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Southwest has endorsed zoning to North, says Kashamu

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Senator Buruji Kashamu has said that the Southwest chapter has endorsed the zoning of the national chairmanship to the North.

He also said the zone will back the chairmanship aspiration of the Acting Chairman, Senator Modu Sheriff, at the national convention.

In a statement, the senator from Ogun East District said the Southwest PDP’s position is consistent with the position if the National Executive Committee (NEC).

The zoning formula has created crisis in the party, with many chieftains from the region rejecting the zoning of the chairmanship to the North. They complained that it was unfair for the North to produce the chairman when the party has considered zoning the presidency to the region.

The chieftains, including Chief Olabode George and Chief Ebenezer Babatope, have also condemned Sheriff’s aspiration to remain in office, recalling that he had promise to handover to a new helmsman at the convention.

But, Kashamu maintained that there is no going back on the zoning arrangement, adding that it has received the blessing of the Southwest PDP.

He said: “The NEC has endorsed our proposal that the position of the National Chairman should be retained in the North and the North-East in particular.

“The NEC has also zoned the offices of the National Secretary, National Auditor and National Publicity Secretary to the South-West.

“I wish to say that we would mobilise delegates from the Southwest to support the incumbent National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, to continue in office, if he indicates his interest in contesting for the position of the National Chairman at the May 21, 2016 National Convention, scheduled for Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

“I wish to say that, after consultations among the PDP Governors in the zone, NEC members, BoT members, NWC members, National Assembly members and other critical stakeholders, there will be another South-West PDP leaders’ meeting where the agreed zoning formula will be made public.”

Kashamu added: “It is, therefore, incumbent on all interested aspirants and stakeholders to return to their various domains for consultations and come up with their policy statements and programmes on why they seek the offices they seek.”

The politician said although he has been criticised for his proposals and actions, he will remain committed to the best interest of the party, the people of the Southwest and Nigeria.

May 13, 2016
‘Why PDP must adhere to zoning’

Former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Olabode George spoke with Emmanuel Oladesu and Musa Odoshimokhe on the zoning crisis and its implications for party unity.

What can PDP do to avert a parallel convention?

The party was founded on a tripod of justice, fairness and equity. This was the founding fathers’ principles to position the party. The moment we deviated from it, the PDP became an unstable platform. That means, we were politically unstable. That is, it will not be possible to go into proper governance. Some of us after the last election looked at what happened and felt it was not the best. We realised the party was given a bloody blow, but we were not knocked out completely.

Naturally, you are expected to do analysis of what happened. You try to find out how it happened and how to prevent a re-occurrence. So, we have been looking at all the suppositions in respect of what happened to the PDP during the last election. The organs of the party like the party caucus, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Commitee (NEC) went into action to discover what happened and prevent another episode. When the former National Chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu, left, the party was wobbling after we lost the election.

Uche Secondus became acting chairman because he was deputy to Mu’azu. And because of the structure and the way the party was conceptualised, the founding fathers devised a means where all stakeholders will have sense of belonging. They did this knowing full well that the Nigerian constitution does not reckon with zoning, but in their wisdom, they worked out a formula that recognised the geo-political zones. There are six positions which include the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker, Secretary to the government and national chairman. So, each zone will take one position. It means three positions will go to the north and three to the south. That is the zoning concept. so, there cannot be disagreement because at the end of the day, each zone will take something home.

What are the issues fuelling the crises?

I was at a meeting, where I represented the Southwest at the national caucus. Mu’azu had resigned. There were complaints and that Secondus could no longer perpetuate himself as the acting National Chairman because the position belonged to the Northeast. They were told to bring somebody and eventually Ahmed Gulak went to court on the issue and it became legal tussle. Somehow, Sheriff who also came from the zone, begged us to allow him to step in, in order to douse the tension. He had been in the All Nigerian People Party (ANPP), fighting the PDP people throughout his membership of the ANPP. So, for him to now come up to take the biggest prize of the party, the people were very angry about it. The BoT rejected the whole idea behind the choice of Sheriff; I have never seen such an expression of anger before. We now said let listen to Sheriff, he made a brilliant and very persuasive comment. He promised to sign out on May 21.

He said he will go with his colleagues and would draw a time table to that effect. In fact, he told us that all the members of the working committee have accepted to go after May 21. That they would set up the committee that would run the convention, we finally agreed and begged the people to consider him for the position, in order to get over the bridge. We agreed that the party was in a very precarious situation, that if we go under, there will be no other voice to counter government. Government cannot be right all the time, we must have alternative voice.

Once the presidency comes from the South, the Vice President must come from the North, the Senate President must come from the South, and the Speaker goes to the North. At the end of the day, you would have equitably distributed the offices. That is why I have always used the phrase: turn by turn. So, when some people said they don’t need zoning, I laughed. Zoning is ideal because of the congregation of Nigeria. We are not the only country doing it; we have the Germans, French and Italians adopting the formula. In countries where they adhere to the principle, you hardly hear of political chaos.

Nigeria was an artificial creation. Who do you expect to dump his culture, to adopt that of others? These are very serious issues in the in-depth analysis of party’s crisis. When the Ike Ekweremadu Committee was set to look at why we lost the election, one of the major recommendations was that, in 2019, the Presidency must go back to the North. Once the NEC has approved that, it means there must be a change. All that was previously enjoyed by the North must go the South and those of the South back to the North.

