The unrelenting authorized battles by the embattled Nationwide Secretary of Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, to retain his workplace after collaborating within the Imo State governorship contest has left the occasion at a crossroads. On this report, AZIMAZI MOMOH JIMOH writes that aside from stalling the much-needed reconciliation efforts, the lingering feud is already negatively impacting preparation for the forthcoming Anambra governorship ballot and impending NEC conferences.
An intractable management disaster is holding the as soon as stalwart Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP) on the jugular. As such, the close to future seems daunting for the occasion, particularly because the warring teams throughout its key organs put together for a extra devastating inside battle.
Until the Supreme Court docket delivers its verdict to resolve the secretaryship tussle within the opposition occasion, it is not going to discover its ft to have the ability to make essential choices to advance the occasion’s curiosity.
The Supreme Court docket has scheduled for March 10 to listen to the attraction filed by Anyanwu in opposition to his ouster by a Federal Excessive Court docket and the judgement’s affirmation by the Court docket of Attraction.
On its half, the PDP Governors’ Discussion board and the BoT had proposed that the occasion’s Nationwide Working Committee, headed by Ambassador Umar Ilyas Damagum, ought to convene a gathering of its Nationwide Government Committee (NEC) on March 13, 2025. However, due to palpable anxiousness within the occasion forward of the anticipated Supreme Court docket ruling on the tenth of March, 2025, no preparation has been made for the proposed NEC assembly.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu had, after the judgment of the Enugu division of the courtroom of attraction, which eliminated him as secretary, proceeded on attraction to the Supreme Court docket. His prayers for reinstatement, amongst different points which have suffered and proceed to undergo on account of the disaster, is the assembly of key organs of the occasion, together with the Nationwide Government Committee (NEC), the Nationwide Working Committee.
Though Sunday Ude-Okoye obtained the backing of the PDP Governors Discussion board and the Board of Trustees to start to behave as secretary, the Damagum-led NWC is but to present its blessing. And the event has crippled virtually all actions of the occasion.
The zonal PDP Congresses, preparations for Anambra State governorship elections and preparations for the nationwide conference of the occasion are additionally being threatened by the failure to forge correct reconciliation in the principle opposition occasion.
The wave of defection from the occasion, which resulted from irreconcilable variations, has added extra issues for the beleaguered occasion. The newest disaster sufferer is the Anambra State governorship elections, attracting zero consideration.
Very unusually, and regardless of the announcement of the sale of types, no person has come ahead to purchase, even because the sale of types ends on March 7, 2025. The train could also be prolonged; it was learnt on Thursday.
Worsening the disaster is the scenario during which the camps of the incumbent Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike and former vp, Atiku Abubakar, on one hand, are severely struggling to outwit one another to win the political manoeuvre.
The problem is in who produces the occasion’s nationwide secretary, a key official whose signature should seem in each communication to the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC).
The a number of crises, which culminated within the emergence of two nationwide secretaries, have severely hindered reconciliation and peace efforts throughout the occasion, exacerbating indiscipline and injustice.
Troubled reconciliationEfforts by the discussion board of PDP Governors, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and a piece of the Nationwide Working Committee (NWC) of the occasion to place a cease to the difficulty by formally endorsing Sunday Ude-Okoye as occasion’s substantive secretary failed as leaders prioritise egocentric political pursuits forward of the 2027 elections.
The newest twist is that whereas Sam Anyanwu is being invited for questioning on alleged anti-party actions by the Tom Ikimi-led disciplinary committee, Ude-Okoye is being interrogated by the police over allegations of forgery of the occasion’s structure.
It was learnt on the weekend that in a bid to hit again at Damagum for allegedly irritating Ude-Okoye, some members of the NWC are set to convene an emergency assembly of the committee to make a vital determination on how you can get a remaining answer to the Ude-Okoye secretary debacle.
However, such strikes should not with out issues as a result of Damagum should comply with convene the assembly. Other than that, the two-thirds majority required to convene a gathering will not be possible as extra NWCs are in sturdy solidarity with him, thus irritating the potential for the assembly being legally recognised.
With the strain plaguing the PDP, many worry that the quagmire might linger until the top of 2025, when the occasion plans to carry one other conference to elect a brand new nationwide govt to run its affairs.
When the previous Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, emerged as the brand new chairman of the reconciliation committee of the PDP final yr, many leaders and analysts aware of the political terrain weren’t very optimistic.
Nevertheless, the committee boasted of being equal to the duty of doing the needful. Historical past nevertheless, repeated itself as disaster mongers redoubled their efforts such that the voices and gospels of peace by the younger reconciliation committee acquired overwhelmed.
There are rising considerations that Oyinlola’s committee might find yourself the way in which earlier committees, the place such assignments evaporated with none helpful final result. As on the time of going to press, no fewer than 5 totally different reconciliation committees have been established by the occasion to resolve inside conflicts since 2015 when it misplaced management of political energy.
