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  • Challenges before Mu’azu

    Challenges before Mu’azu

    Former Bauchi State Governor Adamu Mu’azu has replaced Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the challenges that will confront the new helmsman.

    Many challenges will confront the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

    The politician was the governor of Bauchi State from 1999 to 2007. At that time, President Goodluck Jonathan was the deputy governor, and later, governor of Bayelsa State.

    Mu’azu was popular among his people because of his laudable achievements. But, his popularity rating dropped towards the end of his second term. During the senatorial election, he was defeated by Senator Bala Mohammed, the candidate of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), who is now the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Some PDP big wigs jostled for the chairmanship. But, Mu’azu was lucky enough to clinch the office. Analysts opined that Mu’azu is reaping the fruits of his good relations with President Jonathan. He is a dependable ally of the Commander-in-Chief.

    During the political turmoil in Bayelsa State that led to the impeachment of former Governor Dieprieye Alamesheigha, Mu’azu had endeared himself to Dr. Jonathan. While the members of the House of Assembly stood their ground against President Obasanjo’s directive that they should initiate impeachment proceedings against Alamesheigha, there was confusion in the state. Dr. Jonathan, the deputy governor, was in a dilemma. He wanted to maintain his loyalty to his boss. He did not want the public to perceive him as an ambitious person. Jonathan was under pressures from the lawmakers and the Presidency. So, he had to play safe.

    When Bayelsa State became too hot for Dr. Jonathan, he temporarily relocated to Bauchi. Mu’azu was his host. He did not leave the state, until normalcy returned to Bayelsa State. That followed the impeachment of Alameyeseigha. Thus, it was pay time for Mu’azu. Sources said that the President recalled that difficult time when he sought refuge under Mu’azu. They also point out that the former Bauchi State governor is a key supporter of his second term ambition. Therefore, the President believes that he will be loyal like his predecessor, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    President Jonathan had encouraged Mu’azu to return home from exile in 2010. In July, 2008, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had accused him of mismanaging N19.8 billion when he was the governor. He was asked to report to the commission’s headquarters for questioning. Before the expiration of the EFCC’s deadline, Mu’azu fled the country. He relocated to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. It was widely speculated that top government functionaries facilitated his return to the country.

    The safe landing offered to him by the government encouraged him to challenge the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Governor Isa Yuguda to investigate the management of funds in ministries and parastatals during his administration in court. In its report, the commission indicted Mu’azu for embezzling N2 billion. Consequently, Bauchi State government, in its white paper, banned Mu’azu from holding public office for 10 years.

    After protracted adjournments, the Bauchi State High Court presided over by Chief Justice Mohammed Ibrahim Zango cleared Mu’azu ofthe allegation. The court ruled that the white paper cannot stand. The judge further declared that all forms of indictment in the panel’s recommendations and government’s position were null and void.

    The judgment was a big relief to Mu’azu. Sources said that he later reconciled with the governor, Isa Yuguda. Both became allies of the President.

    Analysts beleive that the defeat suffered by Muazu at the senatorial poll in 2007 could be attributed to the feud between him and Yuguda. The friction came into open when the PDP denied Yuguda the governorship. The duo parted ways and Yuguda decided to contest the governorship election on the platform of the ANPP. He defeated the PDP candidate and the former Secretary to the Government, Umar Nadada, who was sponsored by Muazu.

    Now that Mu’azu has assumed the leadership of the PDP, would he take over the party structure in his home state as his predecessor, Bamanga Tukur, did in Adamawa State? Will he concentrate on his job in Abuja without interfering in the state chapters?

    Public Affairs analyst Bernard Briggs is of the view that Muazu would fight back and use his new position to take over the party machinery in Bauchi State. He said that, unless the differences between the duo are resolved amicably, Bauchi may become the new battle ground between the chairman and the governor.

    Briggs said that Yuguda, who is serving his last term in office, will be interested in who succeeds him. “He will do all that is possible to ensure that someone he can trust occupies the seat in 2015 because he would try to avoid the experience of his predecessor. For Mu’azu, he will want to prove to be a leader with a home base. As the national leader of the party, he’s in a position to influence the choice of the PDP governorship candidates in many states, including his home state”, he explained.

    The crisis rocking the party, which culminated in the defection of PDP of five governors to the All Progressive Congress (APC), has not abated, in spite of Tukur’s. There are puzzles: how will the new chairman restore confidence in the party? Can he do away with arbitrariness, disrespect for the party’s constitution and the rule of law that have become the hallmark of the PDP?

    Will Mu’azu be able to tame powerful forces that would encourage the ‘business as usual’ mentality? Can Mu’azu withstand the evil plots of those who are bent on hijacking the party structure, ahead of the 2015 general elections? Would he be able to assert himself as the chairman, and not as an appendage of the Presidency, in view of the close ties between him and Dr Jonathan?

    Muazu has come as a leader at a time his region is pushing for power shift. Will he go against the wish of the North or support the President for a second term?

    The new chairman is expected to reach out to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is still perceived as a factor in the Southwest. How he will also manage the crisis triggered by the suspension of the National Secretary, Gen. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, is another challenge. The court has ruled that the former Osun State governor is the authentic National Secretary.

    A chieftain of the PDP, Chief Ishola Filani, described Muazu as the best replacement for Tukur. The former PDP leader in the Southwest zone told our correspondent that Muazu would be an asset to the party.

    Filani said: “I know him as a very brilliant person. Under him as two-term governor, Bauchi State witnessed rapid development. With his background and antecedent, the new chairman would move the party forward. With his experience, he’s going to be an asset to the party. As an elite from the North, he should be able to understand the politics of the North and use his experience to the advantage of the PDP.

    “He would mend fences. He has promised to do a lot to improve the fortunes of the party. Everything is working for him. He will reposition the party and come up with solutions to the problems facing the party.

    “The party leadership knew his worth before he was picked for the job. If he has not been so adjudged, he would not have been appointed. We will keep praying for him so that he would accomplish his set objectives.”