But, it’s like the Governors’ Forum agreed that the chairman of the party should go to the North and by 2019 produce the President. But, looking at it in the medical way, the chairman is to midwife the Presidential candidate, and the midwife being the new born baby would not be in effective position to produce the presidential candidate, if the chairman and presidential candidate should be produced the same year.

So, why are you kicking against this?

I was so angry when I heard that the Yoruba have rejected the chairmanship of the party. I was one of the people that traversed the length and breadth of the country, trying to convinced people on the need to build a solid party. But, I am surprised that some people from the southwest, who came from nowhere, are saying that Yoruba people don’t want chairman. That is sacrilegious; it’s like a cultural betrayal. How can you say that we don’t want it? Apart from our position, that we deserve the chairmanship, all other zones had produced the chairman of the party.

Now that they said it should remain in the North, then, there is no zoning formula in the real sense. Whatever has been zoned since that time, everybody should hold on to it. That is the fall back from this issue. Latest next year January, there must be a real national convention because from that time to 2019, we have two years before election. It has to be that the Southwest must occupy the position of National Chairman, to midwife the Presidential candidate. This is for justice, fairness and equity. And to my friend Sheriff, he should tow the path of honour.

The statement he made, when he was ushered in as the chairman, touched most of us and brought lots of calmness to the party. To now translate himself through whatever means as chairman after May 21 will lead to parallel congress. That will be the end of the party. Let him remember that he was never part of us; let him remain honorable with his words. Again, there must have been a waiver for him to have emerged as the party chairman.

Are you saying that the Southwest will contest the Presidency, if…

That is what we are saying. In fact, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja said he would contest the Presidency, if the North refused to adhere to the zoning formula. You know what that means; a divided house. We have not been knocked out yet, we were just given a technical knockout. So, we are just in comatose and work to reverse whatever misfortune on the way.

How will you manage the situation, so that people would not accuse you of dividing the party?

I am not looking for any position, but the truth must be told, so that the generation coming would say when there was trouble all over, Bode George spoke out his mind. I am bringing my experience to bear. Our founding fathers handed the party to us. how many of them are there or still active? I think it is only Baba Adamu Chiroma and Alex Ekweme who are still there. We are now septuagenarians and would also leave. For 16 continuous years, the PDP was in control.

That is the first time, it happened in the country, there was no break down. So, it’s a lesson for us, if we had continued the way things were going, we would not be able to correct the mistakes that came up. So, I am not afraid. Let them label me with whatever they feel, but the truth will come out. What is it that am looking for? I was Deputy National Chairman, Vice Chairman, I managed national elections, chairman for national conventions, if I cannot speak for my country now, then to hell with me.

Why are some people against the zoning of the chairmanship to the southwest?

I cannot rationalise why they are against it. It is cultural treason. In those days, it is an act of betrayal. If they had thought deeply, that it is something that will affect the people, they would not have such mind set. Their action is sacrilegious and could not have been given the desired thought before they decided on it. I have always made this statement; in politics we disagree but must never be disagreeable. Once it gets to that point of disagreeable, it means we have come to the point of no return.

May 13, 2016
How to resolve zoning crisis in PDP, by Ogunlewe

Former Minister of Works and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, is not happy with developments in his party. In this interview with EMMUANUEL OLADESU, he explains why the party should zone the National Chairman to the Southwest.

What does the proposed convention portend for the PDP?

If the convention is properly managed, it is going to be peaceful. But, if it is not well managed, it may divide the party and perhaps destroy it. We must not repeat the mistakes of 2014 when some of our members walked out of the convention. They went to a private place to hold their own convention. In this dispensation, the convention must be free and fair. It should be all inclusive. There should be no predetermined script, to sideline some people. This will be very dangerous for the party.

But, you have the secretary and publicity secretary zoned to the Southwest…

It is the secretary and the chairman of the party that have been zoned to the North. But, what we are saying is that we should sustain a zoning arrangement that every Nigerian will understand. That is, if the presidency goes to the North, the chairman of the party comes to the South. It must move either way and must be done in such a way to entrench harmony, otherwise there will be problem.

Why is the Southwest divided on this issue?

That is what I don’t understand. It is the selfish interest of some individuals. I don’t know why they believe that we don’t deserve the chairmanship of the party? They are undermining our people with such a position. The late Adisa Akinloye was the chairman of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN). What this implies is that we have competent people. But now, it is like asking if there are people in the Southwest that are credible enough to be the chairman of the party. I think it is reasonable for the Southwest to get the chairman. The chairmanship of a political party has nothing to do with elections. Winning elections are based on the calibre of candidates presented for the offices. It is in view of the pedigree of the person presented, they vote for such candidate. All we need to do is to present a candidate with reputation, to carry every Nigerian along. This has nothing to do with the northern acceptance or not. People will support PDP, if the candidate is appropriate. So, the chairmanship of the party has nothing to do with government. When Adamu Mu’azu was the chairman of the party during the last election, so why didn’t we win in the North? So, saying that zoning the party to the North will make the northerners to like the party does not hold water. It is the candidate that determines the success during elections.

Will this not further divide the Southwest?

What we are saying is that they should give it to the South. If the Southwest does not like it, it goes to the Southsouth or the Southeast. I am not saying it must be Southwest, I am just saying that it must be South. Whoever is interested in South should come out. We have prominent people in the South that can come out. It should be zoned to the South, so that we can feel that we are part of the party.

