By Victor Akaobundu
After months of intense and heated campaigns laced with hate speeches, name calling, accusations and counter accusations violence especially between the two major parties the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), the dust has finally settled with a historic victory for the APC, at the 2015 general elections, thereby putting an end to the 16-year dominance of the PDP.
The political odyssey of the PDP began sometime in August 1998 when eminent Nigerians popularly referred to as the G_34, which included the likes of Alex Ekwueme, Solomon Lar, Atiku Abubakar, Ibrahim Mantu among others converged and gave birth to the PDP.This came on the heels of the planned hand over to civil rule in 1999 by the then head of state, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar.
Thus, the nascent PDP adopted liberalism and pseudo conservatism as part of its ethos. Given this, the PDP had a nationwide appeal, attracting political bigwigs and even money bags who doled out huge cash which hit hitherto made the party stand like a colossus among other political parties.
Ahead of the presidential polls in 1999, Chief Olusegun Obsanjo after regaining his freedom was enjoined to take up active politics, reports were rife that former military president Ibrahim Babangida was instrumental to his emergence in frontline politics.
Meanwhile, at the PDP’s inaugural primaries in Jos to pick its presidential candidate between two leading aspirants– Obasanjo and Ekwueme– stunned many as the clear favorite, Ekwueme, was beaten.
Apart from the PDP they were two other parties that were formed as the nation’s democratic experience started in 1998.These parties include the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and All People’s Party (APP). The AD was clearly a regional party having its stronghold mainly in the Southwest, It patterned its ideology after that of Action Group led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. While APP was dominant in the North especially the North East but what played out in general elections of 1999 with AD and APP having Olu Falae and Ogbonnaya Onu as their presidential candidates respectively could not form a formidable opposition against the PDP as Obasanjo won convincingly at the presidential poll, with the PDP also clinching the majority seats in both the upper and lower house.
The PDP’s victory at the presidential polls was nonetheless epochal as a former military head of state assumed leadership in a democratic setting. Thus, Obasanjo chose as his deputy Atiku Abubakar the elected-governor of Adamawa State, an acolyte of Shehu Musa Yar’ adu a former Chief of General Staff to Obasanjo.
Meanwhile, on assumption of office on May 29,1999 at his inaugural address to the nation he decried the deplorable state of the nation in areas of decayed infrastructure, low quality of life among ordinary Nigerians, corruption ridden society, high incidences of crime as well as poor delivery in social services in health care, transportation, education among other myriads of daunting challenges bedeviling the nation. He however urged Nigerians to join hands with him and move the country forward.
Consequently, the leadership style of the president Obasanjo was pseudo-military, he took highhanded decisions and never tolerated opposition. His relationship with the legislative arm of government was not conducive, this explains impeachment of 2 Senate presidents, Evan Enwerem and Chuba Okadigbo just in his first term in office. He wittingly muzzled the judiciary, as this arm of government turned a lapdog of the executive. Judges were brazenly laden with corruption, there were gross abuse of judicial processes and violation of constitution was the order of the day.
He did not spare his party chairmen at various times either, after the exit of the pioneer chairman Solomon Lar. Hence, Barnabas Gemade and Audu Ogeh were shown the door in most controversial of circumstances.
Furthermore, the opposition parties were docile and stifled at this stage and were not active enough to keep the excesses of the government of the day in check although the strongman of Lagos politics and then governor, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, was always at loggerhead with the Obasanjo allocation of council funds.
Preparations for the 2003 general elections was quite hectic for Obasanjo who had the rising political clout of deputy Atitku Abubakar to contend with, inaddition to the entry of another head of state into politics, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria People’s Party.
Despite the challenges faced by the PDP government in Obasanjo’s first term, the PDP warded off the challenges posed by the renascent ANPP and the near moribund AD. The party won the 2003 general elections convincingly in the face of allegations of widespread irregularities. They party still formed the majority in both houses of the national assembly.