    Ogun State PDP Chairman Chief Bayo Dayo was optimistic that Mu’azu would restore peace and take the party to a higher level. He described Mu’azu as a gentle man, tested leader and a silent achiever, adding that the new chairman would make a difference. “With the support of the President and members of the National Working Committee (NWC), stability would be restored in the PDP very soon”, he added.

    But, a political scientist, Malam Yusuf Zayyad, urged the PDP chieftains not to delude themselves into believing that the problems of the PDP will end with the exit of Tukur. cautioned the PDP against believing that with the removal of Tukur the problems of the party are over. He emphasised that the problem of the party is beyond the former chairman. “He is not responsible for the culture of impunity that the party is known for,” he added.

    Zayyard said that the ruling party should to purge itself of disrespect for the rule of law and allow internal democracy to reign. He reminded Mu’azu that the exalted office is full of banana peel, adding that none of his predecessors had come out of the office without stain. The political scientist advised him to tread softly because, according to him, the mischief makers are still around.

    Zayyard submitted that the protrated crisis in the PDP cannot be resolved in a twinkle of an eye. He said the crisis may assume a new dimension when the stage is set for the nomination of candidates for the 2015 general elections.

    However, Zayyard said that the leadership qualities of Mu’azu will soon be put to test. The first challenge, he pointed out, is that of reconciling the aggrieved party chieftains, who are spoiling for war.

    Besides, he is expected to carry along his rivals during the recent chairmanship contest. Will he extend the olive branch to them or adopt the attitude of winners-take-all?

    “If he relates with them positively, those who lost out would put the contest behind them and they would be willing to join hands to make his tenure a success. But, if he treats them as inconsequential elements, that will mark the beginning of his problem”, he added.

     

  • Muazu… Journey from exile to ‘power’

    Muazu… Journey from exile to ‘power’

    Unknown to many, yesterday’s choice of ex-Governor Adamu Mu’azu of Bauchi State as the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came with many milestones. He is the third former governor to occupy the seat. Besides, the appointment marked the final phase of the return of Mu’azu from exile to power. It is also a major redemption for Mu’azu, who became a political outcast in his state at a particular period.

    Shortly after the defeat of PDP in 2007 by the incumbent Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP), the political terrain was too hot for Mu’azu who had to go on a ‘self-imposed’ exile. He was living a make-shift life and shuttling between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates(Dubai) because the ballot/ mass revolt in Bauchi which brought Yuguda to power was a urricane which neither the PDP nor the influential Mu’azu could curtail. He lost all to political challenges in his Bauchi domain; friends turned into foes; his achievements were downplayed or rubbished; and he remained loyal only to himself.

    For three years, Mu’azu hibernated abroad to watch political events from the sidelines. He did not return to Nigeria until September 28, 2010. Although his entry through Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport aboard a Lufthansa flight was not triumphal, Mu’azu was welcomed by some of his loyal friends and associates, including a former Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Maina Waziri; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed; Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso; a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Kaulaha Aliyu, some Senators, members of the House of Representatives and members of the Bauchi House of Assembly.

    In the last three and a half years, he could not regain his political rhythm in Bauchi State because his arch-rival, Yuguda had defected to PDP too. To seal the hope of Mua’zu regaining his grip on PDP in Bauchi State, Yuguda, in a deft political move, married one of the daughters of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Yet, it was not an easy ride for Yuguda as the PDP split into many groups in Bauchi State. There were those loyal to ex-Minister of Defence Mahmood Yayale Ahmed; those backing Alhaji Garba Muhammad Noma, a businessman, with his supporters and a host of other party stalwarts all in the PDP; and those branded as ‘PDP Dubai’, who were (and are) still loyal to Mu’azu. It was in this cloudy atmosphere in Bauchi State that Mua’zu came back to Nigeria leaving the terrain slippery.

    Muazu’s comfort zone since his coming back was however the Presidential Villa where he could easily be located at dinner table with his friend, President Goodluck Jonathan, who was instrumental to his return from exile. No day is complete at the Villa without the presence of Muazu, who has become a member of the First Family. There had been a recurring issue in the Villa on how to rehabilitate Mua’zu.

     

    HOW DID HE BECOME PDP NATIONAL CHAIR

     

    For Mu’azu, who was inaugurated last week as the Chairman of the National Pension Commission(PENCOM), the National Chairman of PDP was the least on his mind because he had attempted to lead the party in 2012 Bamanga Tukur was anointed for the seat. He had decided to move forward to salvage what was left of his political leverage. Though touted and recommended by many, Mu’azu later became a forerunner in the race with 15 others, including his friends. The others were the Chairman of TETFUND, Musa Babayo; ex-Minister of Commerce, Idris Waziri; the incumbent Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar; a former National Chairman of NDP, Habu Fari; a former member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Wakil; a former Minister of Defence, Shettima Mustapha; a former Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US, Dr. Hassan Adamu; a former National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Prof. Rufai Alkali; Ibrahim Bunu; a former Local Government Chairman in Yobe State,

    Hassan Kafayus and a former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong.

    Five reasons accounted for the choice of Mu’azu as National Chairman. According to sources, the personal confidence which Jonathan has in Mua’zu appeared to be the last joker which made the PDP governors to change their minds to zone the office to either Borno or Yobe states. It was gathered that the President had been claiming that Mua’zu did him a ‘favour’ which he would never forget. Jonathan, who has refused to disclose the gesture to anyone, was said to have kept his game plan to his chest until Sunday night at the Presidential Villa. A source said: “The President has been saying that Mua’zu is trustworthy, reliable and a man who keeps faith with his words. We do not know what Mua’zu did to earn his confidence. I think while as governors, their path crossed on a matter and the support from Mua’zu dazed Jonathan. ” It was however gathered that the President believes that a known friend is better than the unknown.