Are you endorsing Bode George for the position of the chairman…

No, our gathering for the Southwest Elders Council meeting is a southern agenda. They will not name any person, are you saying that if it is zoned to the South, they will name a particular person? So, zone it to the Southwest, the Southsouth or the Southeast, that is what we are saying. If you want to include Bode George fine, as long as it is the South it is okay.

What is the assurance that your party will not hold a parallel convention?

If they don’t listen to the South, it is evident that a parallel convention will take place. Certainly, we will never accept that the chairman should go to the North. It is not possible because the same party has conceded the presidency to the North. How do you now concede the chairmanship of the party to the North again? What are we going to tell our people? We are going to be discouraged about it. The South should present chairman, just as in the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Chairmqan. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is from the South. We have somebody like Tom Ikimi, let him be the chairman of the party; we also have Peter Odili. There are prominent people that can be the chairman of the party. We have Emmanuel Uduaghan, Liyel Imoke, Donald Duke and so on. These are people that have been part of government before. They have been governors before; we have many of them in the South and any of them can be the chairman of the party.

Is this crisis beyond resolution?

The resolution is zoning the chairman to the South. If you don’t want trouble, zone it to the South. But, if you zone it to the North, you are destroying the party.

How would you accommodate prominent members from the Southwest, who do not agree with your idea?

That is why they need to reflect on the matter because the North cannot have the two positions. Which other party has ever done that? It is very unreasonable. So, what are we going to tell our people in the South? That they will not have the presidency or the chairman? So, what will they have then? It is not a Southwest issue; the South must present the chairman of the party. If you don’t want to give it to the Southwest, give it to the Southsouth or the Southeast. If you believe that there are no southern candidates for the chairmanship position, then you are wrong.

May 5, 2016
Zoning crisis hits PDP

A crisis is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the zoning of the presidency and the national chairman to the North. Prominent Southwest chieftains, who have rejected the zoning formula, have warned that the opposition party risks a parallel national convention. Moves to resolve the logjam have hit the rock, following the ratification of the zoning arrangement by the National Executive Committee (NEC). Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the tragedy of an opposition party that has failed to put its house in order.

Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has an axe to grind with Senator Modu Sheriff and other members of the National Executive Committee (NEC). The bone of contention is the zoning of the national chairmanship to the North, contrary to the popular understanding that, once the presidency is zoned to the North, the chairmanship should be go to the South. The Southwest’s hope for the position may have been dashed with the zoning of the National Secretary and National Publicity Secretary to the region.

The PDP Governors’ Forum, led by Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, has thrown its weight behind the zoning formula. Also, there are indications that the National Working Committee (NWC) will follow suit, although there are still discordant tunes in the Board of Trustees (BoT). Sheriff has been traversing the country to reconcile the divisive interests, but without success.

Few months ago, the Ekweremadu Committee recommended that, for the PDP to bounce back to power in 2019, it should zone the Presidency to the North. Party chieftains across the six zones did not raise eyebrow because of the feeling that the PDP’s refusal to field a presidential candidate from the region in last year’s election contributed to its electoral misfortune. But, the Southwest is objecting to the zoning of the two slots to one zone. In the view of Southwest elders, led by the former national deputy chairman, Chief Olabode George, the move smacked of injustice. They have vowed to resist what they have described as marginalisation, politics of exclusion and impunity.

George, who warned that the party may not be able to avert a parallel convention, said the conflict may further weakened the platform. “A divided house is a defeated house,” he said.

According to observers, the PDP is addicted to crisis. From its inception in 1998, the party has been moving from one crisis to another. This is underscored by its lack of leadership stability. In 17 years, the PDP has produced eight national chairmen and three acting chairmen. The leadership crisis was carried over to last year’s election. The former chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was forced to resign, shortly before the polls. His successor, former Bauchi State Governor Adamu Muazu, was also forced to resign, following the party’s poor showing at the general elections.

After Muazu’s exit, PDP was engulfed by succession crisis. The Southeast, which produced Muazu, stood its ground that it should produce his successor. Up came aspirants Wilberforce Junta, Abba Gana and other paper weight contenders. None of them was picked. Instead, PDP governors settled for a defector from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sheriff, a former governor of Borno State. Consequently, hell was let loose. Many rejected his selection, saying that he was imposed by governors to execute a hidden agenda.

However, Sheriff, a shrewd politician, moved swiftly. At the meeting of the NWC, he made a passionate appeal to the stakeholders, promising to turn the party around. He also promised to vacate office as the acting chairman after the convention. His promise to bow out calmed down the nerves of the party leaders, who gave him a cautious benefit of doubt.

These party leaders, most especially from the Southwest, were taken aback when the NEC unfolded plans to zone the chairman to the North. They believe the zoning plan was concocted by pro-Sheriff forces to enable him perpetuate himself in office. At the meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum held two weeks ago, the governors insisted that the chairman should come from the North, despite pleadings by its Mimiko. According to sources, it was resolved at the meeting in Abuja that the PDP, which has already zoned the presidency to the North, could only consider the bid of the Southwest for the position next year, ahead of the 2019 elections.

