Following Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sheriff’s sudden resolve during the week to cooperate with the Governor Seriake Dickson’s Reconciliation Committee’s efforts, there is renewed hope that the prolonged leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party may be resolved amicably. But Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu and Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan report that there are still many bumps on Dickson’s route. How far can he go to save PDP?
Most observers and top stakeholders had concluded that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership crisis has deteriorated beyond political redemption.
Considering the extreme positions of the court-backed National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff and the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi’s factions, concerned observers and members had dismissed any suggestion of possible peaceful resolution of the prolonged crisis, pointing out that even if the Supreme Court finally gives the expected final ruling; the faction that will eventually lose out would likely pull out and further deplete the former ruling party in Nigeria, which blossomed at its peak to emerge the biggest political party in Africa.
That was before Thursday, March 23, 2017, when the two factions suddenly agreed to a ceasefire.
Reports had attributed the achievement of the truce to Thursday meeting of the groups with Bayelsa State Governor and the Chairman of the party’s Reconciliation Committee, Hon. Seriake Dickson, in Abuja.
Following comments attributed to Dickson before the meeting, which the Makarfi group interpreted as a proof that the governor had taken sides, many had expressed doubts that the Abuja meetings will not hold and that even if it does; it will not achieve any tangible result. But the first sign of a possible successful meeting was when the representatives of the warring factions arrived at the venue.
While Sheriff, the current National Chairman, was represented by Ahmed Gulak, Bernard Mikko and Cairo Ojougboh, Makarfi, the Chairman of PDP National Caretaker Committee, was represented by Prince Dayo Adeyeye and Rt. Hon Dave Iorhemba. The Nation gathered that the first 40 minutes of the gathering was tension soaked, a situation that changed significantly towards the end of the first hour of the over two hours deliberations.
At the end the meeting, chaired by Dickson, the communiqué signed by the representatives said, among others, that “all actors of the party should desist from making derogatory, inflammatory and divisive statements against party officials, stakeholders and members.
“That the party should not dissipate her energy amongst itself but to focus on how to unite and be a formidable opposition capable of taking over power from the failed APC-led government.
“That all key actors in the on-going peace process should henceforth desist from making public press statements attacking each other and statements insinuating negative acts capable of dragging the party to the mud.”
They also agreed that ”all key actors in the PDP have agreed to work together with National Reconciliation Committee led by Governor Seriake Dickson to engender peace and genuine reconciliation.”
The first sign of a possible ceasefire this week was when Dickson successfully held a meeting with Makarfi on Wednesday at the temporary Secretariat of the Markafi group. Before then, there have been reports of allegations and counter allegations, which deepened the crisis.
At the meeting Dickson had said “All officials of the PDP at the state and zonal levels elected before the May 21 botched Port Harcourt election convention remain valid.
“My committee will also meet with other key organs of the party to present the template. But let me add that this report is not cast in stone,” he said.
In his tacit response, Makarfi not only promised to study the template but to relate with other organs of the party on the report before making any serious pronouncement.
It would be recalled that barely a day before the meeting, Makarfi was quoted as expressing surprise at the current role being played by Dickson.
Asked to comment on the current role of the Bayelsa State governor, Makarfi had said, “Well, I am as confused and perplexed like the majority of the PDP members, because His Excellency, Governor Seriaki Dickson, will be in the best position to know why what happened happened. I would be wrong to outrightly say he has ulterior motive, maybe exuberance on his side, whatever it is, I don’t know, but I want to remind people that this peace issue has been on for a long time. General Ali Gusau had hosted us to several meetings in order to achieve political solution, one of the highlights then, which was suggested was that, both Ali Modu Sheriff and I should go. I opined that, the problem was not just Ali Modu Sheriff and I, there are other party issues. So, for us to clear the field once and for all, I opined that, if people are to go, it must be comprehensive, not just the two of us. And my fear was when the Court of Appeal made its pronouncement that, the status quo before 21st May should be reverted to, which confirms all fears at that time. And status quo means that, all national officers of the party, not just working committee should return to their seats. I think you see it now? Any political solution that is not all encompassing will still not solve the problem… So, you will be back to square one and in the eyes of the court is that you would have carried out an illegality.”
