The inability of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to hold congresses at ward, local government and state levels in many states across the federation has confirmed the worst fears of chieftains that all is not well in many state chapters. The division has dire consequences for its preparation for the next general elections. GBADE OGUNWALE reports
Intra-party squabbles appear to be frustrating plans by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to hold ward, local government, and state congresses in some states across the federation. Some states slated for the exercise have had inconclusive congresses that sparked disagreements among various camps. Even as the national leadership has scheduled dates for repeated congresses in these states, crises are still brewing as key stakeholders are scrambling to gain control of the party machinery in the affected states.
Worse hit are the states where the PDP is not in control of the government, as groups and individuals have constituted themselves into village tyrants with a view to dictating the pace in the running of the party in such states. The party seems to be in total disarray in states like Ebonyi, Cross River, and Zamfara where the governors recently dumped the PDP to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The Caretaker Committees hurriedly set up by the PDP national leadership to replace existing State Executive Committees have thrown up fresh crises in the affected chapters.
October date for congresses:
Going by a timetable recently released the National Working Committee (NWC), ward and state congresses are scheduled to hold in nine states. They are Lagos, Oyo, Adamawa, Kebbi, Borno, Kogi, Osun, Kwara, and Ebonyi states. A statement to that effect released by the PDP national secretariat stated that the tenure of the executive committees in the above states would be expiring, as members were elected into office in 2017. The statement, signed by the party spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan clarified that there will only be partial congresses in some of the listed states, as the exercise will only be conducted at the ward and local government levels. Ologbondiyan had also stated that a few of the states will have full congresses from the ward, local government, and state levels.
Ologbondiyan stated: “For clarity, in Kogi State, congresses are to hold only in wards and local governments, while in Osun, congresses are to hold in some respective wards only. However, in the case of Ebonyi, congress would be conducted to elect new executives, following the dissolution of the state structure due to political realignments occasioned by the defection of the state governors and others to another party.”
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According to the timetable released by the national secretariat, the sale of nomination forms, including ad-hoc delegates’ forms, has been scheduled for July 26 to August 27, while the last day for the submission of forms has been fixed for September 6. Forms for all positions and categories of elections are to be sold by the national secretariat in Abuja. The timetable released for the exercise across the states indicated that ward congresses to elect ward executive committees and three ad-hoc delegates have been scheduled for Saturday, September 25. Local government congresses to elect local government executive committees and national delegates have been fixed for Tuesday, October 5, while the state congresses have been scheduled for Saturday, October 16.
Cross River, Zamfara:
In respect of Cross River State, where Governor Ben Ayade recently dumped the party for the APC, the national leadership simply dissolved an existing caretaker committee which was believed to be loyal to the governor and replaced it with another set of members to run the affairs of the party for an unspecified period of time. The 10-member caretaker committee is chaired by Efiok Cobham, with Eko Atu as Secretary. Other members are Attah Ochinke, Dr. Uke Enun, Prof. Walter Mboto, Rita Ayim, Mike Usibe, Christopher Ekpo, Victor Effiom Okon, and Prince K.J. Agba.
Similarly, following the defection of Zamfara State’s Governor Bello Matawalle to the APC in late June, the party leadership also set up another 10-member caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party for a period of 90 days. The committee is chaired by Capt. Umar Bature (rtd), with Yusuf Dambazzau as Secretary. Other members of the committee are Farouk Shettima Rijiya, Barmo Abdullahi Kanoma, Muhammadu Dan Gwamna Gummi, Usamatu Maharazu Marafa, Bala Mohammed Zurmi, Sani Ahmed Kaura, Medinah Shehu, and Abba Bello Oando. In the case of Niger State, there have been numerous pronouncements and counter pronouncements regarding the suspension of former Governor Babangida Aliyu by the leadership of the state chapter. The national leadership has continued to intervene in the crisis, which rears its ugly head from time to time.
Intractable crises?