It is not certain whether the aggrieved chieftains will be pacified by the option. At the meeting of the Southwest PDP Elders’ Forum in Lagos, George, former Works Minister Senator Seye Ogunlewe, Board of Trustees (BoT) member Senator Bode Olajumoke, former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Oloye Jumoke Akinjide and former House of Representatives Majority Leader Hon. Mulikat Adeola-Akande, said unless the zoning arrangement is reversed, the future of the party may be in jeopardy.

But, it appears that there is disunity in the zone over zoning. The zoning formula enjoys the support of Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, Senator Buruji Kashamu, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, and five out of the six state chairmen in the Southwest. Few weeks ago, the pro-Sheriff’s supporters from the Southwest stormed the PDP secretariat, Abuja, to demonstrate their support for the acting chairman. They reiterated the Southwest’s determination to concede the chairmanship to the North, based on the fact that the North needs the position to revive its dead chapters.

Their visit to Abuja generated controversy. It was alleged the group supported the zoning of the two topmost positions to the North to clear the way for Fayose’s vice presidential aspiration, an allegation the governor has denied.

In a fit of anger, George chided the Kashamu group, saying that it has committed a cultural treason. He said Yoruba will no longer play the second fiddle in the PDP. “Those who went to Abuja to compromise Yoruba interest are traitors,” he fumed.

The BoT member was not alone. Other chieftains were bitter. At the meeting were former Sports and Special Duties Minister Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, former Osun State Deputy Governor Olusola Obada, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, former presidential spokesman Dr. Doyin Okupe, Senator Adefemi Kila, Lagos PDP Chairman Capt. Tunji Shelle, Ambassador Dare Bejide, Senator Segun Bamigbetan, Senator Ogunwale, Alhaji Hafiz Gbolarunmi, Chief Ladosu Ladipo and Chief Joju Fadairo from Ogun State. Others are former Lagos PDP Women Leader Mrs. Onikepo Oshodi, former Minister of State for Agriculture Chief Remi Awotirebo, former Minister of Regional Integration Dr. Bimbo Ogunkelu, former Acting national Secretary Dr. Remi Akitoye, Prince Nekan Olateru-Olagbegi, Chief Jide Adeniji, Chief Soboyeje, Jelili Amusan, Mrs. Kikelomo Olugbemi, Mrs. Kudirat Obayan, and Hon. Tajudeen Agoro.

George, the convener of the meeting, saidSheriff should vacate office after the convention because, as he put it, “the midwife cannot transform into the new born baby.” Urging Yoruba to assert themselves in the PDP, he said: “The die is cast.” Besides, George said that, if Sheriff is a man of honour, he should honour his promise to bow out at the convention.

A party elder from Osun, Babatope, lamented that those supporting zoning to the North in the Southwest are not playing a politics of principle. “We will not allow ragamuffins to tamper with Yoruba interest in the PDP and Nigeria, he said. Stressing that the Southwest’s agitation for the chairmanship is legitimate, the former Minister of Transport and Aviation said there are credible chieftains from the region who can play the role and lead the party to victory in future elections.

He also justified the agitation, based on the fact that, since 1998, no Yoruba has served as PDP chairman. “We want to come back to power. The party needs a strong and credible leadership. We believe that it is when we have a credible leadership that we can achieve victory. The Southwest can produce a credible national chairman for the PDP, “ he stressed.

However, prominent PDP leaders from Lagos have reiterated their quest for zoning to the region. George, Lagos PDP Chairman Capt. Tunji Shelle (rtd) and Publicity Secretary Gani Taofeek said the clamour for the national chairmanship enjoyed the support of the majority in the Southwest.

George dismissed the insinuation that he supported the clamour because he has chairmanship ambition. The retired soldier told reporters in Lagos that he was only supporting the cause of justice and truth, adding that Sheriff should also honour his promise to hand over to an elected chairman at the convention.

What is worrisome to Olajumoke is the lack of unity in Yorubaland. He said since there are discordant tunes in the PDP over zoning, the Southwest should have taken a common position. He lamented that the PDP is disturbing itself at a time Nigerians are warming up to it as an alternative to the APC government. Olajumoke added: “There are discordant tunes in the PDP and the BoT. Southwest PDP owe it a duty to the entire zones to give leadership. Prof. Tunde Adeniran was saying that we are not even playing the second or third fiddle again; that we are not playing any fiddle, not to talk of a second fiddle.”

Okupe, who agreed with the BoT member, also vent his anger at the party. He observed that, since the PDP was formed in 1998, no Yoruba has served as its national chairman. This, he said, is disgraceful. He, therefore, chided those opposing zoning to the Southwest, saying that they are bastards. In fact, Okupe noted that the Southwest has been marginalised by the PDP, recalling that, under the Jonathan administration, the region was excluded from political appointments.

Okupe said: “The Jonathan government did not have respect for Yoruba. It marginalised the Yoruba. The marginalisaton started under the regime. Yoruba was to the House of Representatives Speaker. They turned it down. Yoruba had no position from number one to six. Even, if we were number 6, it was not right. We were not number six, seven, eight and nine. It is not a laughing matter. We are not slaves to other zones.”

He added: “Since the party begun, when the president came from the North, the chairman came from the South. The time to resist the injustice is now. They want the North to take the chairman till 2018. They are saying that, in 2018, the North will leave it and take the Presidency. Is Yoruba only entitled to the bones of the meat? Yoruba is not a slave to anybody. We have bastards in Yoruba. But, we will not allow them to destroy the destiny of Yoruba.”

