and boundary and jurisdictional misunderstandings.
Analysts have argued that most, if not all, of these conditions were ripe in the Igbo-Eze PDP prior to the 2023 election, for instance, leading to the rebellion that made may party faithful vote against the Enugu ruling party in practically all the categories of the 2023 general election, a development whose consequences still reverberate in the pattern of rewards and punishment in the party, post-2023.
“When these are unmanaged, the conflict that ensues can erode public trust, weaken our structures and fracture our collective efforts,” Ogbodo warned.
According to him, effective conflict management within the PDP must, therefore, seek to maintain the Party’s unity and credibility; enhance the delivery of government policies; encourage youth and women participation and foster communal peace and coexistence.
To achieve these objectives, Ogbodo added, the party must ensure that potential for conflict is detected early and preventive engagement deployed; must develop well structured and effective communication channels – from ward, local government to state executives; must have standing mediation and reconciliation committees while promoting inclusive leadership and shared responsibility.
Without the foregoing, it would be difficult for a party, in particular the PDP, to overcome its internal conflicts, as was clearly shown in the almost total disarray in the pre-2023 election Igbo-Eze North PDP, according to findings.
Assuring that Governor Peter Mbah is “completely” sold on “promoting peace, unity and responsive leadership” not only in the PDP but also in the State as a whole, Ogbodo disclosed that his ministry, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs (LGRDCA) is currently working to support institutional mechanisms for local dispute resolutions thereby encouraging “robust dialogue between political and traditional actors.”
“That way, we will create and sustain a platform for all stakeholders to be heard, understood and involved. We must adopt a higher standard, one that places the party above self, prioritizes peace over pride and seeks understanding over vengeance,” Ogbodo explained.
“It is stated in Chapter 1, Section 6(6) of our constitution that our Party shall respect freedom of expression and free exchange of ideas and information without undermining the authority and integrity of our party. To this end, I propose that we recommit ourselves to a culture of structured, respectful and effective conflict resolution, guided by our Party’s constitution and established guidelines, for effective and robust conflict management.
“We must embrace open dialogue and the empathy to listen fully to our party members when they are aggrieved. There is a need to ensure that grievances are aired without fear, where every voice, no matter how small, is heard and respected. Let us institutionalize regular town-hall style meetings, not for show but for real platforms for resolving misunderstandings. Let us talk, let us listen, let us heal.
More importantly, “our LGA Party executives, ward executives and coordinators will have to be continuously mentored. They need to be mentored on leadership, emotional intelligence and conflict de-escalation. We must learn team-building and people management.”
