After aborted national convention, is PDP back to square one?

Editor’s note: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the second time in three months, has failed to pick its national officers at a convention which was to hold on Wednesday, August 17, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. This is because some members of the party were already spoiling for war over an anomaly which was discovered among the delegates slated to vote in the elective convention of that day. The outcome could have been devastating for the party.

Emmanuel Oladesu in this piece writes on the implications of the botched convention.

pdp convention

The aborted PDP national convention

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made a fruitless journey to Port-Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, yesterday. Reality dawned on the National Caretaker Committee, led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the PDP governors and other gladiators that they were day dreaming. The Sharks Stadium, the venue of the aborted National Convention, was shut by security men. The delegates from 36 states were befuddled. Top party leaders were in disarray. It was lamentation galore.

Many observers have predicted an acrimonious national convention. The Makarfi faction has been divided by the chairmanship contest. The slot, ab initio zoned to the South, was later zoned to the Southwest, and much later, narrowed to Lagos/Ogun axis. The “zoning within zoning” generated bitterness.

READ ALSO: PDP will bounce back, Sheriff to decide next move – Gana

Going by the zoning arrangement, the contest was between Chief Bode George and Mr. Jimi Agbaje. But, the aspirant from the Southsouth, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, had threatened fire and brimstone. He vowed to resist the alleged plot to edge him out. Also, the two aspirants from Oyo and Ekiti states – professors Taoheed Adedoja and Tunde Adeniran – had insisted on their right to contest.

However, little did they know that an unpleasant surprise was lurking. Even, the Convention Planning Committee headed by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike did not plan for the emergency. Despite the elaborate plans for the national congress, it did not take place. All the gladiators went home disappointed.

Two facts could be deduced from the aborted convention. The first is that the judgment by Justice Okon Abang of the Abuja Federal High Court was implemented by security agents. But, the Ali Modu Sherriff-led faction that secured the verdict cannot sing a victory song yet. The second fact is that the litigation is a continuum. Having lost the battle in Port-Harcourt, the Makarfi can only go to the Appeal Court.

The PDP founding fathers are in a pensive mood. Some of them are watching the unfolding drama from the sidelines. Seventeen years after, their labours appear to be in vain. Torn apart by a protracted leadership tussle, the acclaimed largest party in Africa is swimming in the pool of strife and rancour. Since it lost federal power, things have been falling apart. Now, the centre can no more hold.

The prospect of a national convention is hanging, to the consternation of the Makarfi Committee. Yet, the embattled National Chairman, Senator Sheriff, who claims to be in charge, is battling with legitimacy crisis, following his rejection by the organs of the party.

The reconciliation mooted by the party elders, who were hurriedly drafted into a rescue mission, has hit the rock. Although a judicial answer has displaced the more potent option of political solution, castrating court verdicts have further compounded the problems, thereby widening the gulf between the two factions.

Both divides are in deep pains. The supremacy battle rages. It is far from being won and lost. In this atmosphere of mutual suspicion, distrust, mistrust and lost confidence, peace has taken a flight from the PDP.

The party’s crisis resolution mechanism has collapsed. Those who are at the centre of the logjam are combative, rigid and egocentric, unmindful of the effects of the crisis on the platform.  Although the PDP has two governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, the divided centre cannot lend its needed support. Instead, factional candidates are on the prowl.

Is the PDP on the way to perdition? Which way forward for the troubled party that once boasted of ruling the country for the next 60 years? Can it survive the current test?

The tenure of the Makarfi-led National caretaker Committee which expired yesterday was renewed for 12 months, following the botched rescheduled convention. The long renewal, it was learnt, was to allow for enduring consultation and for the wounds of the party to heal. Sheriff, who has insisted that the committee was set up in error, has warned against any move to extend its tenure. In his view, the constitution of the PDP has no provision for an interim leadership. But, despite his bravado, he has also lost popularity as many bigwigs are up in arms against his factional leadership.

The beginning of PDP’s crisis

The PDP’s perilous journey began in 1999. After establishing the party, it settled down for a presidential flag bearer whose style of leadership laid the foundation for permanent acrimony. The vision of the pathfinders was neglected. The party leadership evolved from the National Leader, with the national convention serving as a mere coronation. In 17 years, the PDP has produced nine national chairmen – Solomon Lar, Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbeh, Ahmadu Ali, Vincent Ogbulafor, Okweziliese Nwodo, Bamanga Tukur, Adamu Muazu and Sheriff – and four acting chairmen – Haliru Bello, Kawu Baraje, Uche Secondus and Makarfi. Out of the nine, only Ali completed his tenure successfully. Others were forced out of office unceremoniously.

READ ALSO: Why Jimi Agbaje as national chairman can save PDP

Two blocs have always destabilised the party. These are the PDP presidency and the PDP Governors’ Forum. Pressure from the later forced Tukur to resign, even to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s displeasure. When the forum also turned the heat on his successor, Muazu, he vacated office, leaving his deputy, Secondus to fill the vacuum. Then, after losing the presidential election, the governors became the dominant force.

The first challenge for them (governors) to tackle was the election of a new chairman to complete Muazu’s tenure. Notable contestants, including Abba Gana, former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Wilberforce Junta and Senator Mahmud, were rejected. Instead, the forum imposed Sheriff, who had made promises to rebuild the party turn around its fortune. But, no sooner that he assumed the leadership than he unfolded his personal agenda. With his eyes on 2019, the scheming started. The governors later discovered, to their surprise that the former Borno State governor had promised to make not less than four members of the forum his running mate, should he emerge as the party’s presidential standard bearer.

However, while it was relatively easier to enthrone Sheriff, it has become increasingly difficult to dislodge the political warhorse. When he realised that the rug was about to be removed from under his feet, the politician acted fast. He approached the court for the nullification of the convention plans. He got a judgment in his favour. But, the majority of party members stormed Port-Harcourt for the convention three months ago. No officer was elected at the convention. Sheriff, who distanced himself from the event, disputed the National Caretaker Committee that was set up, saying that its mandate was also null and void.

What’s next for the PDP

The committee was empowered to organise another convention, a move that was endorsed by the majority of party stakeholders. Both sides returned to the court. Sheriff secured a judgment restraining Makarfi from holding the convention. Makarfi obtained another judgment from Justice Ibrahim Watila of the Port Harcourt, Rivers State division of the Federal High Court, affirming his committee’s right to organise the event. The two conflicting verdicts emanated from the same court. That underscored the contribution of the judiciary to the confusion.

READ ALSO: Showdown: Sheriff says he remains PDP chairman

So, what next for the crisis-ridden party? There are two options. The party can still embark on a soul-searching and iron out its differences at the table of brotherhood. Political solution is still viable in an atmosphere of genuine reconciliation. It will require extreme self-sacrifice and self-abnegation. But, it may be a hard option for politicians who have elevated personal interests above the group interest.

If the option fails, the next option is to return to the court. The option is challenging. The party will therefore, brace for a protracted litigation that will end at the Supreme Court. Before the final judgment, either Sheriff or the caretaker committee will still be in the saddle. That will also mean the continuation of intrigues, malice and bitterness in the PDP that may further weaken its capacity to effectively play the role of an opposition in the democratic dispensation.

This opinion first appeared in The Nation

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