    A member of the National Working Committee of the PDP attributed the emergence of Mua’zu to his ‘sterling qualities.’ He said: “Mua’zu is a bridge-builder, a leader who relates with Jonathan, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the aggrieved governors, the incumbent governors, and other stakeholders. Despite the fact that he was persecuted, he harbours no grudge against Governor Isa Yuguda. One unique thing about him is his reconciliatory spirit. We need this kind of spirit now to survive as a party.”

    It was also learnt that Mua’zu’s pedigree as a former governor would enable him to relate with all the organs of the party and earn their confidence on party matters. A PDP leader said: “He is leading the party with a rich experience of being a former member of NEC, National Caucus, BOT, and a man who knows the politics of the National Working Committee in and out.”

    Fourthly, investigation revealed that the PDP had problem with some of its chairmen in the past because they came in as spent forces or hungry men. Mua’zu was said to have a’contentment’ credential which would not make him to run after money or be a slave to monetary baits or gifts from the power brokers in the party.

     

    The task of

    redeeming PDP

     

    Having been conversant with the politics of PDP since 1999, the party leaders have set some targets for PDP including bringing back Obasanjo to the party, negotiating with aggrieved governors, winning the North-East for PDP, and creating a sense of belonging for the founding fathers and the young elements. Another source in PDP said: “Mua’zu is a loyalist of Obasanjo who can resolve the misunderstanding between the former President and President Jonathan.”

    THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

    In a January 9, 2013 to the President, the G-84 members in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) foresaw the exit of Tukur by declaring that party was stinking. The G-84 comprises some members of the National Working Committee (NWC), 24 ex-officio, 37 state chairmen of PDP and some former leaders of the party. The letter summarizes the challenges before Mua’zu. They highlighted the problems with PDP as follows:

    • breach of PDP constitution by not holding National Executive Committee(NEC) meeting

    •wrongful and consistent misinterpretation of PDP constitution.

    •Lack of democratic culture in the party

    •Arbitrary suspension of governors and members

    •management of the party in a cultish nature

    •exclusion of elected party officers by NWC from decision-making process

    •Wasting of party resources on personal events, functions, and chartering of aircraft

    •Fixing of wages and allowances by NWC members to the detriment of other elected officers

    •Arbitrary sharing of honourarium both in cash and kind.

    •Holding party /NWC meetings at personal residence instead of PDP Secretariat

    •Running a parallel NWC to take decisions on critical party matters with only his aides

    A source said: “We are unhappy with consistent misinterpretation of PDP constitution. The suspension of some governors, the sack of the National Secretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and some national officers of the party like the National Vice-Chairman, North-East, Senator Girigiri Lawal by the NWC was done in line with Article 29 Section 2(b) but without adequate reference to Article 57. The NWC has been arrogating to itself the power it does not have.

    “At least due process was not followed in exercising disciplinary action against some of our leaders. It means the NWC can wake up one day to suspend either the President or Vice-President. This same attitude made the NWC to revolt against Tukur on January 11, 2013 and early 2014.

    “We also noticed consistent breach of party’s constitution by not holding NEC meeting. Article 31, Section 4 of the party’s constitution says that ‘NEC shall meet at least once per quarter.’ The last NEC meeting was forced on Tukur.

    “These breaches and grievances accounted for the delay in convening NEC meeting because members are angry. People talk of Tukur being afraid of the PDP governors as the main reason for not summoning NEC.”

     

    THE MORAL BURDEN ON JONATHAN, MU’AZU

     

    Barely a few hours after his anointing, there were issues around the choice of Mu’azu bordering on his tenure as the governor of Bauchi State, alleged indictment by the Bauchi State Government and ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). A quiet and unassuming person, Mua’zu is running into storm early in the day with his moral pedigree like some of his predecessors. He has come into office with allegations of corruption which he needs to clarify for a smooth sail. The earlier Mua’zu comes clean, the better because the PDP has a culture of waiting for a slip from any incumbent chairman before raking up ‘dirty’ issues.

    Governor Isa Yuguda had raised a seven-man panel of inquiry, headed by, Justice Bitrus Sanga, to probe Mua’zu’s tenure. The commission claimed that over N20.4 billion was misappropriated during the eight-year administration of Mu’azu and recommended that the amount be recovered from individuals and groups found to have been responsible. There is no record that the new National Chairman had either refunded any money or be prosecuted.

    A source said: “The probe of Mua’zu by Yuguda was politically motivated; it was a consequence of Yuguda’s botched plans to secure the governorship ticket of the PDP in Bauchi State in 2007. Mua’zu had backed a former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Muhammad Nadada Umar.

    “There were allegations that Mua’zu was instrumental to the exit of Yuguda from the PDP having drawn a former National Chairman of the party, Senator Ahmadu Ali, to his side to nail the ambition of Yuguda in PDP.

    “Having won through a revolutionary process, Yuguda decided to bare his fangs to teach Mua’azu a great lesson.So, the probe commission was a product of vendetta. This is why nothing has come out of it.”

    On its part, the EFCC had summoned Mu’azu, over alleged mismanagement of public funds amounting to about N19.8billion. Mua’zu was summoned by the EFCC on June 24, 2008 through a letter, CR: 3000/EFCC/ABJ/ASO/TM5/VOL.5/596.

    Although the letter asked the ex-governor to report on or before July 3, 2008, he later relocated abroad on self-exile. But the anti-graft commission quizzed some former officials of Bauchi State Government including a former Commissioner for Finance, Alfa Ahmed; a former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Mohammed Nadada Umar; ex-Accountant-General for the state, Alhaji Bappa Tilde and the present Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Garba Noma. The case is still in abeyance as at the time of writing this analysis. A source in EFCC said: “When we invited Mua’zu, he said he was away to the UK for his daughter graduation in one of the universities and he did not return till 2010. He attended a graduation ceremony for about two years.

    “Upon his return, when we were ready with charges against him, Mua’zu said he had heart-related problems and he needed to sort himself out medically to be able to stand trial.” Responding to a question, the source added: “We have never charged him to court for once.”

