By Emmanuel Oladesu
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has a tradition of leadership instability. From the first national chairman, Chief Solomon Lar, to Senator Modu Sherif, the situation was the same. None of the national chairmen, except Col. Ahmadu Ali, a Third Republic senator, completed his tenure.
Will Chairman Uche Secondus, a prince from Rivers State, survive? Will he go the way of his predecessors?
PDP came into existence in August 1998. It was formed by eminent Nigerians and seasoned politicians from diverse backgrounds. Some of them were chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM). They were household names in Nigeria.They cut across the six geo-political zones. Thus, the party, despite its lack of ideological foundation, had a national outlook. Up to now, it has maintained its roots and tentacles in almost all the wards in the country.
Founding chieftains of the party included the former vice-president, the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Lar, former Kano State Governor Abubakar Rimi, Chief Dapo Sarunmi, Chief Sunday Afolabi, Chief Olorunfunmi Basorun, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Alhaji Sule Lamido, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, Alhaji Abba Ghana, the late Alhaji Adamu Ciroma; the late Chief Tony Anenih, Prof. Jerry Gana, and Graham Douglas.
The coming together of these people, who earlier converged under the umbrella of the highly esteemed G-34, was not a surprise to political watchers, who believed it was a combination of the progressive elements and ultra-conservatives.
The party came up with a novelty.The founding fathers adopted power rotation as a way of dousing the fear of domination. It was due to the realisation that the politics of exclusion and marginalisation would not foster national unity.
The founding fathers gave operative content to zoning for the purpose of giving the six regions a sense of belonging. Six key positions were identified. They went to the six zones.
The positions are the president, vice president, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senate President, House of Representatives Speaker and National Chairman of the party.
Owning to its solid foundation, the party won presidential elections four times. At the height of its glory, its former chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, boasted that PDP would rule for 60 years. It amounted to day dreaming.
But, PDP had a misfortune of being initially hijacked by Army Generals, who installed one of their own, Olusegun Obasanjo, as presidential candidate. So powerful and influential were the Generals that they shaped the1998 presidential nomination.
After winning the 1999 poll, the former military ruler turned attention to the party, making it an extension of his exalted office. The pioneer chairman, Lar, was shoved aside. The former Plateau State governor had advised Obasanjo to face governance and leave the party administration to party officials. The president, who had pronounced himself as party leader, disagreed. Lar’s days as chairman were numbered. Obasanjo appointed him as chairman of a board and he was eased out.
His successor, Chief Barnabas Gemade, left office unceremoniously. He wanted to build on the foundation laid by Lar. He mooted reforms and he was traversing the chapters to resolve outstanding crises triggered by the battle for nominations during the previous elections. Suddenly, the beat stopped Gemade was booted out. As he vacated office in frustration and lamentation, he cursed the party in anger, saying that the fate that would befall his successors will be worse.
Read Also: PDP crisis: Elders fail to halt Uche Secondus removal plot
Up came Audu Ogbeh, a former Second Republic minister. He could not get along with the national party leader. Ogbeh had complained about the needless crises in Osun and Anambra. He felt that Obasanjo was partly fuelling the imbroglo. Later, the party chairman wrote an open letter to the president to draw his attention to public complaints about the state of the nation. Obasanjo was enraged. He demanded for his resignation. Ogbeh addressed his letter of resignation to the president. Advisers told Obasanjo that it meant that he never resigned. Soldiers started parading his residential area in Abuja. The handwriting was bold on the wall. Later, he was kicked out.
Only Col. Ahmadu Ali (rtd), who had served under Obasanjo as Federal Commissioner for Education when he was military Head of State, understood Obasanjo’s military grammar of politics. He survived.
But, his successors were not lucky. Prince Vincent Ogbulafor’s tenure was cut short by intrigues. He too left office unceremoniously.
Okwesilieze Nwodo, who was National secretary, also had a tough time as chairman. He was consumed by his native Enugu politics.
He was succeeded by Haliru Mohammed. The position was not enticing to Mohammed. Apparently, he was interested in a ministerial job. He got it. In the absence of chairman and deputy chairman, the secretary, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, filled the vacuum as Acting Chairman. Indeed, the tenure of Acting Chairmen Haliru Mohammed and Kawu Baraje were not impressive.
Elderstatesman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who wanted to make an impact, was resisted by the governors. He was not intimidated by them, having served as governor before. He was conversant with their antics and blackmail as big party financiers. Therefore he designed a method that would make the generality of party members to take ownership of the party. Tukur proposed that members should pay dues, assuring that the platform would be sustained by the financial contributions. He did not get along with the governors, who prevailed on former President Goodluck Jonathan to advise him to step aside. Party sources said the rich man never resigned. He just walked away from office.
Former Bauchi State Governor Adamu Muazu succeeded the former Gongola State governor. He never bidded for the position. He left after the electoral misfortune of 2015. Some party chieftains alleged that he was hobnobbing with the opposition during the electioneering.
Senator Modu Sheriff, former governor of Borno State and a defector from the All Progressives Congress (APC), succeeded Muazu. For the PDP, it was a big gamble. It was considered a big error or mistake. Sources said he started planing to use the ladder of the chairman to climb to the presidency. He was said to have harboured presidential ambition, which was his constitutional right. But, as he was said to have promised to make two or more governors his running mate, it leaked and the governors who had been ‘fooled,’ turned their backs at him. He was asked to leave.
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, former governor of Kaduna State, later succeeded him as caretaker chairman. His tenure was shortlived.
His successor, Secondus, is now facing the heat. The signs were ominous.
Crisis brew in the party as certain powerful people raised allegation of rent collection. The interpretation was not clear. But, what is clear is that the forces that installed him as chairman are plotting his downfall.
In hush tones, others complained that PDP’s weak leadership would be its albatross. Yet, Secondus is a long standing party officer, full of experience.
Secondus is being blamed for the electoral misfortune of the PDP. The beat has changed.
Two days ago, seven party officers resigned, claiming that they were excluded from inexplicable pecks and largesse by the chairman. One of them has retraced his steps.
There are now calls for the removal of the chairman, ahead of the convention, by people whose financial muscle cannot be ignored by the PDP. The chairman had cried out that the moneybag and Father Chrismas wanted to liquidate him.
Party elders are wading into the crisis. Can the 38 PDP wise men save him?
Leave a Reply