Ogunlewe, who also expressed disgust, nodded affirmatively. He said: “The Southwest scored first in many areas of endeavour. Who is saying that we are not entitled to the chairmanship of the PDP? We are qualified like other zones. It is totally unacceptable. We have economic power, the population and the resolution of our people.”

Shelle, who dissociated himself from the factional Southwest delegation to Sheriff, said it is unjust to deny the region the position, 17 years after the party came into existence. He said committed Southwest chieftains will continue to press for the position, the release of the zoning arrangement notwithstanding. Echoing him, Taofeek said the Southwest is one of the PDP’s strongholds, adding: “It is a misfire for those supporting candidates outside the Southwest. That some Southwest members are supporting candidates outside the zone is not the decision of all. It is a sectional decision. It is a personal decision. It is not general.”

In the view of Akinjide, the Southwest PDP is suffering from lack of an arrowhead. She said the lack of leadership has made consensus impossible. The former minister, however, expressed joy that George has become a rallying point. Flaying the pro-Sheriff forces, she said: Akinjide said: “I was surprised when I saw people in the television saying that the Southwest does not need the chairmanship. Why should some people have the audacity to renounce something that belongs to us without consultation and authority? Today, that impunity comes to an end. The Southwest will not sell its birthright to anybody. We are a proud and strong voice in the PDP.”

A party chieftain from Osun, Ladosun Ladipo, said the zoning arrangement will not work. He suggested that the convention should be postponed. In his view, the restructuring of the party is more important than the convention. He maintained that the PDP can only avert future electoral misfortune, if the party is reformed. Ladipo described the party as a party of few oppressors lording it over the majority. He said many PDP leaders are self-centred.

Ladipo, who sought to rule Osun State in 1990, said: “We must restructure the PDP. The PDP is not a party now. It is more or less a cash and carry party. Some leaders are self-centred. They don’t carry the grassroots along. This will always lead to disagreement. Many people in the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP) and the Accord Party (AP) are disgruntled and they want to come to the PDP. But, we are not providing an enabling environment for them.”Urging the party to postpone its convention, he added: “The officers should have interim status, pending the restructuring of the party. If we continue like this, many will desert the PDP and there will be no new entrants.”

A party insider said Sheriff is working hard for the amicable resolution of the crisis. Also, the PDP Governors’ Forum is backing his push for reconciliation. Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel, who reflected on the preparation for the convention, assured that the exercise will be devoid of rancour. He disputed the claim by the Southwest chieftains that the zoning formula adopted for the distribution of party positions did not reflect equity, justice and fair play.

Emmanuel, who chairs the Zoning Committee of the party, said the best interest of the party will be served by the steps taken by the committee. He ruled out any crisis in the PDP, saying there will be no parallel convention. He explained that the zoning committee recommended that the chairman should come from the North, based on the state of the party and prevailing reality. The governor assured that the conflict will be resolved before the May 21 convention in the interest of the party. However, he warned that the PDP “will not allow selfish interest and sentiments to derail our plan for the PDP.”

May 2, 2016
The futility of zoning

Next month, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be holding its national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, despite rumours the interim chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, may be angling for either an extension of that date, and thus his mandate, or the position of national chairman. As part of the intense jostling ahead of the convention, there were indications not too long ago that the party had already zoned plum offices. Party leaders have denied any zoning took place anywhere. The rumour should be disregarded, they said.

What is not in doubt is that a convention will be taking place either on the stated date, or any other date not too distant from the first date. What is also not in doubt is that the dynamics in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have compelled the PDP to announce, without giving the matter much thought, that the presidency had been zoned to the North. The APC’s Muhammadu Buhari is from the North, and given the irrepressible parochialism of Nigerian politics, the PDP believes it would be suicidal to swim against the tide. Should the APC present a northern candidate in the next presidential poll, the PDP would be sailing near the wind not to look north for its own candidate, party leaders concluded.

Nigerian political parties loath taking risks. If they were minded to dare, they would discover that no candidate is unbeatable, for the dynamics that shape Nigerian presidential elections are not what the voters often think they have identified. Moshood Abiola did not win in 1993 simply because he was a Muslim, Yoruba or, as it seemed, a progressive. He won because, among other reasons, he had an extensive network of friends all around the country and had won the admiration and trust of Muslims and Christians alike for his warm, idiosyncratic politics. In addition, his opponent, Bashir Tofa, was staid, detached and unpopular even in his own state. What is more, Chief Abiola and his party outspent the opposition.

It is doubtful whether ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo won in 1999 just because he came from the Yoruba stock, which the power brokers in the country were trying to mollify over the murder in detention of Chief Abiola. Among other things, he won because the power brokers distrusted Chief Obasanjo’s opponent, Olu Falae, whom they thought had not transcended his Yoruba worldview. Chief Obasanjo had deferred to the North considerably in his first tour in 1976-1979, and the brokers thought he would be amenable, indifferent to ethnicity , and remain predictable because of his military background and network. Above all he was not an insufferable purist or an ideologue like Chief Falae.

Two main reasons accounted for President Buhari’s victory in 2015. He was able to strike an alliance with the Southwest; and ex-president Goodluck Jonathan bungled too many things, including the insurgency problem and the irresponsible manner he left the treasury door ajar. Had both these two conditions not been present in 2015, neither the former army general’s military antecedent nor his asceticism would have proved lethal enough. After all, both attributes were noticeable in him when he ran for the top office in 2003, 2007, and 2011. More importantly, as Dr Jonathan’s victory in 2011 showed, the highly intriguing geopolitical dynamics of Nigerian elections indicate that to win, a candidate must take at least three zones out of the six and handsomely share a fourth.