     

    THE TASKS

    BEFORE MUA’ZU

     

    In spite of jubilation in Bauchi State and in some parts of the North over the emergence of Mua’zu as the National Chairman of PDP, the tasks before him are arduous. Yet, he has time constraint because the nation is already in an election year. His first assignment is how to keep PDP in order and united. There is much pretence that all is well with PDP but the cracks are everywhere either within the NWC or NEC or in the National Assembly where the party is almost losing its majority to the opposition, the All Progressives Congress(APC).

    A week before his choice, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had announced his withdrawal from all PDP activities. Mua’zu’s in-law, ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is still contemplating whether or not to leave the PDP. Already five governors(Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara) and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers) have defected to the APC alongside more than 171 members of the House of Representatives. The leaders are awaiting the magic wand that Mua’zu would wield to win back the aggrieved members. It will require many sleepless nights.

     

    THE BANANA

    PEELS IN PDP.

     

    Virtually all the organs of the PDP have been hijacked by vested interest such that the party’s national chairman, if not strong enough, would be a mere stooge. The banana peels are the powerful governors of the party, the NWC, the BOT and the NEC. No one captures the challenges anyone leading PDP would face than the immediate past National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who admitted that he went through difficult times in office. He said “A mortal who would lead PDP must be fearless, consistent and focused. Personal ambition, crave for sudden wealth and unimaginable level of treachery usually got the full attention of such stakeholders than anything else.

    “I did my best to bring PDP to good standard and international best practices in politics. I came in with the mind-set to reform the party by promoting the principle of election instead of selection and the idea of consensus instead of imposition.

    “Alas, I was proved wrong by those who believed that the old order in PDP must be retained, not for any good thing, but for their selfish interests.

     

    2015 POLL AS A

    MAJOR TEST

     

    The fairness or otherwise of the coming primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party at the ward, local government area, state and national levels would make or mar whatever is left of the PDP. His successor, Tukur had planned to do away with automatic ticket syndrome and godfatherism but the cabals in the party would not allow merit. With an assumption that Mua’zu was made the National Chairman of PDP to make the second term of Jonathan a fait accompli, he needs to prove otherwise that he can be fair and just. For now, history beckons on Mua’zu to prove that he learnt a lot from exile in Dubai. Otherwise, his second chance might be consigned to the dustbin of history. Will he etch his name in gold?

  • Chieftain urges APC supporters to shun personal interests

    Chieftain urges APC supporters to shun personal interests

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Prince Olufemi Adekanmbi, at the weekend lauded the inauguration of the Interim Committee of the party in the state.

    He urged the party’s leadership not to allow their personal ambition frustrate efforts of the party’s national executives to turn APC to the ruling party at the centre.

    Adekanmbi was reacting to the disagreement that trailed the inauguration of a 31-member interim Executive Committee in Ondo State.

    The Committee is chaired by the former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

    At the ceremony, former Commissioner for Information, Prince Olu Adegboro, was appointed the Secretary and Chief Ebenezer Akinwekomi became the treasurer.

    Some groups led by a Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Environment, Mr. Bola Ilori, and Chief Sola Iji, expressed grievances over the inauguration of the committee, saying the executives were not duly appointed.

    The group, which has members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in its fold, said strangers were picked for their own slots.

    Adekanmbi urged members of the party to work together as a team ahead of the 2015 general elections, saying the party cannot afford to lag behind in Ondo State again.

    The APC leader noted that this was not the best time for the leaders of the party to allow ambitions kill the vision of the party’s national leaders to change the fortune of the party in the state.

    While urging APC’s leadership at the national level to wade into the crisis, Adekanmbi said all other members of other political parties that merged to form the APC must be carried along in the party’s affairs to harmonise its members.

  • PDP’s litany of double standards

    PDP’s litany of double standards

    SIR: Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state defected from ANPP to PDP as a sitting governor, the PDP accepted him, while the ANPP did not go to court. Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia defected from PPA to PDP as a sitting governor,

    PDP accepted him while PPA didn’t go to court. Former Governor of Imo state Ikedi Ohakim decamped from PPA to PDP in 2009 as a sitting governor, no issue was raised.

    Former Governor Saminu Turaki of Jigawa left ANPP to PDP as a sitting governor, nothing was said. It’s a similar story with ex-governor Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi of Zamfara state who left ANPP for the PDP as sitting governor.

    Many more Senators and members of federal and states house of assembly left the parties they were voted on to join the PDP, these parties didn’t make a case. Now the dying PDP is asking the court to declare the seats of Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara who recently decamped from the PDP to the opposition APC. Not only that, indications are on that the PDP with the assistance with the powers-that-be plans to use some state assembly members to impeach some of these governors; this may happen in Rivers in which plans are on to use five against 26 to carry out this special assignment.

    Why is the PDP so greedy? If they are against this practice of serving officials elected on their platform switching to other parties, they would

    have set a good precedence in the past by advising all the above mentioned governors who at one time or the other left their parties to join the PDP to resign from their positions before joining the party or better still, refuse to admit them into the party at the various time they sought to join.

    • Halilu Hassan.

    Kaduna.

  • Enugu PDP chief defects to APC

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State, Dr. Sam Onyishi, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Onyishi, managing director of Peace Mass Transit, was welcomed into APC at a stakeholders’meeting in Enugu on Sunday.

    A source told reporters that Onyishi declared his interest in the governorship on APC’s platform.

    APC’s National Welfare Officer Emma Eneukwu confirmed that Onyishi joined the party.

    “We have welcomed him into our fold. He has defected to a party he feels will serve his interest better. May be he feels that PDP is being run as a cartel and decides to look for a better platform,” Eneukwu, ex-spokesman for the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), said.

    Southeast spokesman for APC Osita Okechukwu said the defection was a signal that PDP was declining in the state.

    According to him, Onyishi, having read the APC manifesto, appreciated the difference between its progressive philosophy and the PDP’s conservative philosophy.

