Anglican Clergy Rejects PDP Bribe Money.

By Fred Ozonta

It was shame and humiliation for the Enugu State PDP leaders this Thursday, September 1, as the clergy of Nsukka Diocese (Anglican Communion) flatly rejected N10m “kola” offered them.

The state PDP leaders led by Ifeanyi Ossai (running mate of governorship candidate Peter Mbah), Vita Abba (House of Reps candidate for Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South), Augustine Nnamani (state chairman of the party) and the chairmen of the six local councils in Enugu North met with the clergymen to solicit support in next year’s general election.

Ifeanyi Ossai, who first spoke for the party leaders, told the church leaders that the current clamour for “Ka Isi-Uzo jee” was meaningless and that the position of deputy governor given to Nsukka zone by PDP was enough compensation. At the end of his speech, he presented N10m cash which the Anglican pastors refused to touch. They told the PDP entourage “We no dey collect shishi” and that they wanted to create a level-playing field for all political candidates, rich or poor.

The Ebeano PDP leaders left in shame.

A fortnight ago, the same Ebeano PDP led by its gubernatorial candidate, Peter Mbah, had donated N40m to the Catholic Women Organisation (CWO), Nsukka diocese, for their “August meetings”. The women present on the occasion shared the cash and each received N100,000. The money, obviously meant to buy the CWO’s conscience, is now the source of great rancour among the women.

The state PDP has, for the past 16 weeks, been engaged in a bazaar — it has doled out cash estimated at over N30bn so far for all manner of groups especially those who were organised to be guests of Government House every day. The frenzy to share public funds has been so much that Ndi Enugu have wondered why anyone would empty the state’s treasury while primary school teachers and local government staff went on strike to protest the state’s inability to pay them the minimum wage. Pensioners have been dying in droves because they are owed their stipends in arrears of six months or longer.

Currently, there is a groundswell of anger against the PDP in every nook and cranny of the state. Since after the party primaries of May 2022 during which handpicked delegates were bribed to vote for anointed candidates and not their conscience, many PDP members have left the party. Most people have pitched tents with other parties especially the Labour Party whose governorship candidate in the state is Chijioke Edeoga and presidential candidate, Peter Obi.