Makarfi made the comments while reacting to Dickson’s unexpected call for him to step down in the interest of the party.
He made the call while speaking with newsmen on in Abuja, where he said the stage was now set for all the chieftains and elders of the party to impress it on the caretaker committee to cede its authority to the Modu Sheriff-led leadership.
For those who knew that Dickson and most of the PDP governors had supported Makarfi, the development came as a surprise.
Explaining, Dickson said: “When the idea of making Sheriff the National Chairman of our party was hatched, I personally kicked against it.
“I also turned down all the overtures from Sheriff because I did not believe in him and what he did.
“So now, my position is that we have to move forward. I am a politician of conviction, I am not a politician of convenience and I am not a typical Nigerian politician,” Dickson said.
Pointing out that the party had “come to a threshold when the right political decision should be taken to end the prolonged crisis,” he said, “The Makarfi led caretaker committee should remember that it was a brain child of the majority of party members including I at a convention in Port Harcourt.
“I and up to 80 per cent of the population of the PDP members were for Makarfi but the unfolding events have compelled us to adopt a political resolution instead of embarking on further bickering.
“As politicians and democrats, we must first obey the constitution and all other instruments of civil rule and which includes obeying the judiciary,” he said.
He also said: “ We had expected that the Court of Appeal would give us judgment, but it rather upheld Sheriff as the National Chairman of the party.
“Whether anybody likes Sheriff’s face or not, the Makarfi-led caretaker committee was stripped of its authority to manage the affairs of the party the day the judgment was delivered.
“It was in the spirit to honour the court’s pronouncement that the party’s reconciliation committee that I chair submitted its report on how we shall move forward to Sheriff.
Jonathan’s factor
The Nation investigation shows that what happened in the Abuja meeting has its roots in former President Goodluck Jonathan and other PDP leaders’ recent moves to resolve the crisis. According to a Makarfi supporter, who pleaded not to be named, the agreement was possible because the former President and other PDP fathers have persuaded our members that a political solution will impact on the party more positively than a legal resolution. “What truce we are seeing today began the day the leader (Jonathan) changed his earlier stance of keeping away to re-unite the party. Nobody wants to pull down the house, but all that we all wanted was equity and fairness according to law and common sense,” he said.
It would be recalled that about three weeks ago, the governors of PDP, after holding a meeting with Jonathan resolved to adopt political, instead of legal approach in resolving party’s prolonged leadership crisis. The crucial meeting was attended by the governors of Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Taraba, Cross River, Abia, Ebonyi, Gombe and Bayelsa states while Rivers State was represented by the deputy governor.
Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, who briefed newsmen on the outcome of the forum’s meeting with Jonathan in Abuja, that Tuesday night, explained that the meeting was at the instance of Jonathan, adding that in their resolve to resolve the matter, all interests in the party would be represented.
“He, Jonathan, is genuinely concerned about what is going on in the party, and he thought that an interactive session with the governors will go a long way to dousing tension.
“We know that there are so many matters before the court but we believe that a political solution will go a long way to solve this matter.
“If we believe in this party, we will all be willing and ready to pursue a political solution, which at the end of the day every interest will be well represented. That is the position of this meeting,” he said.
Doubts, skepticism
The resolutions notwithstanding, concerned stakeholders and observers have expressed fears that the principal players, Makarfi and Sheriff may not give up their individual pride and personal claims so as to allow real peace in the party.
Contributing to this fear, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of PDP, Senator Walid Jubril, warned, while receiving the report of Dickson’s committee, that it was selfish ambition that was destroying the party, pointing out also that “Any attempt by any member to leave PDP for an unborn party is not a good decision. You cannot build a solid house and abandon it midway. We must never behave as never do well. We must resolve our compromises. We need two strong parties, PDP and other one.”
He advised his fellow party men to consider political solution, which he described as a ‘welcome,’ approach even as the judiciary is doing its work.