    “APC is the home of social democrats and humanists like Onyishi. He is welcome into our fold. Luckily, coming from Nsukka zone, our party, after consultation, may make him the consensus governorship candidate in 2015,” he said.

    Other APC bigwigs, who received Onyishi at the meeting, included Peter Okonkwo, Okechukwu Ezea and Valentine Nnaedozie.

    Ezea described Onyishi’s defection as a good development, saying he was happy others were realising that PDP do not guarantee people a level-playing field.

     

  • Can APC sustain tempo?

    Can APC sustain tempo?

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) is enlarging its coast. But, there are more hurdles to cross. EMMANUEL OLADESU and LEKE SALAUDEEN examine the challenges that will confront the opposition party, ahead of 2015 general elections.

    The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thought that it was a joke. When the merger was being mooted, its chieftains predicted doom for the merging parties. Even, when the All Progressives Congress (APC) was registered by the electoral commission, PDP chieftains dismissed it as an empty threat. But, following the defection of five aggrieved PDP governors to the APC, the ruling party became jittery. Now, the stage for a titanic battle for power at the federal and state levels in the next general elections.

    The decision of the defunct parties-the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)-and a section of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to evolve a strong platform was a major breakthrough for the opposition. There is political streamlining, as reflected in the restoration of the two-party system, and the prospects of a one-party state is dimmed.

    “The chance of rigging will be slim in 2015,” said Mr. Olawumi Gasper, former Rector of Lagos State Polytechnic. “It will be a battle of ideas. Nigerians will have clear choice. There will be a ruling party and a strong opposition and the country will make progress,” he added. The National Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Mr. Ayo Opadokun, supported this argument. He said that a credible alternative platform represents a government-in-waiting. “Democracy will flourish because of the role of the opposition in democracy”, he stressed.

    However, many challenges will confront the main opposition party as it prepares for future polls. The prelude to the 2015 battle will be the governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states next year.

    The APC Interim National Women Leader, Mrs. Sharom Ikeazor, spoke on the hurdles, shortly before declaring open the Southwest APC Women Wing in Lagos, last week. She admonished the party leadership to intensify the campaign for electoral reforms. “Anambra election was enough lesson for us in the APC. Our candidate was the best, but the electoral commission was compromised. We need to intensify the campaign for the sanctity of the ballot box so that we can have one man one vote”, Okeazor said.

    Adekunle-Ibrahim said the “electoral carnage” may continue to work against the APC, if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not purged of its unpatriotic elements. But, he also emphasised the need for the party to put its house in order. “APC has two elections in Ekiti and Osun. As the party is enlarging its coast, it should also protect its gains. Ekiti and Osun are parts of its strongholds. To the best of my knowledge, the party is united in Osun. In Ekiti, the APC has to unite the party and settle the rift between the camp of the governor and supporters of Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele. It is better for the APC to mend the crack,” he said.

    The APC leaders made enormous sacrifices. Former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, who explained the vision and mission of the party, to reporters in Lagos, said that it was formed in the national interest. He recalled that the leaders of the merging parties decided to forfeit their platforms, sink their slight differences and make sacrifice for the country. But analysts contend that the leaders must be ready to make more sacrifices, ahead of 2015, to get to the promised land.

    As the APC harmonises the ACN, CPC, ANPP and APGA structures at state, local and ward levels, there is the additional challenge of accommodating the ‘new PDP structures’ in states controlled by the governors that recently defected to the party. The promise made to the governors must also be honoured by the leadership to engender trust and confidence.

    The interim APC leadership reflects the spread of the party across the six geo-political zones. Although the setting up of the structure generated some skirmishes, it was not essentially destabilising. According to observers, what was at work was the internal crisis resolution mechanism and the mutual trust among the founding fathers. It is great lesson in party management. Conflict is part of politics, but it should not be allowed to fester to the level of becoming a threat to the existence of the organisation.

    How to formalise ward, local government, state and national structures is the next assignment during its proposed inaugural national convention. It is to the credit of the party leadership that the APC has, so far, being run as a mass movement. “What we have observed is that ACN, ANPP, and CPC members do not retain their old identities in the new party. Therefore, the APC can’t be polarised by caucuses,” said Adekunle-Ibrahim. “In setting up party leadership structures, not only are the founding fathers expected to make more sacrifices, they should also begin to build a culture of equity, fairness and justice in matters relating to the choice of party officers,” he added.

    When a party is growing in leaps and bounds, party management becomes more challenging. Many believe that it will be counter-productive for the new APC members to relate to the organisation as chieftains of the old ACN, ANPP, CPC and APGA. The interim chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, had allayed this fear. He said that the APC will not recognise any senior and junior partners, adding that members will enjoy equal treatment.

    The events taking place in the APC may ultimately influence the PDP’s response to many critical issues. Eyes are also on the APC as it brainstorms on the choice of its presidential candidate and his running mate. The flag bearer will mirror the platform, its manifestoes, ethos, values and promise. Whoever will emerge is important, but how he emerges is more important. The various positions and approaches germane to choice, selection and shadow election should be harmonised without internal bickering and bitterness. If the party puts its house in order at that level and there is no post-primary crisis, it will be fortified to forge ahead for the most critical battle.

    The task of mobilising for power shift in 2015 is critical. The ruling party may turn the heat on the APC through intimidation, harassment and blackmail. Pockets of dissention among the co-travellers may not be ruled out.

    There are issues of leadership ego that must be handled with care, if the party is to avoid internal crisis in some states. For instance, in Kano State, Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso and his predecessor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, are political foes, who are now in the same camp. Shekarau defeated Kwakwanso in 2003. But Kwakwanso bounced back in 2011. Also, the APC should reconcile former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa and Governor Aliyu Wamakko. The two are political rivals.

