The new Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Adamu Mu’azu, has been moving round the country in a deperate bid to save the once formidable ruling party which was torn to shreds before his emergence. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, in this report, asks if Mu’azu’s task is indeed a mission impossible?
Adamu Muazu’s emergence as the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was as intriguing as the Herculean task he is expected to accomplish. His predecessor, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who, during his tenure, enjoyed President Goodluck Jonathan’s full support had run into deep waters and could no longer be saved even by Jonathan. So, aspirants for the party’s topmost job began to press buttons for recommendations.
By mid January 2014, the list of leading candidates for the job included former Minister of Commerce, Idris Waziri, former Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, former Acting National Secretary of PDP, Musa Babayo, a former spokesman of the party, Ahmed Rufai Alkali, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ibrahim Bunu and Adamu Mu’azu, a former governor of Bauchi State.
Given the open secret that Jonathan preferred Umar to the other candidates, only very few observers and insiders gave Mu’azu a chance. That was before the final intrigues.
Politics of PDP and Mu’azu’s emergence
It began long before the emergence of former National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, in 2012. Some power brokers in the party, especially the North-East top leaders, had faulted Jonathan’s choice of Tukur. When Jonathan ignored their advise and confirmed Tukur, the long drawn battle began. Although Tukur held on until early this year, observers said his emergence, without the support of some power blocs within PDP was part of the genesis of the crisis within the PDP, which he could not manage and which Mu’azu is expected to resolve.
Given this background, informed insiders were not surprised on the final day of the race for PDP top job this year’s January, when most of the influential PDP chieftains and the governors supported North-East PDP governors to challenge alleged Jonathan’s choice in favour of Mu’azu. According to an insider source, “It was a last minute intervention that Sunday night. Mr President had held crucial meetings with top party stakeholders, including Vice President Namadi Sambo, PDP governors, Senate President David Mark and others. In those meetings, most of the power brokers supported the North-East caucus, who insisted on Mu’azu as a consensus candidate. That matter came to a head when Jonathan confidants like Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio, Bayelsa State governor, Serieke Dickson, David Mark and others also advised him to endorse Mu’azu. Probably determined to avoid a repeat of what happened when he insisted on Tukur, Mu’azu got the president’s nod ahead his alleged favoured candidate.
It would be recalled that in a zonal congress election conducted by the North-East PDP in Bauchi to choose a consensus candidate for the zone in 2012, it was Babayo that got 14 votes then to defeat the other contenders. That notwithstanding, Jonathan had given the position to Tukur, who allegedly got only four votes then.
The tasks ahead
Ma’azu emerged as the National Chairman of PDP at a time the party is facing its worst challenge since its formation in 1998. The 2015 presidential ticket and alleged Preident Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election ambition had created so much division and disagreement within the party. This was worsened by the emergence of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC), followed by the mass defection of PDP top shots, including serving governors, federal and state lawmakers.
So, the lot today falls on Mu’azu to resolve the crisis within and save the party from total collapse, a task, which PDP opponents and critics have dismissed as an impossible task. Mu’azu disagrees.
To prove that he can change the tide, especially the reconciliation challenge, Mu’azu, since his emergence, has been moving round the country, meeting with stakeholders in a desperate bid to save the party. At the last count, he had consulted with leaders like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former military President Ibrahim Babangida and powerful traditional rulers. Soon after his emergence, he also publicly begged serving governors, who defected from PDP to APC like Rotimi Amaechi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, among others, to return to PDP. As the gale of defections continue till date, there are divided opinion as to whether Mu’azu has what it takes to successfully carry out the PDP reconciliation agenda. Chief Israel Ukegbu, a grassroots leader explains that “Mu’azu may mean well but it will take a change of the PDP structure that promoted the culture of impunity and injustice to fully carry out the reconciliation agenda. Tukur could not resolve this problem, not because he lacked the skill but because the chairman alone cannot change PDP. If he can’t, I don’t know how Mu’azu can,” he said.
The Obasanjo dilemma
It remains to be seen if Mu’azu’s advances towards reconciling former Preodnt Olusegun Obasanjo and Jonathan can yield any positive fruit without first returning his sacked loyalists to their plum positions. Just before his emergence, Obasanjo had resigned his position as the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees and had since written several letters that scathingly criticised the government of Jonathan. To help reconcile Jonathan with his estranged godfather, Obasanjo, one of Mu’azu’s first assignments as the National Chairman was a meeting with the former president.
2015 presidential ticket
Of all the challenges that Mu’azu has to tackle as Chairman, the issue of 2015 presidential ticket remains most tricky. This is because of the demands of the North to be given the ticket, based on alleged zoning policy and Jonathan’s desperate bid to serve another term.
So, the most herculean task before Mua’azu today is the conduct of the party’s presidential primary. Can Mu’azu give the ticket to another candidate if Jonathan’s interest remains sustained? If he yields to Jonathan, will he enjoy a better treatment from his people up North than his predecessor, Tukur?
Does Mu’azu have the magic wand?
PDP members and supporters think he has what it takes. Former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, who recently joined PDP, said he believes a great change is imminent in PDP because “the present chairman of our party is very energetic, a listener; he is someone who can take advice. Therefore, we believe that whatever advice we can give, he will make use of. We are advising him, not for our personal interest but to move our party forward. We don’t have any problem with the current leadership of PDP, the National Chairman and the National Working Committee. I believe they are going to make the PDP better.”
He told The Nation recently that “Mu’azu is not a difficult person, so by his emergence as the National Chairman of PDP, I think God has answered the people’s prayers. This is because Mu’azu believes he can’t do it alone. He needs people’s support, people’s advice. Any leader that admits he can’t do it alone has already solved the problem. But any leader who thinks he can do it alone will soon have problems. I believe Mu’azu is ready, he is determined to bring PDP to a better position.”0
Also, the Chief of Staff to Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State, Honorable Yusuf Salisu Majigiri “From the look of things, we are seeing the end of the crisis. It is normal to have crisis in any society because, on the long run, it makes the society even better; the only reason ours appears apparent is because we are in power. I must commend my party leadership over the way the new administration of Adamu Muazu emerged. Already his efforts are yielding results. There is reconciliation going on.The platform and ability of the party to win election is of utmost importance. Regarding the issue of who becomes what in 2015, at this point, is not important to the party but the stability of the party is what everyone is working towards. We want to have a united, consolidated partly before taking any future action.”
It remains to be seen how far he can go to justify such high rating.