Since the PDP was booted out of power at the national level, with the defeat of Dr Goodluck Jonathan by General Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, the erstwhile ruling party has never remained the same, six years after. While a few of the states the party lost to the APC in 2015 were regained in the 2019 elections, others have remained in the grip of the APC. With the defection of three of its governors, with a good number of federal and state legislators, the PDP appears to be struggling to stay afloat. It is now apparent that the party only managed to maintain cohesion with patronage, particularly from the centre, while in power. With the centre and some states taken away by the APC, the PDP is no longer at ease. Worried by the deluge of intra-party crises, the national leadership set up a National Reconciliation and Strategic Committee last year to try and bring peace back to the fold. The committee is chaired by the immediate past Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki. However, despite its many rapprochements and reconciliatory moves across the states, the Saraki Committee appears to have achieved very little in getting the party united. While the committee has not been able to stem the gale of high-profile defections, the internal conflicts in many states keep escalating, thereby heightening the party’s possible electoral misfortune ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Absence of party supremacy:
Analysts have observed that the absence of party supremacy has continued to erode unity and cohesion in the PDP. Apart from cases where chieftains openly flout directives issued by the national secretariat, a few high profile members have gone to the public space to openly castigate the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, accusing him of a number of infractions and certain leadership deficits. Incidentally, a major antagonist of Secondus in recent times has been no other person than the Rivers State’s Governor Nyesom Wike. On several occasions, Wike had mounted the podium at various fora to upbraid the national chairman, calling him names that are unedifying of his position as chairman. This, analysts say, must have sent the wrong signals to many party chieftains and stakeholders about the person and capability of the chairman. The development has left the entire party leaders at the national level struggling with issues of competence and credibility in the day-to-day running of the party.
Denial of party’s division:
Despite the glaring instability and the crisis of confidence eroding the unity and cohesion in the main opposition party, some of its prominent chieftains and key stakeholders have continued to deny the fact that the PDP may be approaching the 2023 elections as a divided house. Ologbondiyan would rather blame the ruling APC for the party’s misfortune. At a recent function, he said: “We are united, indivisible, and indissoluble. We have a responsibility to move the party forward. APC is looking at how to divide the PDP. But one assurance, I will give is that the NWC is united, no rancour and indivisible and working on how to deliver the party in the 2023 general elections. Rather, it is the APC that is now factionalized. We have in the APC, the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). In the PDP we have no faction.”
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Speaking in similar vein, Saraki said recently that broad-based consultations by his committee had yielded great dividends. He said during a recent reconciliation meeting in Abuja: “There is no way we can talk about consultations and unity of the party without consulting them. They have all shown their commitment towards the party and have agreed to strengthen our party in their respective states and the national level to ensure that the party is well prepared towards the next general elections ahead of us in 2023, and also to bring about the areas of grievances which are normal in any party. As leaders, we are to help unify the party and bring people together where there are problems and issues.”
When asked to react to the growing cleavages within the rank and file, Saraki said his committee was on a fence-mending mission and that aggrieved members were being consulted. He, however, added that his committee needed time to achieve its goal. His words: “That is why it is taking us longer. They have opened their minds and told us what the issues are but they are not issues that are insurmountable. That is why we are encouraged that we need to play our own role in getting such people of experience involved. They still have their supporters. We must get them involved. They are committed to the party. We have gotten their assurance that they are not going anywhere, instead, they are going to bring in more people.”
PDP’s future bright:
Similarly, the chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin sounded optimistic about the future of the party, particularly its electoral chances in the next general elections. Jibrin, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone, said members of the BoT have been shuttling the states and that they have got the assurances that there would be no more defections. He said: “We have been to Abia, Enugu, and Bauchi to confer with the governors and they all assured us that they would not leave the PDP. We intend to visit many other states where we perceive there are issues among the various stakeholders. I can assure you that the PDP will go into the 2023 general elections much stronger than ever before.”
However, the crisis in the party has continued to assume different dimensions. The fate of the PDP presently hangs in the balance regarding the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State. Valentine Ozigbo, who emerged as the party’s flag bearer is in court at the moment over disagreements arising from the conduct of the primary. Incidentally, Ozigbo did not consult the leadership of the party before approaching the court. On its part, the party leadership has adopted a wait-and-see posture on the matter.
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