    A party source disclosed at the weekend that reconciliation committees for Kano and Sokoto states have swung into action. The source said that former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari would reconcile Shekarau and Kwankwaso. “The elders are aware of the differences among some frontline members and they are taking necessary steps to bring them together. We are preparing safe landing measures for Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola in Osun State and Chief Segun Oni in Ekiti State, if they eventually join the APC. We want every member to feel free and exercise their rights in a peaceful atmosphere. In our party, there is no joiner, no founder. That’s what Chief Akande said.”

    A university don, Dr David Aworawo, observed that the APC had started well. He said one of the challenges confronting the party is the reconciliation of divergent views and interests. as the immediate challenge of the APC. Aworawo, who teaches at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), noted that political parties are formed by people who share the same ideology and philosophy. With the merger of the new PDP, he said that more work should be done. “The new PDP chieftains now in the PDP have their interest to pursue and achieve. So, the immediate task now is how to reconcile the divergent interest of the conservative PDP and the progressive APC”, he said.

    In Aworawo’s view, the challenge can be surmounted. “What both sides need to do is to shift from left and right to the centre. The reconciliation of extreme positions is possible, especially in the overall interest of the country. General Muhammadu Buhari in the midst of progressives today. Some people considered him as a reactionary and conservative element. But today, Buhari is a leader of the progressives,” he added.

    A lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Dr Tunji Ogunyemi, advised the party to accommodate the five PDP governors without discrimination. The major task before the APC, he said, is grassroots mobilisation. “The party should reach out to the rural areas by sensitising the grassroots people on the new development in the polit,” he said. However, Ogunyemi cautioned the leadership of the party against the fifth columnist. He warned that the PDP may penetrate its ranks by planting spies in the party.

    Civil rights activist Shehu Sani urged the APC to devise a mechanism for checkmating infiltration by PDP lackeys into the party. He said the growing influx of PDP chieftains and their quick embrace by the party is a matter of concern. Sani said that while the APC opens its doors, it should be conscious of plots, mischief and sabotage by infiltrators.

    APC also faces the test of internal democracy. Sani said: “The APC must imbibe the culture of internal democracy. It must provide a level playing ground for all its members and avoid the imposition of candidates, which have in the past contributed to the failures of opposition parties in winning elections.”

    Ogunyemi supported this view. He advised the party to create a level playing ground for aspirants to test their popularity. Through that, he said, members would be involved in the selection process and whoever that emerges will be acceptable to all and sundry.

    The party’s interim National Legal Adviser, Dr Muiz Banire, has assured that there would be no imposition of candidates. “Nobody can tell you who will be the presidential candidate. We will be more transparent in picking the party’s standard bearer than any other party. The APC is a credible alternative to the PDP. We have to demonstrate to the whole world that we are superior to them. There will be no imposition of candidates. This is a new era. People will decide who should be the party’s standard bearer”, he said.

    Banire cited the registration of members as a challenge. “We expect a huge turnout at all registration centres. We are going to provide necessary logistics that would make it easier for people to register without stress. I am sure that committed members of the party will be willing to assist the party in providing some resources to ensure a hitch-free registration. I am sure we will surmount all the challenges that may arise”, he added.

    Sani advised the APC to device credible means of assuaging the fears of Christians in the North and the Igbos in the South, who are complaining about marginalisation by the party. This, he said, can be achieved through equitable representation in the party’s National Executive Committee. “This will help in neutralising the propaganda and misinformation by the adversaries of the party now using religion to smear it”, he said.

  • 2015: I have not anointed any candidate, says Buhari

    2015: I have not anointed any candidate, says Buhari

    Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) General Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday in Kano cautioned some members of the party said to be dropping his name to desist forthwith.

    He declared that he has not anointed any one for elective office in 2015 as being claimed in some quarters.

    Farouk Adamu, a former lawmaker from Jigawa State who represented him at a one-day sensitization workshop organized by APC Forum for Equity and Justice, in Kano, said: “I am one of the closest associates of General Muhammadu Buhari. The General has not anointed anybody.”

    Buhari, however, urged members of the APC in Kano to come together and form a formidable team that would be able to win convincingly in Kano in the 2015 elections.

    He described the APC as a fusion of different interests, parties and not about Buhari or anybody.

    ” Buhari’s candidate is the people’s candidate and whatever emerges from the party whether at the Presidential or state level or at any other level is Buhari’s candidate,” Adamu said.

    He said the forum was organized to unify the three main parties- CPC, ANPP and ACN- that fused into the APC.

    Alhaji Salihu Lukeman, who represented APC governors, said that all APC members in Kano are regarded with high esteem and advised them to shun rancour that could cause disaffection among them.

    Among dignitaries that graced the occasion were the APC leader in the State and former Minister of Labour, Alhaji Musa Gwadabe, a chieftain of the party, Alhaji Yusuf Ali, Senator Mohammed Mohammed from Bauchi State, former Kaduna State governor, Col Jafaru Isa (rtd), former Kano Deputy governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, Barau Jibril, Kawu Sumaila and other party stalwarts in the state.

     

     

     

  • 2015: Merger redefines political landscape

    2015: Merger redefines political landscape

    The merger of a PDP faction with the opposition yesterday is the biggest political cross-over since 1999. The merger seemed to have shifted political calculations in the country going into 2015 elections. Bolade Omonijo analysed the new political configuration

    This appears to be the season of the unprecedented. Before the merger of three major political parties – the Congress for Political Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was formalized in July following the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); there had been speculation that the move would be aborted before the consummation.

    However, four months after, the merger seems to have come to stay. The leading lights of the political movement have traversed the entire country selling their position on the Nigeria Project and insisting that the time had come for a change.

    Soon after, the crisis within the ruling PDP became unmanageable and the party was split down the middle. In the House of Representatives, the Senate, the party secretariat and the states, the PDP became a party divided against itself. Would it fall in 2015?

    Yesterday’s defection from the party by a faction that had gone by the appellation new PDP for months is the strongest indication that things would not be the same again. Those who left the PDP include the chairman of the faction, Alhaji Kawu Baraje who was a former Acting National Chairman of the party, a former national secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola who was also the immediate past governor of Osun State, former governors Bukola Saraki of Kwara State, Danjuma Goje of Gombe and Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State.

