By Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo
A former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Abia State chapter, Senator Emma Nwaka has ended speculations over his current membership status, saying that he resigned from the party since June 12, 2024 on personal reasons.
His resignation followed a wave of high profile resignations that has hit the party in recent time in the wake of losing power to the opposition Labour Party, after 24 years of holding sway in Abia.
The party chieftains that have taken the exit door include the immediate past Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Chinedum Orji, and several former commissioners and lawmakers.
Nwaka, who is a legal practitioner, piloted the affairs of Abia PDP between 2010 and 2015 during which period the party enjoyed overwhelming dominance of the political space in the state
He said that he had formalised his resignation from PDP quietly in his ward on June 12, 2024 but has now decided to make it public due to constant “invitations to PDP activities, which I’ve been declining politely”.
The Abia North Senator in the shortlived third republic also explained that he needed to declare his membership status following prodding from political allies that want him to make known his stand.
Unlike other PDP bigwigs in Abia that resigned and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nwaka has chosen to remain non-partisan, saying that he didn’t resign from his party in order to defect to another.
“It’s not in my nature to hop from one political party to another. I’ve been with PDP since it was formed over 24 years ago. I’ve now firmly resolved, for entirely personal reasons, to pull back and take stock,” he said.
The former party chairman, who was a governorship aspirant in 2023, stated that even in his present non-partisan status he would continue to render service to the society when needed.
“Politics for me is about service to the public. One doesn’t have to be involved in partisan political activities to render service to his people,” Nwaka said.
Nonetheless, he didn’t completely rule out the possibility of returning to partisan politics in the future.
According to him, “if in the future it becomes necessary for me to align with any partisan political platform, I shall not hesitate to share the news with the press”.
In the letter of resignation dated June 12, 2024 and addressed to the PDP Chairman, Ward 5 Oguduasa, Chief Innocent Nwagba, Senator Nwaka said that it was “time for me to quit”.
He made it plain that his decision to resign his membership of PDP “for personal reasons was not taken whimsically”, adding, “I chose this path after very deep considerations and reflection on the trajectory of my political life”.
While expressing his gratefulness for the honour of piloting the affairs of the Abia PDP for five years, Nwaka recounted the successes the party recorded under his watch.
He said: “I am really happy that I served without a whiff of any scandal. Instead, the period under my watch brought to the party stability, peace and a winning streak.
“The party won two governorship elections back to back, controlled the State House of Assembly and won about all the (Abia) seats in the National Assembly in two general elections”.
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