By Sani Danaudi Mohammed
The Nigerian nascent and contemporary democracy is unthinkable without political parties, It is unsurprising that Party crisis is attracting a lot of attention. Since the resurgence of the fourth Republic in 1999 after a long military incursion, Nigerian democracy has continued to face multidimensional political crisis that are triggered by overzealous and ambitious Politicians. Many of them have since assume the Status of nothing works unless they have directed or they are in it.
Democracies are expected to remain the world’s wealthiest societies that is open to new ideas and opportunities.It is the least corrupt by standard and the most protective tool of individual liberties.People around the world preferred to embrace democracy’s ideals than any form of government where honest elections, free speech and accountability are the main characters.
There should be an effective legal constraints on the police, military and other institutions of authority.In Nigeria, the values that embodies the beauty and tenets of this democracy like the right to choose leaders in a free and fair elections, freedom of the press and the rule of law are under assault and has continue to be a dominant discourse even after the just-concluded presidential, national assembly, gubernatorial and state assemblies elections.
The wounds of loosing an elections to an assembled and merged politicians from other wards of oppositions to formed what is known as the rulling All Progressive Congress (APC) is still itching deep into the souls of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Since then, the party has not been without Crisis.These crises have brought further, faster erosion of Nigeria’s own democratic standards than at any other time in memory. It has damaged the Party’s international credibility as a champion for the restoration of democratic institutions,god governance and human rights from the military interregnum.It is no longer news that internal Wranglings within the rank and file of the party was the reason it lost presidential elections in 2015, 2019 and 2023.
THE PDP CONSTITUTION
The PDP Constitution at Chapter One, Section 7(3)(c) states in pursuant of the principles of equity, justice, and fairness the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices, and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committees at all levels.The emergence of the G-7 in 2015 led by Atiku Abubakar and most recently the G-5 led by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyeson Wike are all attributed to the PDP inability to respect its Constitutional Provisions. Lack of adherence to the rules and regulations of the party are cited as the key hurting components.
There is a distinction between an organization with a Constitution and constitutionalism and an organization with constitution without constitutionalism. The ongoing firm shoot within the PDP in the last 8 years is a justification of the saying that,the party is an organization with a constitution without constitutionalism. The constitution of the party is the fundamental system of the law which aim at protecting its sovereignty and its provides definition for its members. It prescribes the rights, responsibilities, obligations and duties. It distributes, secures and limits authority and powers, aggregates and articulates aspirations and interests. It outlines Procedures for actions and interactions and sanctions defaults.
Historically, PDP is preoccupied with the problem of power, particularly the power of those who would rule, especially when that rule might be arbitrary to the party.Constitutionalism could be understood as the expression of a set of abstract moral principles.It suggests certain principles of right and justice which are entitled to prevail on the basis of their own intrinsic excellence, altogether regardless of the attitude of those who wield the physical resources of an organization. De Smith & Brazir state that constitutions are primarily about political authority and the location of power, conferment, distribution, exercise and limitation of authority and power among the agents of a state.
THE ZONING BRUAHAHA
The Zoning bruahaha has continue to keep the party far away from the corridor of Power at the center Since 2015 when former President Jonathan lost to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC. It was as a result of this principle that gave birth to a splinter group of the G-7 Governors of Adamawa, Kwara, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, Rivers and Niger states led by the 2023 PDP presidential candidate. The G-5 also known as the integrity group are currently by the Governor of Rivers State Nyeson Wike and both are responsible for the party failures in both occasions.
In 1998, the Second Republic Vice President Alex Ekwueme and the group of Some Patriotic Nigerians came together irrespective of their regions, tribes, ethnicity and religious identities (later known as the G34) to formed what later became the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Their stated intention was to build a national political movement that has the Central interest of Nigeria where peace, unity, fairness, equity and justice are the centrepiece of government.
The group noted that ever since Nigeria adopted the Presidential System of government virtually all the leaders of the country from President Shehu Shagari through Generals Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar, were from the north. That fact informed the Provisional Military Council under General Abubakar, who was overseeing the final implementation of the transition from military rule to civilian governance to insist that the next national leader should come from the south.
This brought Former President Obasanjo, upon completion of his second term of office, he insist on the north to have the slot despite an idea of a single term of four years to make way for late Dr. Ekwueme from the South East. The moved was reportedly proposed by the PDP governors led by Delta and Bayelsa States governors, James Ibori and Diepreye Solomon Peters Alamieseigha. This unhealthy political attempt failed to see the light of the day because Obasanjo was constitutionally entitled to a second term. After his third ambition failed,he insisted on the North despite the likes of Donald Duke and Peter Odili who contested the Party’s Primaries along side Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua.