    Others, Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, Abdulafattah Ahmed of Kwara and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers have taken the plunge and it remains to be seen the weight to be attached to their crossing.

    2011 and 2015: a comparative analysis

    The figures from 2011 suggest that APC may be poised to give PDP a strong fight at the 2015 general elections. In 2011, the elections in Kano showed that the leaders now in APC dictated the pace. In the presidential election, the party’s candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, polled 1.62 million votes, followed at a distance by ANPP’s Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau who was the governor of the state. In the third place was President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP’s candidate with 440,686 votes, leaving ACN’s Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in the fourth position with a paltry 42,363 votes. Now, all the four leading parties in the state are in the state structure. Thus, it has become academic to ask which the dominant party in the state is. While the dynamics swung in favour of the PDP in the hotly contested governorship poll, the leading parties merely shuffled their positions.

    The celebrated performance of Kwankwaso since he resumed the office he was made to vacate in 2003 has strengthened his position in the state, and Buhari remains a cult figure, especially among the masses and the youth in the entire far North.

    If things do not change and the APC is united going into 2015 elections, no other party stands a chance.

    Kwara has always presented a fascinating scenario to political analysts. For decades, the late Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki ruled the waves. He literally dictated the pace of things and direction of voting. It took his disaffection with the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1983 to pave the way for the Unity Party of Nigeria. He literally singlehandedly installed Alhaji Shaaba Lafiagi as governor in the Third Republic and Rear Admiral Mohammed Alabi Lawal at inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999.

    In 2003, he brought in his son, Bukola Saraki who repeated the feat in 2007. However, a parting of way between father and son in 2011 saw the emergence of the current governor who had received the blessing and support of the former governor, now in the Senate. So, just before the transition of the former strongman, another had emerged. The former governor has f a full hold on the PDP structure in Kwara State. He is in the Senate alongside Lafiagi who is a strong member of his political tendency. If there is understanding among the political roller coasters from the legacy parties that have coalesced into the APC in Kwara, victory is certain in all elections in 2015.

    In the 2011 presidential election, the Bukola Saraki-led PDP was credited with 288, 243 or 64 per cent of the total votes cast while the CPC polled 83,603 and the ACN 62,432. As in Kano, all three tendencies are now in the APC. It is a formidable platform.

    In Sokoto, the dominant parties in all the elections in 2011 were the CPC and PDP. Governor Wamakko’s disenchantment with the party had begun to show at the PDP presidential primaries in Abuja where delegates from Sokoto clearly voted against President Jonathan. At the presidential election, CPC polled 540,769 votes to PDP’s 309,067. While the reverse was the case in the governorship election that returned Wamakko to office, all the elections showed that the PDP and CPC decided what happened in the state. They also proved the electoral worth of the governor. When it is noted that former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa is also involved in the formation of the APC, it is obvious that the next elections are for the APC to lose in the state.

    The situation in Rivers State is not as straightforward. While the PDP swept the polls the last time, the defection of Governor Amaechi is an acid test of his popularity. How much of the victory in 2011 could be attributed to Amaechi’s personal charm and what proportion could be credited to the party structure? At the moment, the governor retains hold of the governance structure as well as the dominant faction of the party. However, the sentiment that a son of the region is President and the hostility of other PDP governors in the South South would test the resilience of the governor who was Speaker of the House of Representatives for eight year. The fact that he retains the control of the legislature and representatives in the National Assembly is an indication that he is a strong factor in his own right.

    Hitherto, Rivers has been a one-party state and is renowned for an uncanny ability to turn up crucial votes for the winning party. Would the trend continue in 2015? A call cannot be easily made at the moment until the caliber of candidates and other factors unfold.

    The trend in Adamawa where Governor Murtala Nyako was one of the first to indicate that it was all over with the PDP is not much different from the Rivers State scenario. Nyako has enemies within and without. The move to register the Peoples Democratic Movement spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been attributed to the uneasy relationship he has at home with Nyako. It is to be noted, too, that the party’s national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur hails from the state. The situation remains foggy. How it turns out remains to be seen.

    In Nasarawa State where CPC’s Governor Tanko Al-Makura holds sway, he narrowly won the 2011 governorship poll. He has since been making efforts to consolidate his hold on power. He has a formidable foe in the PDP that has former Governor Abdullahi Adamu as captain. Now that Adamu is in the same boat with the governor, Al-Makura could breathe easy. However, it remains to be seen whether interests and ego would not affect their relationship in the run up to 2015. United, the state would remain in the APC fold.

    If the scenario prevailing today remains till 2015, the general election would be the first to provide real contest. In the entire Far North, comprising states in the North East and North West, 13 in all, the PDP will have to struggle to rake up sizeable votes. In the Middle Belt of North central states, both major parties remain strong. The South East and South South remains impregnable for the PDP and APC will have to struggle to make the 25 per cent mark outside Rivers and Edo. How fast Governor Rochas Okorocha, backed by the likes of ex-Governor Achike Udenwa can move remains to be seen.

    The South West is likely to remain a stronghold of the APC. It has a tradition of filing behind progressive parties and, the fact that there would be a strong contest would likely encourage the people to votes in high numbers for the tile-tested progressive platform.

    If it were to be a football march, commentators would describe it as a crunchy tie. The challenge is to ensure that all elections henceforth, starting with Ekiti and Osun next year are free, fair and credible. Otherwise, rigging becomes the overriding factor.

  • Governors’ defection long overdue, says presidential aide

    A MID fears that some governors defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) may affect the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, said yesterday that the action is a welcome development.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Gulak said their movement was no threat to the PDP and the Presidency ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    He said the pronouncement by the aggrieved governors would spur an influx of new members to the PDP from other parties.

