By Oyewale Oyelola
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is at the centre of a storm capable of sinking the ship of the party if the ongoing crisis within its fold is not properly managed by its leadership.
The party, which ruled Nigeria for 16 years at federal level, following the vicititudes of misfortunes that had trailed it after it lost power to the All Progressives Congress in the landmark 2015 general elections.
The crisis in the opposition party took a new dimension when two leaders emerged at its parallel national convention held in Port Harcourt and Abuja.
The embattled factional Chairman of the party, Sen. Ali-Modu Sheriff was sacked unceremoniously before the commencement of the Port Harcourt National Convention attended PDP Governors, elected political officeholders from the party, National Working Committee/National Executive Council members, Board of Trustees members and delegates from 36 states of the federation and FCT.
Delegates at the Port Harcourt Convention, however, appointed Sen. Ahmed Makarfi as Chairman of a three-man Caretaker Committee.
Sen. Ibrahim Mantu was appointed Chairman by delegates at the Abuja Parallel National Convention convened by a stakeholders ‘ forum comprising majority of the founding members who claimed to be the authentic leaders of PDP.
The power struggle was worsened by conflicting injunctions given by the Federal High Court. A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt gave injunction in support of Ahmed Makarfi led PDP Caretaker Committee and banned Ali-Modu Sheriff and his supporters from parading themselves as PDP executives. Another Federal High Court in Lagos nullified Sheriff’s removal from office, stating that his tenure will run till 2018.
Unsurprisingly, the PDP headquarters has turned into a war zone. Sheriff’s faction and Makarfi led Caretaker Committee had at different times taken over the Wadata House, with the police sealing the premises to avoid breakdown of law and order.
Force spokesperson, Bisi Kolawole said the headquarters was sealed due to an intelligence report that indicated some aggrieved factional leaders and members of the party had perfected plans to engage thugs from across the country to join them in breach public peace and security in Abuja.
“Towards perfecting this criminality, credible police sources confirm that the actors will mobilize into Abuja with effect from Monday, 23rd May 2016 and they intend to march through major streets in Abuja before proceeding to the PDP Secretariat to manifest their intentions.
“Consequently, the Inspector-General of Police has directed the deployment of police assets to secure the PDP Secretariat and protect the staff until the threat to internal security that is being occasioned by the intra-party crisis within the PDP is stabilized.
“ The police action is a proactive initiative which is being placed in furtherance to the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Police to prevent breakdown in law and order and protect lives and property,’’ a police statement said.
Although many Nigerians described the police action as suspicious but then Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, may well be acting swiftly to ensure law and order.
While the police had directed Makarfi and Sheriff to send name of four representatives to serve in a peace committee the warring groups did not cooperate with the former IGP.
The party, which prides itself as the largest in black Africa, has been bedevilled by crisis since its defeat in last year’s presidential election.
This crisis can be attributed to the defeat suffered by the party at the federal level, with many members embarking on the blame game.
Many will recall that Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State had accused former National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, of not doing enough to mobilize support for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in the N. He therefore mobilized party faithful ousting the “ game changer’’ from the chairmanship position.s
Sequel to the exit of Muazu in May 2015, Chief Uche Secondus , Deputy National Chairman, South, took over as Acting Chairman with forces from the North East led by former Political Adviser, Ahmed Ali Gulak, filing a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge his emergence.
Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the High Court, Abuja, was to sack Secondus as the Acting Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) December last year.
In February, National Executive Committee of the party appointed Sen. Ali-Modu Sheriff as National Chairman to complete Mu’azu’s tenure. This move, which had the backing of Jonathan, was to ensure that the North East Zone retained the chairmanship seat.
However, the appointment of Sheriff who joined PDP in build up to the 2015 general elections was rejected by a stakeholder forum made up of a group of former political appointees in the party and the Board of Trustees. Aggrieved party faithful argued that Sheriff will lead the party to doom due to his antecedents of working against his party from within while other said he was responsible for creating of the Boko Haram.
The party leadership later announced that Sheriff will lead PDP for three months and vacate the seat during a National Convention.
Regrettably, Sheriff proved his critics right by nursing ambition to retain the PDP Chairmanship seat till 2018 and contest for president in 2019. He allegedly offered the Vice President slot to four PDP governors for their support.
The former Borno governor allegedly initiated two court cases that stopped election of the NEC during failed National Convention.
Another factor that led to the failed convention was the move by PDP governors to install their protégés as NEC Members.
The failure of the governors to agree on position sharing before the Port Harcourt Convention had already spelt doom for the convention.
Also unhelpful to the party’s cause was the absence of leadership figure like a sitting president and respected elders like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar who can coalesce different factions to work together for the party in the face of powerful governors.
The failure of party leaders to reconcile warring factions after losing the presidential election also contributed to current crisis rocking the party.
Incidentally, the party is yet to implement report of the Reconciliation Committee led by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
Indeed, many members are still angry with the way party leaders in the state chapters treated them during and after the primary elections in the build up to the 2015 general elections.
If the warring factions fail to resolve their differences, PDP might find it extremely difficult to make any meaningful impact in the upcoming governorship election in Edo and Ondo States as well as the 2019 general elections.
Ironically, Nigerians are the ones feeling the brunt in the absence of the vibrant opposition maintained by APC before winning the presidential election in 2015.
If the crisis continues to fester the with the ongoing renewed vigour, the PDP, which once boasted that it would rule for 60 years, may itself become history.