Therefore, zoning the presidency to the North, as the PDP has desperately done, is a reflection of their superficial understanding of the emerging dynamics of Nigerian politics and a safe and easy resort to simplistic electoral permutations. It is safe because they imagine that if they can split the North with President Buhari in 2019 by at least taking a half of one of the three zones, take the very safe South-South and Southeast, and possibly take the Southwest which they seem to believe is disgruntled, they would win. That chance, as far as analysis goes, exists. But the devil is in the detail. Technically, contrary to its calculations, the PDP may in fact be undone by its insistence on picking a candidate from a particular region before the party and country can determine his popularity and national acceptance. In 2015, the APC knew it could not hope to win by picking anyone from the South to slug it out with Dr Jonathan despite his unpopularity. It had to pick someone from the North, not just because he was from the North, but because his appeal to that region as well as his charisma had sufficiently matured to deny the PDP candidate a share of the votes capable of producing a hung election.

Mercifully for the APC, the PDP is engaged in lazy politics. As this column has maintained, the PDP must come to terms with why it lost the 2015 polls, and especially embark on a purge of its leadership in order to present a fresh face to the country. The party still pretends that the corruption it allowed to fester very badly under Dr Jonathan can be glossed over by rhetoric and grandstanding. It pretends that the corruption came about because of extenuating electoral spending, and that the APC is also guilty of that crime anyway. The party of course has its strengths; but it is its weaknesses that the public prefers to focus on, and it is those weaknesses that it must find absolution. It must show penitence for the great moral wrong it did to the country, and show proof that its new men, if it can find them, are so principled that they would forswear such unhealthy and destructive practices in the future. And they must show that contrition convincingly. Merely picking a northern candidate through zoning will not redress the wrong nor assuage the feelings of a country still hurting very badly.

Contrary to what the APC thinks, it is still very vulnerable despite the PDP’s lack of sense and deftness. For a number of reasons, the ruling party can be beaten in the next polls, even if it makes the economy grow at a stupendous seven to 10 percent between now and 2019. Regardless of the fate of the economy, a number of factors are forcefully shaping national discourse and politics, chief among which are (a) the issues of devolution manifesting grimly, for example, in the Biafra polemics and Fulani herdsmen aggravations; (b) human rights problem manifesting in the increasing and untamed brutality of security agents such as was evident in the Army/Shiite clash last year in Zaria; and (c) bitterness over the skewness of national appointments. The party better able to seize upon these subjects and frame them in a manner that resonates with the electorate will likely have the upper hand. So far, the APC is dithering, unable to manage its victory with half as much daring and surefootedness as it summoned at the beginning of the 2015 electoral joust; and the PDP is pussyfooting, unable to come to terms with its 2015 defeat.

Believing that it is wisely starting early in order to stand a chance of success in the 2019 polls, the PDP has zoned its key offices. The APC, also believing that it won office on a groundswell of electoral goodwill that cannot be gainsaid, assumes an enigmatic posture of false indomitability. Though 2019 appears far away, in fact so distant when compared with the over two-year plan that fetched the APC victory in 2015, neither of the two leading parties can be sure of victory or defeat. The country is a little exhausted with all the zonings and ethnic shenanigans of the past few decades, zonings that brought nothing but stagnation and engendered mediocre leadership. Given the grinding poverty and lack of national cohesion and ambition, it may be time for a really charismatic and brilliant nationalist of the first rank to aggregate the yearnings of the people and confidently take Nigeria from the depths of despair to the apex of glory. It is time for someone to break all ethnic, religious and social barriers. It is time to weld a national identity. It is time to rouse all Nigerians for greatness before the fissiparous tendency in the land takes over completely. Whoever can do these deserves all the support.

April 24, 2016
Southwest PDP backs zoning of party chairmanship to North

The Southwest Zone of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday threw its weight behind the proposal by some leaders in the zone to retain the position of the party’s National Chairman in the northern region of Nigerian.

It argued, at a stakeholders meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, that the proposal would help PDP regain its strength in the North after a woeful outing in the 2015 elections.

After listening to various leaders of the party across the six states in the zone who lent their support to the proposal, the Zonal Chairman, Mr Makanjuola Ogundipe, wrapped up the meeting by taking endorsements of participants and presented it as the position of the zone.

According to Makanjuola, the proposal for the North to retain the national chairmanship does not necessarily translate to elongation of term for the incumbent, Alli Modu Sherrif.

“It also does not forbid any other zone from showing interest in the position. No one person or group can deny any member of the same party the right to aspire to any office or vote and be voted for. We are in a democracy, not autocracy. We have canvassed our views. Let those with contrary opinions or positions put forward theirs. We need not abuse one another,” he said.

The meeting pointed out that a North which currently has only two PDP governors, will obviously be further weakened by being denied the position of the National Chairman, adding that it will be viewed as marginalization of the region.

The meeting also argued that the lack of cooperation among members of the party in the Southwest zone would constitute a challenge to a National Chairman from the zone.

The leaders threw their weight behind the Alli Modu Sherrif leadership and called for support from all members of the PDP in the zone for the party’s survival.

