At a time many pundits are predicting that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would discover and position itself as the most credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 general elections, the party appears to be proving optimists wrong. ‘Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, reports
Contrary to the expectations of many of its leaders and stakeholders, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is once again toeing a familiar path that may as usual, lead to another defeat for the embattled party in the 2023 general elections unless something drastic is urgently done to arrest the festering internal crisis caused by a struggle for the control of the party by various interest groups within.
Already, two chieftains of the party are laying claims to the position of acting National Chairman of the PDP, just as suspended National chairman, Prince Uche Secondus is currently working round the clock to get the order suspending him vacated and return to his seat at Wadata House in good time. Consequently, observers say more and more recourse to law courts would once again, become a feature of the party in the days ahead.
While the process to prevent the party’s return to its sordid past lasted, certain stakeholders, notably the PDP Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees, the Senator Bukola Saraki-led National Reconciliation Committee, among others, worked hard to end the largely personal rifts that threatened the peace of the party. And while it was just looking like a solution was in sight, more troubles landed on the laps of the PDP with the suspension of Secondus from office by a court in his native Rivers State.
The order was made following a suit filed against the party chairman and the PDP by some members of the party identified as Ibeawuchi Ernest Alex, Dennis Nna Amadi, Emmanuel Stephen and Umezirike Onucha. Justice O. Gbasah ordered Secondus to stop parading himself as a member of the PDP (the second defendant). But according to some observers of the politics of the state, the order was instigated by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who has been at loggerheads with Secondus for a while now.
Justice Gbasah further restrained Secondus from attending or presiding over any meeting of the PDP or any committee of the party at ward, local government or state government levels. The court also barred Secondus from calling for any ward, local government or sate congress or setting up committees for such congresses or participating in any activity of the PDP whatsoever while on suspension as a member of PDP.
Return to chaos
“The Media Office of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been inundated with calls from media houses on a press statement sent to newsrooms by one Kelvin Ebiri, Special Assistant, Media to the Rivers state Governor, Bar Nyesom Wike announcing that ‘Court Restrains Secondus from Parading himself as National Chairman, member of the PDP.
“If Secondus and the party are taken to court, they will defend themselves. PDP and Secondus are not afraid of court; this party is a child of history, owned by Nigerians, bigger than any individual or group, including desperadoes,” his aide said in a terse statement.
On his part, Wike insists he has no personal problem with Secondus. According to one of his aides who sought anonymity, those accusing the governor of being behind the court order suspending the PDP chairman are not conversant with the politics of the PDP, especially in Rivers State. “The governor doesn’t need to do that. Secondus already have more than enough problems with chieftains of our party back home,’ he added.
Speaking earlier in the month, Wike had said his primary concern was to salvage the PDP from an impending doom occasioned by inert leadership. He said: “Everybody believed that whatever the national chairman was doing was dictated by Wike and must have the backing of Wike. I believe when you support somebody, support him to succeed. But when things are also going wrong, if you don’t speak out, people will believe you are part of it. Therefore, I owe it as a duty to say things are not going right.”
Rather than abate with Secondus’ suspension, the crisis deepened as two chieftains of the party, Yemi Akinwonmi, the deputy national chairman, south and Suleiman Nazif, the deputy national chairman, north, promptly appeared to lay claims to the position of acting national chairman of the party. Akinwonmi, in a statement declared himself as the national chairman and called off all planned party meetings. “Section 35(3) (b) of the constitution of the People’s Democratic Party empowers me to summon and preside over party meetings in the absence of the national chairman,” he said.
But three hours later, Nazif held a meeting at the national secretariat in which he pronounced himself as chairman. He was accompanied to the meeting at the party’s secretariat by some national officials of the party. Explaining his role, Nazif said “We have waited this morning for the deputy national chairman (south), who has been incapacitated, who has not been attending NWC meeting in the last 9 months. Like you know, in the absence of the deputy chairman south, I take full charge.”
Reacting to the development, a political analyst and chieftain of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, (NNPP) Barrister Olusegun Bamgbose, said the PDP has once again frittered away another opportunity to return to power in 2023. He warned Nigerians against entrusting the troubled party with the leadership of the country and suggested his little known party as an alternative. “There is nothing on the ground to show that PDP can wrestle power from APC come 2023. I foresee NNPP springing surprises come 2023.
“PDP has now become a limited liability company whereby Governor Wike has emerged as Managing Director of the PLC. This is sad, party-turned-company. Atiku’s intervention is too late in the day. Those visualizing PDP to take over from APC come 2023 should be seen as daydreamers. They are very far from reality. Nigerians must switch over to New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP. We are very confident that it is the best alternative to take over power from APC come 2023,” he said.
Troubling twists
“The PDP constitution states clearly that Secondus should hand over to his deputy and he has done that in line with the party constitution,” a former governorship candidate of the party in the southwest said, while explaining that “the plot of those who want Secondus out so that they can take charge of the party ahead of the convention has failed. They thought Akinwonmi cannot make it to Abuja. They were even wishing him dead. He is here and he has taken over in acting capacity pending the time our national chairman will be back.”
The Nation gathered that Akinwomi has been recuperating from a protracted illness and had to sign his public announcement with a thumb print publicly videoed. He has been hospitalized for months and had not attended any PDP meeting or functions this year, according to party sources. “That was what prompted Nazif and his supporters to make the initial move. But with Akinwonmi here, the stage is now set for a showdown,’ another source told our correspondent on Thursday.