As an illustration, in 2016, it arrange a nationwide reconciliation committee headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State to reconcile feuding factions within the occasion.
This was preceded by Professor Jerry Gana-led reconciliation committee. Dickson was retained as its chairman when the occasion reconstituted the committee in 2018.
Then, in 2020, the PDP NWC established a reconciliation committee chaired by former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki to resolve disputes arising from the 2019 common elections and occasion congresses.
The 25-member Oyinlola-led reconciliation committee had the uphill process of convincing the important thing warring factions and their leaders to embrace peace and strengthen the occasion, significantly for the following election.
However, problems with indiscipline, which has continued to plunge the occasion into disaster, are being promoted by occasion leaders. Whereas reviewing the occasion’s troublesome scenario lately, Oyinlola agreed that conflicting pursuits of key occasion stalwarts had been behind the crises. He, nevertheless, raised the hope that the problems could possibly be resolved ought to the leaders cooperate and elevate occasion pursuits above private curiosity.
“There are not any extraneous challenges aside from these bothering on human curiosity. In any occasion, jostling for positions, wanting one factor or the opposite turns into the order as a result of there’s no person who doesn’t like what is nice” he famous.
Damagum, who accused leaders of selling the disaster said: “I wish to say this with the best sense of duty, a part of this disaster that you just see in the present day throughout the NWC, is propelled by our leaders which can be purported to unite us. It’s very unlucky, I might say it the way in which it’s.”
Expressing his disappointment, Oyinlola remarked: “I’ll be sitting down because the chairman solely to see my members known as by sure leaders to go to sure locations, with out my information. And I wish to use this chance to warning us, warning our leaders.
“You might have ambition, however you don’t journey on a lifeless horse to succeed in your vacation spot. For those who create a disaster merely to additional your ambition, you might get what you need, however your dream is not going to be realised, as a result of by that point, you have got injured the horse and you will journey to that vacation spot.”
Additional, he mentioned, “because the conscience of this occasion, a few of us are additionally complicit. We must always look inwards, search our conscience. This occasion is expensive to all of us, it’s the solely factor we now have. The hope of Nigerians in the present day is on this occasion, so we should always sheath our swords, work in the direction of uniting ourselves in order that we’ll have a reputable automobile that may problem what’s bedeviling us.”
Saraki, who was the chairman of the reconciliation committee, has additionally recognized slavish loyalty to private ambitions as key components irritating peace efforts in PDP, at the same time as he lamented that the as soon as occasion of the lots, is turning into a sacrificial ram for particular person political ambitions.
“The occasion was constructed on concepts, philosophies, and insurance policies. Allow us to transfer away from constructing concepts on private ambition. We can’t have ambition if we don’t have a celebration. We can’t have a celebration if we don’t have concepts. That is the place it begins. That is the inspiration,” Saraki mentioned.
He continued, “Allow us to cease speaking about who’s operating for councillor, governor, or president in 2027. Allow us to deal with what the PDP represents. What are the problems and insurance policies that we should handle? That is what Nigerians wish to know.”
A former deputy chairman (South) and member of PDP’s Board of Trustees, Chief Bode George, defined why the reconciliation and self-discipline is eluding the occasion.
In response to him, what the occasion wants is a autopsy of how the disaster began earlier than the committee can reconcile members. “The occasion can’t however check out what occurred, who created it, who did what to keep away from recurrence sooner or later,” he mentioned.
In a direct reference to the pre-2023 election disaster within the occasion, the elder statesman mentioned, “There’s no likelihood on the earth that the chairman of the occasion will come from the identical zone because the presidential candidate of the occasion. That was the place the disagreement began, they usually didn’t deal with it effectively. That was why we went to struggle, and have become divided.
“So, in case you are organising a reconciliation committee and a disciplinary committee, allow us to do a autopsy evaluation that led us to this division throughout the election. The pre-election, correct election and post-election issues ought to be mentioned. After that, we’ll now have the ability to arrange a committee to reconcile folks,” he harassed.
Appearing nationwide chairman, Umar Damagum; chairman of BoT, Adolphus Wabara; notable members of the NWC together with the Nationwide Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba; Nationwide Authorized Adviser, Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade; Sam Anyanwu, Nationwide Organising Secretary, and Sunday Ude-Okoye have develop into terribly enmeshed within the disaster to the purpose that their phrases are considered with scorn as a consequence of allegations of bias.
The elephant within the room so far as the disaster is anxious, is the proxy political battle between the previous Vice President Atiku Abubakar and incumbent (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike, in addition to many different governors nursing 2027 presidential ambition. What’s in vogue is that actors deploy all powers to take away anybody seen as an impediment to their political development, with out take care of ethics, the occasion’s structure and even rule of legislation.