Among party leaders in attendance were the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo; National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh; Sen. Buruji Kashamu; National Women Leader, Dr Kema Chikwe; Sen. Teslim Folarin; Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun; former Southwest Zonal Chairman, Alh. Tajudeen Oladipo; Senator Ayo Adeseun; former House Leader, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola and the governorship candidate in Lagos State in the 2011 election, Ade Dosumu.

Others were the state chairmen of the party in the zone including Tunji Shirley (Lagos), Yinka Taiwo (Oyo), Ganiy Olaoluwa (Osun) and Idowu Faleye (Ekiti).

March 30, 2016
APC to Nigerians: disregard speculations on appointments, zoning

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the citizenry to disregard speculations about the appointment of ministers and the zoning of offices under the incoming Buhari Administration.

In a statement in Abuja on Monday, APC National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed disowned the rumour concerning appointments, zoning of the National Assembly’s principal positions and other offices.

The party said in the true tradition of the APC, all issues of public interest will be handled transparently and conveyed to Nigerians through the usual communication channels.

‘’No appointments have been made and no offices have been zoned. The main concern of our party at the moment is to ensure a smooth transition and to hit the ground running, in the overall interest of the long-suffering people of Nigeria.

‘’At the appropriate time, Nigerians will be informed of the appointments made and the offices zoned,” APC said.

No appointments have been made and no offices have been zoned

May 13, 2015
Zoning: Senator-elect urges colleagues to compensate Kano

The senator-elect for Kano North, Jibrin I. Barau, has urged his colleagues to reward Kano State for its immense contributions to the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last general elections.

He urged his colleagues to reserve any position that may be zoned to the Northwest for the state.

Barau, a former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, called for the understanding of his colleagues when he addressed reporters in Kano.

The lawmaker spoke against the backdrop of the ongoing deliberation on the zoning of the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives by APC leadership.

The senator-elect noted that Kano State contributed immensely to APC’s victory in the presidential election by giving the party the highest number of votes cast among throughout the federation.

He said the state also recorded similar feats in other elections, adding that APC won the governorship by a wide margin, the three senatorial seat, the 24 House of Representatives seats and swept the 40 seats of the House of Assembly.

Barau said Kano State residents, having given APC so much in the last elections, were looking forward to the party’s appreciation.

The lawmaker hope the relationship between the party and the state would be strengthened by giving one of Senate’s principal officers’ positions to the state.

He said: “As a legislator who knows the importance of experience in the business of legislation and thus knows the importance of ranking in the legislature, I feel that this ranking arrangement in the National Assembly, as important as it is, should not conflict with the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

April 23, 2015
‘Zoning is propaganda tool in Plateau’

Senator Gyang Shom Pwajok is the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s), governorship candidate in Plateau State. He spoke with reporters in Lagos on zoning, succession battle between ruling and opposition parties and his chances at the polls. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

There is the allegation that your emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Plateau State violated zoning. How are you resolving it?

I have reached out to quite a number of those that we stood election with. I have also reached out to even those that lost election that I was not involved in. That is, those who lost House of Assembly elections, those who lost House of Representatives election and those who lost Senate election. I have called quite a number of them and a number of them said that, that was the first time that somebody was reaching out to them, especially for those who had contested in the past and lost. Even the deputy governor, I have had cause to sit down with him in the process. I find it clear that in the course of a contest there are bound to be those who win and those who lose elections or those who don’t win because it is not really losing per se.

The bottom line is that when people begin to throw up issues in the course of a competition, definitely people will look for sentiments and variables that will be conducive to them. For me, zoning was actually a campaign tool by those who contested. The simple answer to the issue was that we had aspirants from all the zones. So, apparently, there was no debate about zoning. If there was actually an issue about zoning it would have been very much settled that some would not have even emerged at all.

Apart from that, when I was canvassing for votes, I went to all the zones, all the 17 local governments of Plateau State and I can tell you that I had a complete feeling of what the outcome would look like because I was very much accepted in all the zones. In fact, I was shocked by the response. Instead of going to see 10, 20 or 30 delegates, I was actually in a rally because most of the people who came to see me in other zones did it in a manner that was difficult to believe. So, while some were busy shouting zoning, the voters were prepared to choose who they wanted because they were quite prepared that what they needed was development and not zoning for the sake of zoning. At any rate we have not had a history of documented direction in that order.

No doubt, the sentiments for zoning which was quite strong among some candidates, however, did not reflect in the primaries. So, it was just argument for the sake of argument. My slogan in the course of the campaign was that we can only be greater if we work together.

And of course these zones are really administrative boundaries which further divide people rather than what unite people and were mostly drawn for convenience. Senatorial zone is for senatorial election, governorship is for the entire state in the true sense of it. The House of Representatives has its own constituency. My constituency as far as my aspiration for governorship was to cover the entire state and the support came from the entire state and is a nail on the coffin of the argument for zoning and the voting itself showed that the people were departing from that argument.

How do you expect to manage the governor, who is your godfather, if you wins the election?

The truth of the matter is that God is our godfather including those who have influenced our lives in one sense or the other. It is all about human relations and I truly believe that because the current governor has not just goodwill, but he has good intentions in terms of governance, he would be a supporter of any genuine efforts towards further development of the state. That is his dream and we are keying in into that dream because we believe strongly that he is also a genuine, patriotic statesman that has played his role within the space of time.