The zoning was jettisoned after the rulling of a competent court of jurisdiction in 2010 when Dutsen Ma insisted that Jonathan should allow the North to complete it two terms tenure after the death of Yar’adua.These same arguments was the reason the Party lost an election and 8 years later,it is still an issue. The first was truncating the Zoning arrangements to pave the way for Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to contest and the recent was more of an expediency arrangements against the Zoning Principle.The fact that the APC and PDP are not members of the same political party,Many Southerners are not comfortable to have another Northerner after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The G-5 demands for Senator Ayu to step aside for a Southerner to emerge.All efforts to achieve that failed to see the light of the day until the recent court rulling which restrain him from parading himself as the National Chairman. The main cleche of their campaign was that the North cannot share concurrently the presidential candidate and the party’s national chairman. Though, other factors played out like the ethnicity and religion bigotries penciled by the likes of Samuel Ortom of Benue State. The facts are still glaring that lack of adhering to the zoning arrangements are the reasons why the party lost an election in 2015, 2019 and 2023 respectively. Some PDP Members worked against the party’s victory but Atiku Abubakar himself said, Peter Obi overstretched his chances in his traditionally strong holds like the South East, South South and some enclaves in the North like the middlebelt.
THE PARTY’S SUPREMACY
It is high time that both Governor Wike and Atiku should understand that the party is supreme and its constitutional provisions are above their personal ambitions.No doubt, the internal frictions, name-swinging and name-calling are more of self Serving rather than the collective interest of the Party and its members. These conflicts become eminent after the PDPs national convention, Wike’s action is a breakaway from his earlier stands on the party that gave it all for him from its inception.Many have left the party before and after the 2015 Presidential elections but it is standing firm and strong despite the hitches.
High and mighty Personalities like the former President Obasanjo left PDP, at a time the party lost five governors to APC at the aftermath of an election led by Atiku Abubakar but it survive because of its supremacy. This is to tell us that the party will survive and do better with or without Atiku and Wike. The elections have been won and lost after failing in two attempts to retake Power from the rulling APC. Unless they stop the blame game and focus more on rebuilding the party machinery by retuning it back to the people, it will continue to suffer an eminent defeat from the rulling APC at the center.
The court order restraining Ayu from parading himself as the national Chairman after a purported vote of no confidence is a clear indication that all is not resolve and not well with the main opposition party.The appointment of Amb. Umar Damagum, Deputy National Chairman, North, as the acting National Chairman pending the outcome of the court ruling spoke in high volume that the crisis in the party is not over despite loosing the presidential election. This is no doubt the beginning of the journey of 2027 even before Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu took an oath of office on May 29.
Although, Damagum has proven that he can reform the party if he has the chance by given its surprise and first presidential victory in Yobe State Since its inception. He Ushered in real change in the entire system in Nigeria where a volunteer/POS Operator defeated a 6th Member and Speaker of Yobe State House of Assembly.
It is clear to all within the party that many heavy weight politicians are on the way out of power including Governor Wike. Different sources have fingered him as having a presidential ambition. The party will be left in the hands of mostly first termers with less national political ball game as states governors. With an experience political heavy weight Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu as president, the PDP must urgently needs to preach the gospel of unity in action by first bringing themselves together on a round table discussion to end their feud. Unless they do away with their culture of arrogance, inhumane treatment and mockery of their party stalwarts,the Party will continue to stands and watch from a distance the presidential seat.
As Damagum been the acting National Chairman, the reconciliation process should be immediately initiated and let everyone assume his fall back position as a means of repositioning the party together and tightening all the holes in the interest of Peace and Unity. In achieving this doubting task, the likes of Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed CON (Kauran Bauchi) who is the most experience and a second term-governor that will be left in the party should be appointed Co-chairman of the Reconciliation Committee and also Chairman PDP Governors Forum. Apart from beinh a senator, he was a Minister of Federal Capital Territory and subsequently an Executive Governor of Bauchi State. He contested the party’s presidential ticket in the 2022 National Convention. By this, he may have known everyone in the PDP either by directly working with them or during his consultations.
The likes of Governors Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State whose election is still hanging and Ademola Adeleke of Osun State help in balancing the gap in rebuilding the party. The likes of Kauran Bauchi at the moment is a political lion that will be leading the army of sheep in this struggle to bring the party back to live. The Party must return power to the Electorates by adopting the similar strategy that favoured Governor Bala in Bauchi despite the gang up against his second term ambition. This must be replicated at the National level. Damagum may likely save the soul of the party if he has the chance. Unless he listens and worked with team players among the party’s elected governors, the PDP glory days of 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 can only be flipped through on the pages of newspapers.
Danaudi is the National President of the Arewa Youths Advocate for Peace and Unity Initiative. He Writes from Bauchi via [email protected].