Undeterred by Akinwonmi’s claim, Nazif went ahead with a meeting of the NWC in Abuja where Secondus’ fate was debated. According to a statement issued after the controversial meeting, six out of the nine members present voted for the sack of Secondus. At the meeting were Nazif; National Secretary, Umar Tsauri; National Auditor, Adamu Mustapha; and National Financial Secretary, Abdulahi Maibasira. Others were Youth Leader, S. K. Udeh-Okoye; Vice Chairman (SW), Taofiq Arapaja; Vice Chairman (SE), Ali Odefa; Vice Chairman (SS), Dan Orbih, and Vice chairman (NC), Chief Theophilus Dakas.
The PDP NWC comprises 18 members, including six national vice chairmen from the geopolitical zones. According to party sources, Nazif, Mustapher, Udeh- Okoye, Arapaja, Orbih and Odefa voted for the resignation of Secondus while Tsauri, Maibasira and Dakas abstained from voting. Shortly after, Akinwonmi appeared at the party secretariat to take charge in company of about fifteen NWC members.
The National Legal Adviser of the party, Emmanuel Enoidem, while backing Akinwonmi disclaimed the meeting stating that by Section 29 (3) and Subsection (4) of the PDP constitution, only the national chairman or a summon by two-thirds of NWC members could convene a meeting. He noted that the action of the officials was “in utter disdain and violation of clear extant provisions of our constitution. There is no provision in our constitution, which donates powers to any individuals to ask an officer of the party to resign for any reason whatsoever, as was purported in the so called press release. The powers to remove any member of the NWC and indeed any national officer, is reserved in the national convention, which is due for December 2021.”
Even after Secondus officially handed over the affairs of the party to Akinwonmi, Nazif and his group are refusing to accept that the deputy national chairman from the south should preside over the affairs of the party. Party sources told The Nation that the two groups are being supported by the two main camps within the party. “It is neither for Akinwonmi or Nazif to decide on this matter. They both represent certain powerful interests within the party and their actions and inactions are dictated by their group’s interests,” our source claimed.
The Nation also gathered that suspended national chairman, Secondus has initiated plans to vacate the court order against the leadership of the party. “He has the support of party leaders and other stakeholders to fight the abnormality. His suspension is unknown to our party’s constitution and it will soon be declared a nullity. Those behind it know very well that it cannot stay. They merely used the powers of government in their state to procure a Kangaroo order in their bid to destabilise our party,’ our source said.
Can PDP be salvaged?
“We had expected Secondus, who had been suspended in his ward in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, for anti-party activity to defend himself in the suit filed against him here in Rivers State. We have no doubt that Secondus’ decision to file a suit in Nasarawa State proves that he must have entered into a conspiracy with the APC to thwart PDP’s quest to win the 2023 general elections. We find it absurd that Secondus, who has been a major beneficiary of the PDP, could desire to destroy the same party that brought him to limelight if he fails to achieve his inordinate ambition to perpetuate himself in office as national chairman,” the women claimed.
Meanwhile, many organs of the party have been meeting as part of efforts to resolve the current impasse threatening the opposition party. State governors elected on the platform of the PDP hurriedly announced an emergency for last Thursday, to address the crisis rocking the party. Chairman of the PDP Governors forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, summoned the meeting which had Governor Udom Emanuel as the host at the Akwa Ibom State Government Lodge in Abuja. Tambuwal expressed optimism that the outcome of the meeting will put an end to the crisis rocking the party.
The party’s BoT, it was learnt, may also call a meeting of some major organs of the party next week following the suspension of plans for a NEC meeting indefinitely by the new leadership last Wednesday. According to reliable party sources, the BoT members plan to examine the outcome of the PDP Governors Forum meeting critically before announcing a date for an enlarged meeting in Abuja next week. “It is not going to be a NEC meeting as that can only be called by the NWC. But it will be an enlarged meeting that will have all interests within the party represented,” a source said.
To former National Vice Chairman of the party, Emmanuel Ogidi, the PDP must get rid of some moles planted within it by the ruling APC in order to get out of its current crisis. Ogidi, during a television programme monitored in Lagos, accused the ruling party of infiltrating the opposition party with plans to destabilize it ahead of the 2023 general election. While recalling that that APC made use of a similar strategy in 2016, when it allegedly sent Modu Sheriff to destabilise the party, he urged the PDP to activate its existing disciplinary measures to punish any errant member.
“We know what is happening. It is politics. And it’s all about 2023. In 2016, we had a similar incident, when Modu sheriff invaded our party. APC brought in a mole and of course, you know what happened. We couldn’t hold a convention but we were able to smoke him out. The party is aware of what is going on at the moment and we are going to respond appropriately. We have a procedure for disciplining our members and we have to follow the procedures, because our constitution says so,” he said.
Akinwonmi is also optimistic that the PDP will come out of the crisis stronger and better positioned for the challenges ahead. “The present crisis facing the party will not in any way, affect the party’s 2023 election campaigns. When you say someone is a chairman, he has people working with him to promote the interest of the party, so his own role is to direct the affairs of the party. He is not to do the ground work; people doing the work are there. So it will not affect the smooth operations of the party. Let me also state here that the ongoing crisis will not affect the party congresses and everything will go as planned. I have the backing of the Board of Trustees (BoT) to preside over party meetings, that is why I’m going to Abuja,” he said.
National Secretary of the party, Senator Tsauri, explained that there were no factions in the PDP. “The meeting was fixed for 2pm; unfortunately, the Deputy National Chairman (South) had not arrived at the time and in line with our constitution, at such times, his counterpart from the North presided over the meeting. There is no division. We have given our lawyers the judgment; they will look at it and advise us. I will sit with Akinwonmi and prepare for NEC; after the NEC, we will prepare for the convention, which will be held very soon,” he said.