Even Dickson had to caution the two factions. While presenting the report to the revered organ of the party, the governor expressed the same sentiment when he said “We will also be failing to point out that whether we succeed or how soon we succeed will be based on the collaboration of all of us.
“Let us leave all personal grievances and ambitions behind. This party is not about Makarfi and Sheriff alone. Let us all unite, leave egos and ambition.”
He also revealed that Sheriff has written an undertaken not to contest for the position of National Chairman of the party at the planned convention and to allow the convention committee free hand to operate by ensuring that all party officers resign ahead of the convention.
Close associates of the principal actors confirmed at the weekend that the factional leaders were ready to give peace a chance.
‘We are committed to peace in PDP’
Reacting to the fears, associates of Sheriff and Makarfi told The Nation, during the week that their leaders are committed to real peace in PDP.
Former National Vice Chairman of the PDP and the Deputy National Chairman of the Sheriff’s faction of the party, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, who represented him at the last Abuja meeting with Dickson, expressed total commitment of the National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, towards restoring peace in the troubled party.
Ojuogboh, while expressing optimism that the current reconciliation effort being spearheaded by the Governor Dickson-led committee will spell peace and progress for PDP, said that Sheriff and everybody in his group are ready to work towards putting the party back on the path to lasting peace.
While regretting that the unending leadership tussle within the opposition party has adversely affected its performance as an opposition party as well as its preparation towards returning to power as soon as possible, Ojuogboh assures Nigerians that the PDP, being a strong and well rooted political party, will not disintegrate, in spite of its many challenges.
“Like we have said severally, it is the desire of the majority of our members nationwide that the party should be handed over to the people. I want to tell you that that is what Senator Sheriff is really interested in doing. All of us working with him believe in that assignment too and we will never be distracted in achieving that.
“Long before now, we have announced to the whole world that the PDP National Working Committee would as soon as possible organise a national convention that would lead to the election of credible leaders of the party. And now, we have a reconciliation effort that is supporting that desire. So, we are ready to work for the return of peace to our dear party,” he said on Friday in brief chat with The Nation.
It would be recalled the crisis came to a standstill when the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt on Feb. 17, 2017, affirmed Sheriff as the National Chairman of the party against a resolution of May, 2016 National Convention of the party that sacked the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
In place of the NWC and National Executive Committee of the party, the convention had constituted a National Caretaker Committee headed by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi to manage the party and organise an elective national convention.
The situation became further complicated when Sheriff challenged the development in court and got judgment, affirming him as chairman while Makarfi, supported by PDP Governors Forum and elders, including the Board of Trustee (BoT) headed to the Supreme Court for the final ruling.
Since then, observers had said the much awaited national convention may never materialise.
Unity convention
But following the turn of events, more PDP members now foresee a successful elective National Convention in which new leadership and generally accepted leadership of PDP will emerge this year. But the truce is coming even as the Supreme Court has fixed May 4 to hear the objections raised by Makarfi. This explains why some concerned stakeholders insist that the bumps on the route to peace in PDP are yet to be fully leveled.
“Yes, our members attended the meeting with Governor Dickson. That does not mean that the matter in court has been dropped. Until that is done, we cannot really say the legal solution to the PDP crisis has been abandoned in favour of a political solution. You and I know that a political solution can never be superior to the rulings of a Supreme Court, both in the case justice and of equity,” said a Makarfi associate who said he was not asked to speak for the faction.
Hinting on the behind-the-scene negotiations that led to the current understanding, Walid had assured Dickson that the BOT will meet with other organs of the party, “So that we can call our convention before or latest by June. “I want to assure our members that peace will return to PDP and all our differences will be resolved.”
The Nation’s investigation by Friday shows that the successes so far achieved by the Reconciliation Committee, especially the report and the communique of the last meeting with Dickson will only serve as the take-off basis for further negotiations. It remains to be seen if what happened in Abuja on Thursday, March 23, 2017, is truly a light in the PDP’s leadership dark tunnel.