    Reacting to the defection, Gulak said: “Well, I know as of fact that five of them say that they will now join APC. But I know that two of them issued statements that they are not part of that, Governor of Niger and Governor of Jigawa State. This is the fact on ground.”

    “And I believe those others, for long time and I have said it before, that their hearts have not been in PDP. It is good that they have shown the world that they have taken a stand. So that PDP will not be distracted, so that PDP, as a party, will be focused to build our party because a lot of people are waiting for this moment. A lot of people even in the APC, ACN, ANPP have contacted me that they want to come back to PDP and they were just waiting for what happened today to happen. And to us, it is a good development.

    “The Presidency does not feel threatened, the PDP does not feel threatened. The PDP is the party to beat. We have had it before; even people who occupied higher offices left the party and came back to the party. Outside there, there is nothing, it’s empty. PDP is the only party.”

    The presidential aide also maintained that the PDP will be ready to welcome them back if they decide to return.

    “Reconciliation is an ongoing thing. If they go outside, they are like those that went there before them and test that the outside there is empty, they are always welcome back home, like we did before.” He stated

  • Why aggrieved governors’ action is legal, by lawyers

    Why aggrieved governors’ action is legal, by lawyers

    Did the seven aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) violate any law by joining the All Progressives Congress (APC)? No, say lawyers.

    The governors’ action is legal because that there is no constitutional provision that they cannot move from one party to another under any circumstance.

    Unlike legislators, governors do not have to prove that their party is factionalised in order to retain their seats, lawyers said.

    The governors, therefore, can retain their seats even though they were elected on a different political platform (PDP).

    Besides, lawyers said until the Constitution is amended to that effect, it is not an impeachable offence for a governor to cross to another party.

    According to them, Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution clearly states

    that a person shall only be qualified for election into the office of the governor of the state if he is a member of a political party and sponsored by a political party.

    The same constitution, lawyers noted, did not state that such a person cannot leave that party after achieving electoral victory.

    Lawyers referred to the decided case of Abubakar Atiku versus Attorney-General of the Federation, in which the Supreme Court held that a person sponsored by a political party to power could leave the same party to another without breaching any section of the constitution.

    According to them, there are also instances where even elected legislators changed parties without losing their seats.

    In the senate, Dr Wahab Dosunmu, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe and Senator Musuliu Obanikoro, all elected on the platform of Alliance of Democracy (AD) defected to the PDP.

    Chief Arthur Nzeribe (Imo), Senator John Nwanunu (Abia) and Dr Usman Kadir (Kogi) defected from the All Nigeria People Party (ANPP) to the PDP.

    In Abia State, Senator Uche Chukwuemerije, elected on the PDP platform, defected to the Progressive People Alliance (PPA).

    Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) was of the view that the fact that there even exists a faction within the PDP makes the governors’ action legal.

    “The Constitution and the Electoral Act are very clear on that. Once there are factions, it gives room for an elected public office holder to move to another party,” Akintola said.

    Chief Rickey Tarfa (SAN) said such cross-carpeting is in consonance with the freedom of association guaranteed by the Constitution.

    “I think a governor defecting from one party to the other is legal depending on the circumstances, but first of all we have the freedom of association,” he said.

    For Dr Joseph Nwobike (SAN), there is nothing illegal about the governors’ joining APC considering the divisions within the PDP.

    “The point is that before today, there is no doubt that there had been serious political division within PDP.

    “What the Constitution contemplates is that if there is no division, then it is not legal to move to another party.

    “There is this case of Benson Arekpe against Bendel State House of Assembly, which dealt with the issue.

    “It was stated that except where there is a division, you cannot decamp to another political platform having been elected on another.

    “But in this particular case, it does appear that there is a political division with the formation of the New PDP and parallel executives and all that, although the new PDP was declared as null and void and unconstitutional.

    “But that does not take away the fact that there was indeed political division within the PDP. So, arising from that, one can say that the decampment may not be altogether legally wrong.

    “Having regard to the fact that there was indeed some measure of divisions within the PDP, then there seems to be a justification for the movement from the PDP to the New PDP and from the New PDP to APC,” Nwobike said.

    A constitutional lawyer Mr Ike Ofuokwu said a governor is not bound by law to remain in the party from which he was elected.

    His words: “It is the inalienable right of the aggrieved governors of the PDP and other members of the new PDP to change their membership of a political party at any time it pleases them so to do.

    “This right of association is fundamental and constitutional. Therefore their action is legal.

    “That they were elected on the platform of a different political party does not in any way invalidate their positions.

    “The framers of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that a governor must be a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party.

    “However, once he is sworn in as governor, he becomes the governor of a state and not of his political party, because even people from outside his political party must have voted for him.”

    Ofuokwu said the Supreme Court may still have make a definite pronouncement on the issue of cross-carpeting.

    “On the other hand, going by the interpretation of the judgment of the supreme court in the Rotimi Amechi v Celestine Omehia’s case one can say that their seats belongs to the parties on whose platform the election was won.

    “I envisage a plethora of cases, both frivolous and otherwise, to test the legality of this decision which the PDP itself had tolerated and allowed to thrive amongst its own fold in the past thereby making it an acceptable convention, or so it seems,” Ofuokwu said.

    A University of Lagos (UNILAG) law lecturer, Wahab Shittu, believes that once a governor has been elected, he is no longer beholden to his party.

    He said: “Membership of political parties is a reflection of choice and is open to every Nigerian depending on their perespective of choice.

    “The G-7 governors are at liberty to change camps and the retention of their seats cannot be prejudiced because they are now the governors of their respective states and not governors of their parties.

    “The issue which is debatable is whether or they carry a moral burden. But no legal obstacle exists,” Shittu said.

    Activist-lawyer Bamidele Aturu said the governors acted in line with the Constitution.

    “Governors are under no legal disability for crossing from one party to another. Their constitutional mandate is statewide.

    “Only legislators need to show that there is factionalisation in the party they are exiting from to keep their seats if they cross to a new party. This disability does not attach to governors,” Aturu said.