From Ismail Omipidan, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is no doubt faced with what could be regarded as the “battle for survival,” the outcome of which may make or break it as it prepares for another round of elections in 2027.
It emerged as a strong political platform in the build up to 1999 elections, parading prominent personalities like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, late former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, late Chief Solomon Lar, former Military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, former Jigawa Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, and former National Security Adviser (NSA), retired General Aliyu Gusau among others.
For 16 years, the party ruled Nigeria, managing its internal crises along the way. However, analysts believe that its defeat in 2015 exposed it as a party lacking in discipline, cohesion and organisation. And post 2015, it has been from one crisis to another.
After the 2015 polls that saw to the exit of the party’s erstwhile National Chairman, the “Game Changer,” Alhaji Adamu Muazu, the party went for former Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, otherwise known as SAS, to lead it to the 2019 general elections.
He was appointed National Chairman in February 2016, to complete the tenure of Muazu. According to one of the National Executive Council (NEC) members, who spoke to Daily Sun in confidence, on the day NEC voted Sheriff as the acting chairman, he (NEC member), had no idea that Sheriff was in the race. “It was when we got to the hall, that we were told that the former Borno State Governor was in the race,” he added. And with 69 votes, beating four other aspirants, Sheriff emerged acting National Chairman, amid protest from other party stakeholders, who were opposed to his emergence.
In spite of his ratification by the organs of the party, critical stakeholders, including former ministers, led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, and other leaders, were vehemently opposed to his emergence. For instance, barely a week after his emergence, a group, known as PDP Rescue Group, which comprises notable leaders of the party, most of whom were foundation members, described Sheriff’s emergence as a “disappointment to the PDP.”
The group, comprising former President of the Senate, now Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman of the party, Adolphus Wabara, former governor of old Gongola State, Ambassador Wilberforce Juta, and former deputy governor of Sokoto State, Mukhtar Shagari, among others, said that the party at the time needed someone with an “impeccable character,” adding that “the current leadership crisis is a challenge to every Nigerian.” They, therefore, urged Sheriff to step down.
Following Sheriff’s refusal to step down, the party went through series of legal tussles, culminating in the appointment of Senator Ahmed Makarfi as the National Caretaker Chairman. In the end however, the apex court sacked Sheriff and described him as a politician who “displayed infantile desperation to cling to office at all cost.”
Sheriff’s sack paved the way for the emergence of Uche Secondus as the elected National Chairman of the party in October 2017, at a national convention of the party. But like most of his predecessors, Secondus, who hails from Rivers, was forced out of office in August 2021, a few weeks to the expiration of his tenure, after falling out with the forces that brought him into the office in the first instance.
Once Secondus was out of the way, one of the foundation members of the party and a former minister, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, from Benue State, emerged National Chairman of the party. Again, like Secondus, Ayu was also eased out after falling out of favour with the forces that made him the National Chairman.
Historically, no National Chairman of the PDP ever served out his four-year tenure. The only two that came close to concluding their tenures were Dr. Ahmadu Ali and Uche Secondus. Dr. Ali came in 2005, first in an acting capacity to replace Chief Audu Ogbeh, in January 2005 and by March of the same year, he was elected substantive chairman. He left office in 2008, whereas his tenure ought to have lasted till 2009. Ironically too, no chairman has ever challenged the party’s authority to remove him, the way Sheriff did, until the Supreme Court sacked him.
Interestingly, in the 26 years existence of the party, it has produced about 18 chairmen, both acting and substantive ones.
But how they conduct their affairs in the next two months, beginning with their National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, now slated for February, 2025, leading into its convention, which may likely come up next year, would determine whether or not the party has learnt any lesson from the series of crises that almost sent it into political oblivion.
Political observers believe that impunity and imposition of candidates for elective positions for party and other offices, appear to be PDP’s greatest undoing. Will it stop? It seems only time will tell.
As part of measures to resolve the current leadership crisis, the PDP Governors’ Forum, under the leadership of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, met in Jos, the Plateau State capital last month and appealed to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to consider holding a NEC meeting in February, next year.
The call was contained in a communique issued after the meeting in Jos, where the governors noted that the period from November to February would be dedicated to addressing the critical challenges facing the party.
Daily Sun recalled that since the PDP acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, assumed office in an acting capacity as National Chairman following the sacking of Senator Iyorchia Ayu from office, by a court, stakeholders have continued to accuse Damagun of lending himself to be used to perpetrate the ongoing crisis in the PDP, with many asking him to throw in the towel and give peace a chance.
During the 98th NEC meeting of the party, held on April 18, 2024, the leaders of the party approved the formation of a reconciliation and disciplinary committee, as well as the conduct of Ward and State Congresses, just as they tasked the North -Central Caucus of the party to consult on the issue of replacing the acting National Chairman with a permanent one.
However, the 99th NEC meeting, originally set for August 15, where some of the issues were expected to be looked into, was suddenly postponed to October 24, 2024, and then from that date, it was further rescheduled for November 28, 2024, before it was now postponed indefinitely. But it is only time that will tell if the acting chairman would heed the call of the PDP governors.
While the party stakeholders await the new date for the NEC meeting, which the governors are proposing should hold in February, the North -Central is already making case to retain the chairmanship position.
Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the North Central zone appealed to the other zones to allow it produce a National Chairman to serve out the tenure of the immediate past chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
In a communique issued by the zone, it indicated that its position was in line with the party’s constitution.
Prominent among politicians from the zone, who attended the meeting included: Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mustwang, two former Senate Presidents, Senators David Mark and Bukola Saraki, Senator Abba Moro, former Benue State Governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, his Plateau counterpart, Jonah Jang, and immediate past Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatai Ahmed.
Others were former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, his Kogi counterpart, Idris Wada, Senators Tunde Ogbeha and Simon, Mwadkwon, former Benue State House of Assembly Speaker, Mrs Margaret Ichen, Raymond Dabo, Mrs Sarah OchekpeSenator Suleiman Adokwe, Dave Ombugadu, Labaran Maku and wife of former Niger State Governor, Senator Zainabe Kure.
The rest were: former Information minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, Senators Peter Jiya, Dino Melaye, Philip Aduda , Mohammed Onao, Maika Jiba, Daka Shan, Maurice Tsav, Isa Dobi and Kamaldeen Ajibade SAN.
They noted: “The stakeholders (Elders) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reviewed the state of the party with particular reference to the vacant position of National Chairman of the party following the exit of Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
“The PDP constitution clearly stated that for succession of offices in the party at all levels which is largely to the extent that any vacant position can be replaced by appointment from the zone as per section 47 (6) of the party.
“The party is guided by its own constitution at all times, therefore, the leadership of the party needs to rise up to the occasion to restore goodwill and cohesion in the party by making necessary sacrifices and compromises to restore confidence and cohesion in the party.
“It is in the light of this that the stakeholders of the North Central Zone appealed to the conscience and goodwill of our compatriots in other zones of the Northern region to restore the seat of the chairmanship of the party back to the North Central Zone to serve out its tenure.
“That the stakeholders must strive to build consensus to get the buy-in to the position of north central zone. North central is united and will strive to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria.”