The situation in the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can simply be summed up briefly as ‘one day, one trouble.’ Despite this, the party’s Presidential Campaign Council has resolved to forge ahead with its campaign for the February2023 presidential election.
The PDP has been swimming in a crisis since the conclusion of its presidential primary last May. When many Nigerians thought the party had been set free from the noisy atmosphere that it found itself, different issues kept coming up and it knew little or no peace since then.
As a result of this, the PDP had been struggling to find its feet and steady itself for the general election, which is coming up next year.
After the primary election came the face-off over the choice of Atiku’s running mate. As that was still raging, the demand for the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu’s resignation cape up and with that unresolved, the “housing allowance” issue also surfaced.
There is no telling what will come next for a party that has vowed to rescue the country from the jaws of insecurity and hardship. The major protagonists in the crisis rocking the party is the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who is leading other PDP Governors like Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
The group appears to be bent on derailing the party or slowing its progress unless their demand for Ayu’s exit as chairman and his replacement with a southerner is met.
Although they (Wike and his men) have pulled out of the Presidential Campaign Council of the party, observers believe that they are capable of causing more damage from within. Hopefully such thinking should not be lost on the leadership of the party and watchers of political developments. The fact that they claimed they had pothing against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, should just be taken with a pinch of salt, analysts opined.
It will be foolhardy to dismiss the group and its capacity to cause some damage as the PDP prepares to embark on another journey to Aso Rock. With some of the founding fathers of the party backing it, the group may be hard to dismiss with a wave of the hand, some analysts have pointed out.
Speaking with THEWILL, Comrade Sola Olawale of the Campaign for Democracy actually said, “The group is in the party to cause damage within, while its leader, Wike, has been openly hobnobbing with the leaders of the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Not minding the delicate situation, the leadership of the PDP urged the lead character in the unfolding drama, Atiku Abubakar, to go ahead with his campaign.
Atiku himself underpinned the gravity of the crisis as he appealed, during the inauguration of the party’s presidential campaign council, to aggrieved members of the party to work with and partner the party to win the presidential election.
While the members of the PDP Board of Trustees and other party leaders are in touch and talking with Wike’s group, political observers in the country are watching as to how the “Ayu must go “stance will be resolved.
A commentator described the Ayu question as the main challenge facing the party. Atiku did not mince words when he told Wike that he lacked the power to sack Ayu and that only Ayu can take a decision to resign by himself.
Atiku also said that the national chairman’s removal must follow due process as laid down by the party’s constitution.
With the passing of a vote of confidence on Ayu by the National Executive Committee of the party, its highest decision making organ, after the national convention, Atiku seems to have found himself in a tight angle. Those party leaders backing Ayu believe that sacking him or forcing him to resign now may result in a lengthy court battle and constitutional crisis that may derail the party from its plan to secure victory in next year’s general election.
As it is, many members of the PDP believe that the time to the election is too close and that the party cannot afford to go into a constitutional crisis now as it may be the end of its planned programme to come back to power after eight years.
However, to the Wike Group, it is Ayu must go or nothing else .They don’t want to hear anything other than Ayu must resign.
Political analysts are also watching with keen interest how the leadership of the party and Atiku will handle the issue of “bogus housing allowances” that is currently causing disquiet within the party. Despite the current challenges, Atiku has shown that he is prepared for the task ahead.
The recent appointments announced by the PDP Presidential Campaign Council were very strategic. Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is one of the appointees. He was appointed special envoy to Atiku and his job is to strengthen the latter’s campaign team.
Also Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim; Sen. Ibrahim Shekarau; Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Sen. Ehigie Uzamere were appointed as Special Advisers. Former PDP National Chairman, Mr Uche Secondus was appointed as a technical adviser to the campaign team.
Other appointments include Director, Training, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, CON; Director, Strategic Communications, Bashorun Dele Momodu; Director, Field Operations, Hon. Umar M. Bature; Director, Finance, Hon. Abdullahi Hussaini MaiBasira; Director, Security and Intelligence, Brig-Gen. Koko Essien (Retd.); Director, Support Group, Dr. Mrs. Baraka Sani; Director, Admin, Alh. Ibrahim Bashir; Director, Legal Affairs, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN; Director, Technical, Nurudeen Taoheed Ademola (Youth); Director, Election Management, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher.
Others are Director, Research, Dr. Sam Amadi; Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mrs. Sanyaolu Modupeola; Director, International Affairs, Amb. Ahmed Magaji; Director, Voter Intelligence & Strategy, Chief Osita Chidoka; Director, Diaspora Group, Prof. Isah Odidi; Deputy Director, Election Management (South), Rt. Hon. Tolford Ongolo and Deputy Director, Election Management (North), Hon. Chile Igbawua.
As special envoy, Saraki who was the Director-General of Atiku’s campaign in the 2019 presidential election will help in devising a strategy that will help the campaign with his experience.
Saraki is expected to bring his skill in reconciliation and consensus building to the fore, just like he did during his much appreciated leadership of the 8th National Assembly.
Observers believe that Saraki’s appointment would, in a sense, see him continuing in reconciliation of aggrieved members, a continuation of his last assignment as chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee (NRSC).
With his shrewd and political sagacity, many have praised Atiku for the appointments into his campaign council as they see it as a reflection of inputs from many stakeholders.
The campaign council also announced the schedule of campaigns in various geo-political zones of the country and have already appointed the zonal teams for the campaigns.
The party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) is optimistic that it can resolve the issues in time before the elections.
It would be recalled that at a recent meeting with the vice presidential candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the BoT chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said the body will meet with Atiku and Wike very soon.
The party is also waiting on the conflict resolution mechanism of the Board of Trustee of the party which has promised to broker peace between Wike’s camp and the National Working Committee led by Ayu.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
