THE PDP AS A LEGACY TO NIGERIA BY DR ALEX IFEANYICHUKWU EKWUEME GCONGCON

By Don Ubani

As the remains of the late first democratically elected Vice President of Nigeria; Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, GCON, will be committe to mother earth today Friday, 2nd February ,2018 at his native home-town of Okoh in Anambra State, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, AbiaState Chapter, joins millions of well wishers in Nigeria and the world over to sympathise with the family of the late Vice President, the government and people of Anambra State, the Peoples’ Democratic Party in Nigeria and the government and citizens of Nigeria.

The Peoples’ Democratic Party in Abia State would like to recall that late Dr Alex Ekwueme was an epitome of democratic governance.

After the government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari, in which Dr Ekwueme had served as Vice President, was overthrown by Major-GeneralMuhammadu Buhari, who consequently declared himself as MilitaryHead of State, on 31st December, 1983 and the consequent harsh andpainful incarceration of Dr Alex Ekwueme and many other politiciansof that era, the Nigerian political clime became dim, dark, precariousand hopeless.

The political environment in Nigeria became more uncertain and humiliating with the emergence of late General Sani Abacha, who wasa dictator of extreme consideration. Abacha had an inordinate ambition of transforming himself from a military dictator to a life President.

To this effect, the five political parties that were formed by the military, aptly described as five fingers of a leprous hand, except one, had, in a grand show of shame, adopted General Sani Abacha as theirjoint sole presidential candidate.

Being a committed and resilient political leader of exceptional character, Dr Alex Ekwueme, while the sordid affair held sway, rallieda group of politicians under the auspices of All Politicians Summit in
1997. Their first meeting was, however, brutally Dispersed.

Undeterred, Dr Ekwueme went on rallying political figures of different ideological persuasions under a new platform called Institute of CivilSociety. In the midst of general atmosphere of confusion, in the
country, with General Abacha setting death traps all over, DrEkwueme successfully mid-wifed a formidable group of politicalleaders, eighteen of them in the first instance and later thirty-four.



The G-34, as the group would later be known and called, under the visionary leadership of Dr Ekwueme, decided to dare the devil in itsden.Interestingly, the G-34 later formed the nucleus and rallying point ofthe associations that formed what became The Peoples’ Democratic Party, with Dr Ekwueme being its first National Chairman and Prof Jerry Gana as National Secretary. On the 15th of February, 1999, in the cold Tin City of Jos, on the

Plateau, Dr Alex Ekwueme made himself available for further serviceto the people of Nigeria by contesting the presidential primary election of the Peoples’ Democratic Party. Even though he hadexceptionally laboured for the birth and establishment of the Party,certain factors combined to conspire against that genuine interest toserve his people.

As a principled democrat, he accepted the outcome of the Jos election with equanimity. That notwithstanding, the Igbo in general,particularly Abians, were shook to the marrow to learn that a

governor-elect of Abia state extraction had shamelessly betrayed the aspiration of Dr Alex Ekwueme, merely for pecuniary reasons.

His Excellency; Dr Alex Ekwueme, has physically departed from us but not without bequeathing us a befitting democratic legacy.

 The Peoples’ Democratic Party, a Party that symbolizes true tenets ofdemocracy, is a brain-child of late Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme.

Nigerians, especially the Igbo, should feel satisfactorily consoled bythe fact that the late Vice President left for us a large and protective political umbrella that is capable of accommodating people from different walks of life and sheds of opinion. We should not allow thislegacy to die.

May his soul rest in peace!

Sir Don Ubani; KSC, JP

Okwubunka of Asa

Culled from The Abia Info

State Publicity Secretary (