PDP back from the brink but… 

LEON USIGBE, writes on the apparent resolution of the leadership crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the dangers lying ahead for the main opposition party.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fixed its crunch convention for October 31, 2021 where its new national leadership will emerge. The party will look forward to that date with a lot of trepidation, despite the brave attempts to put its most recent crisis behind it. The National Executive Committee (NEC) has endorsed the date amid initial push back by the suspended national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, who wanted to dally till December when the tenure of his National Working Committee (NWC) is due to expire.

NEC’s intervention is thought to have pulled the main opposition party back from the brink of ripping to pieces, dragged from several sides by internal forces loyal to Secondus on the one hand and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, his erstwhile sponsor, on the other.  Secondus woes blew when some elected members of NEC openly castigated him and resigned from their positions. But long before then, signs had manifested from June 2020 that he had gone out of favour with Wike, who accused his leadership of being tax collectors following the effort to resolve the brewing crisis in the Edo state chapter of the party over the defection of Governor Godwin Obaseki from the All Progressives Congress (APC). Things careened badly for their relationship from that point on and it was only a matter of time before it robbed off on the party leadership. The Rivers governor has since been seen as the brain behind the push to oust Secondus.

Wike though has given his reasons why Secondus is no longer suitable to lead the party especially going into the all-important national convention. Though he sees the reasons as altruistic, political watchers believe that it boils down to his vaunted political ambition, to which Secondus might be an impediment if allowed to conduct the national convention that will birth new NWC members and the ground plan for the emergence of the 2023 standard-bearer of the party. What cannot be said for sure for now is whether Wike wants the presidential ticket or the running mate position. But either way, he considers Secondus too dangerous to be entrusted with the process.

However, the PDP is firmly rooted on process. Over the years, it has proved that no single individual can be powerful enough to appropriate that process for personal gains. Its organs are famed for their wily ways of dealing with contentious issues and coming to a resolution each time the party faces the abyss.  This is what was ostensibly replicated in the last few weeks starting with its Board of Trustees (BoT) meetings, followed by stakeholders, expanded national caucus, PDP Governors Forum and ultimately, the NEC, the highest decision-making body of the PDP in its 92nd session. The NEC could not resist the temptation for self-adulation on this when it asserted: “The party boasts of more experienced hands in party politics as well as governance; its internal crisis management mechanism is far better than the operations of the APC as a party and even as government.”

Secondus stayed away from all the official gatherings called to deal with his issue, firstly, in obedience to court orders and secondly, on the advice of party stakeholders even though he insisted that he remains the party boss, the appointment of Elder Yemi Akinwonmi in acting capacity notwithstanding. Observers argued that armed with an order from a Kebbi State High Court, he could have muscled his way to meetings but gave him credit for heeding the counsel of party leaders and saving the party from potentially more embarrassing situations.

The Rivers State High Court in Degema, the Kebbi State High Court, and a Calabar High Court are at the centre of the latest PDP leadership crisis. Ibeabuchi Ernest Alex, Dennis NnaAmadi, Emmanuel Stephen and Umezirike Onucha were those who obtained the initial ex-parte order from Justice O. Gbasam of the Rivers court to restrain Secondus from parading himself as the party chairman. The counter order restoring Secondus to his office was from Justice Nusirat I. Umar of the Kebbi state High Court and was procured by Yahaya Usman, Abubakar Mohammed and Bashar Suleiman. This order encouraged Secondus to return to office, but he was denied access to the stakeholders meeting before another restraining order on him was granted by Justice EdemIta Koofreh of Calabar High Court in the case filed by Enang Kanum Wani.

NEC’s intervention came by way of affirming Akinwonmi as the acting national chairman and saddling his leadership with the responsibility of drawing up the national convention programme confirmed to hold in Abuja on October 31 and submitting nominees for national convention planning committee, zoning committee and others to be ratified by the scheduled October 9 meeting of the body.

With its resolutions, the NEC looked to have resolved albeit temporarily the leadership crisis but recognized that a major headache remains. That is how to get the numerous litigants to discontinue their court cases so that the party may head into the national convention united.  The communique it released after the last meeting read in part: “NEC emphasized the indivisibility of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Stresses the need to remain united as a party as we work assiduously towards removing the inept, indolent and corrupt APC from government, come 2023. Urges members to continue to make personal sacrifices in the overall interest of the party.” It added: “NEC commends all party members for their various involvements in resolving issues that have recently occurred in our party. NEC is confident that the PDP has earned the trust of Nigerians once again and our party will do better when given the opportunity to lead the nation.”

The party is now looking up to the former Senate President, David Mark-led committee to conjure up ways to convince the litigants to discontinue with the plethora of cases in courts so that indeed, rather than throw more spanners in the works, the intention of the NEC to have a united front going into the national convention will become a reality.

The chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, believes that it is doable particularly against the backdrop of the yearnings, according to him, of Nigerians for the return of the PDP to power at the centre. “With reference to the issues of the moment, challenges, disputes and disagreements are part of life, and indeed, politics. But what is important is that we have activated all mechanisms that we have in PDP, to resolve all our issues. We shall continue to hold together, remain together because we are the hope of the people of Nigeria and Nigerians are looking forward to PDP and we cannot afford to fail them.

The challenges are quite many and it’s important for us to continue to work together as a family. We are going into warfare, and we must go to a warfare united, you cannot win if you are divided. So, let’s not lose hope. We must remain focus with our eyes on the ball. And we shall, by the grace of God, score that goal.”

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