The PDP government recorded giant strides in the telecom sector where it introduced the GSM to Nigeria. It also it fared well in reviving the economy especially efforts made in cancelling of the nation’s foreign debt and sustainable programme in alleviating poverty among low income Nigerians. But in spite of all these achievement, the country was faced with teething problems in terms of bad governance while poverty was still endemic in the country. Efforts to curb corruption were not holistic as the nation’s treasury were brazenly looted as most governors impoverished their people. Movement of “Ghana” must go in the national assembly was the order of the day, aside insecurity which posed a great problem. Under the watch of Obasanjo, politically- motivated killings were rife,. The Odi and Zaki Biam massacres by the military were indeed a big dent on the image of PDP government.
Thus, at the twilight of the second tenure in office he made unsuccessful attempts to use the lawmakers to subvert the constitution to allow him a third shot at the office. But, these moves were thwarted by the Senate.
As his tenure drew to an end, he single handedly picked the then governor of Katsina State, Umaru Musa Yar_Adua along with Bayelsa state governor, Goodluck Jonathan, as his running mate to contest on the platform of the PDP presidential elections, having fallen apart with his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, who then had left the party PDP.
With Obasanjo out of the scene, the PDP maintained its policy of rotating power between North and South. YarA’dua advocated for electoral reforms and extended amnesty to the NigerDelta Militants. Also more remarkably he ran an inclusive government, appointing members of the opposition to his cabinet.
Though the nation was relatively calm in his time, the polity was relatively calm under the president but ill health took its toll on him.
Yar’Adua’s health issue kept the nation in suspense in the months till his death. There was also opposition to the then Vice president Goodluck Jonathan taking over the mantle of leadership following the demise of his boss, The timely intervention of the senate under David Mark saw the confirmation of Jonathan under the doctrine of necessity.
The emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as president was ominous more so, a watershed in the political history of Nigeria. To this end, many observers believe this was the beginning of the many problems that bedeviled PDP. Jonathan from the south meant the PDP’s policy of power shift or rotation has been altered.
Against this, the north felt shortchanged and the question of whether Jonathan can run for the post in Aso Rock after completing the tenure of Yar Adua became a matter of public debate and constitutional interpretation.
The 2011 general elections were adjudged credible after being conducted by Prof. Attahiru Jega, a man acclaimed principled and transparent, Jonathan emerged winner, this time defeating Buhari who was ontesting under the new party he founded –Congress for Progressive cCange (CPC).
A new entrant was Nuhu Ribadu pioneer boss of the EFCC who ran under the ACN platform.
While Jonathan won that election, his administration was in turmoil inspite of his transformation agenda.
Under him, the PDP witnessed cracks. His prolonged silence on his second term ambition left many party stalwarts apprehensive especially those in the north as they became jittery. Again, the nonchalance of the chairman of the party Bamanga Tukur left many party members aggrieved. Hence, what played out at the Nigeria Governors Forum elections and subsequent defection of governors like Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, AbdulFatah Ahmed and Rochas Okorocha inadvertently spelt doom for the party.
It would be recalled that in 2009, the former chairman of the party, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor remarked publicly that PDP will rule the country for 60 years but, what appeared to be a holy grail for the hitherto wavering dominance of the party that prides itself to be the largest in Africa happened to be mega merger involving the ACN, CPC, ANPP and a faction of APGA.
The APC provided a safe haven for aggrieved politicians notably from PDP. Overtime, the APC’s caught the fancy of many in the country.
With the much awaited 2015 general elections over, many Nigerians are struggling to come to terms with the end of era of the PDP, more so with a new government in the offing come May 29, many Nigerians are already wondering the fate of the PDP. Shortly after its crushing defeat at the polls, there were reports of mass defection even among its elite members.
In a recent disclosure, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP Chief Olisa Metu alluded that many things were actually wrong ahead of the elections for the party. One of such was the imposition of unpopular candidates especially at the state levels which impacted adversely on the party. According to him this development reared its head at the inception of the party where executives of the party decided that the administration is to allow have a remarkable influence on party structure and policy “this affected party discipline, dedication and commitment to party in states and at national levels the executives have major influence on the outcome of the primaries” he added.
Much as the ruling PDP government under President Goodluck Jonathan made remarkable achievements in the agricultural sector, progress in war against insurgency, aviation industry and Sure-P programme among others yet it was evident that the people were despondent.
This was its albatross.