But you must also realise that the legacy that has been brought to bear from the past needs to be properly harnessed so that you can move for a better tomorrow. Not necessarily look at things from the negative perspective. We intend to cash in on a very positive note to take stock.

What are your chances in the election?

I always go by the dictum that the future is as bright as the promises of God. The truth of the matter is that I couldn’t have been where I am today but for God taking me through where I am today. From being a lecturer in the polytechnic, to DG research and chief of staff to the governor and then senator within a short span of my life means that I am a living testimony of God’s work in progress. What will take me to victory is God Himself because He has a way of influencing the hearts and minds of people to support an aspiration and I believe that this is also God’s agenda to impact on the challenges that we are facing on the plateau which also have a repercussion on the rest of Nigeria.

What is your position on the security challenges in your state?

We are very realistic we know that security is a global challenge, it is no longer a Nigerian problem per se. Each time you turn on the television, the first thing you hear is the breakdown of law and order in one place or the other and the increasing trend of terror is also very global. The forces that tend to unite and the forces that tend to divide are actually at play at the same time and that is the challenge that we are facing in Nigeria. For me, security is top on our agenda. Even for Plateau and most parts of Northern Nigeria it is a challenge.

How is the issue being resolved?

For us on the Plateau, we have actually gotten to the point where some peaceful resolutions and peace building efforts were carried out and we have reached a point where people were resolving to forget their differences and live peacefully. However, the externalised dimension of the attacks raises a fundamental question. You know in the past we used to talk about our porous borders. This is a state that is in the hinterland, the middle of Nigeria, yet sometimes you find foreign elements involved in the attacks and we have raised this issue in the past. But nobody seemed to have cared, people thought it was sheer propaganda, that we often find Nigeriens, Chadians involved. People at that early stage of the crisis said it was sheer propaganda, but today the dimension we are seeing the crisis in Northern Nigeria shows clearly that there is a serious push in that order.

You are all aware of the climatic challenges that we are having and of the desertification that is going on and the need for greener pastures even for those who are cattle herders and they come from across border situations outside Nigeria and some of them are actually looking for better lands to occupy. Unfortunately, the way and manner the boundaries of this country were carved out, you find that Kanuris can be found in the Borno axis and on the other side. Fulanis can be found in other parts of West Africa and this tendency allows for easy infiltration by non-Nigerians into areas of conflict. So, there is a serious collaboration that is going on. There are people who are particularly interested in maintaining the peace and there are forces that are interested in moving towards greater harmony and they come from both sides of the divide and gradually realising that this challenge may even be external to them and as such there is the need for collaboration. You would have noticed that there has been some relative peace.

For me there is the need to work further on enriching this understanding among the communities so that they can also be protective of themselves collectively so that rather than assume that each time there is attack, you just assume that it is this my neighbour that is directly responsible. It could be somebody else outside his immediate domain.

January 29, 2015
Uyo PDP leaders endorse zoning

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Uyo Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State, have endorsed the zoning of the governorship ticket to Eket District by the party leadership.

Announcing the decision on zoning, Senator Effiong Bob, who spoke after the stakeholders’ meeting, said: “Elders of the PDP in Uyo senatorial district decided to toe the line of peace in the interest of the party because the decision of the party is final.”

Bob added: “It was a difficult decision to arrive at, following the popularity of Obong Bassey Albert Akpan, who has won the election, but there was nothing any member of the PDP could do to win the election, if that person is not from Eket Senatorial District, based on the zoning adopted by the National Working Committee (NWC).

“Something happened before something happened, that is why we have decided to follow Jesus, a man of peace, no turning back, this peace has caused us something. If there were provision for independent candidacy by INEC, he would have been the next governor. But, since Uyo would not want to play the opposition, we have decided to follow the decision of our party.”

The party chieftain said Obong Albert has not disappointed the people for accepting to step down, adding: “If the people demand apology it should not be from Albert, since he did not step down on his own, but was forced to do so by his party. Uyo district is known for peace, when we speak, others listen, for the interest of peace we have decided to support Eket senatorial for governorship. Uyo had it, Ikot Ekpene has it, Eket must also have it in 2015. Bassey Albert has not committed any offence; he has not betrayed anyone; it pains him more than any of his supporters, but he has to abide by the party’s decision.”

Senator Bob said: “Albert is innocent and the party is supreme”. He urged the people of Uyo to support the zoning.

Albert said: “Based on the support garnered so far, if the party had allowed every aspirant to contest, I would become the next governor of the state. “It pains me; I feel it, because millions of Akwa Ibom people wanted me.”

Also speaking, House of Assembly member Hon. Onofiok Luke (Nsit Ubium State Constituency) said: “As far as the party whose platform every member works under and has taken oath of membership, such member has accepted to walk according to the tenet of the party.”

He stressed that Albert cannot take decision for the party and that it is only the PDP that has the right to take decisions for any of its members including Albert

The politician, however, blamed the elders and leaders of the district for not carrying them along on vital decisions affecting the political direction of the district. He added: “Our elders should be blamed for the misunderstanding between the youths and the governor over the zoning issue. He said most of them have been supporting Eket district. Some of them called the governor every night to discuss the same issue, while the youths were put in dark. We the youths have also come out today to say we also support Eket senatorial district for governorship in 2015.”

He thanked the Governor Godswill Akpabio for appointing an Uyo senatorial district indigene from Nsit Ubium as the new Secretary to Government.

December 5, 2014