Why Peace Brokered by PDP Elders, Governors Failed

·Stakeholders mull options ahead of expanded meetings

Chuks Okocha in Abuja, Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie in Lagos

The truce brokered two weeks ago by some elders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and governors elected on the party’s platform failed largely because some elements in PDP reneged on the gentlemanly agreements believed to have provided some respite from the squabbles, THISDAY has learnt.

It was gathered that one of such agreements was that the current members of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by the ousted National Chairman, Uche Secondus, would not seek re-election at the next national convention.

But while the meeting that brokered the truce agreed that such a sensitive choice would not be made public, especially since no one was actually coerced into it, some NWC members started to react to the agreement and vowed never to keep their end of the bargain. This development was said to have prompted the court option.

Recall that some personal aides of Secondus and the official spokesperson of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, had dismissed any such understanding, saying it is unconstitutional and can prompt resort to court action.

Although they, too, agreed that the idea was mooted at the meeting, they denied the fact that the Secondus NWC consented to it. They hinted at the possibility of challenging it in court, saying it is against the spirit of the party’s constitution.

It was based on this, especially, that the elders of the party thought the understanding was gentlemanly and not forced on anyone. They allowed stakeholders to embrace other options, but considered the understanding the most effective.

In its continued attempt to reunite and resolve the leadership crisis threatening it, the party has lined up series of meetings of stakeholders. Ologbondiyan disclosed this, saying PDP governors would meet today over the crisis.

Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Cyril Maduabum, had also issued a statement calling for an emergency meeting of the governors. Maduabum’s statement said, “The chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Rt Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, CFR, in consultation with his colleagues, has summoned an emergency meeting of the Forum to hold on Thursday 26th August, 2021 at 5pm.

“The meeting will discuss recent developments in the PDP. The governors enjoined all PDP members and stakeholders to exercise patience as efforts are being made to ensure continued stability of the party in the days ahead.”

Yesterday, the acting national chairman of the party, Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, was present at his office at the national secretariat in Abuja, while the deputy national chairman (North), Suleiman Nazif, was nowhere near the secretariat complex.

Akinwonmi told THISDAY said that there would be no National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and reiterated that the NWC meetings remained suspended to enable further consultations.

“As you can see, I was here on Tuesday and here again today (Wednesday). I was sick and by the Grace of God, I’m now better,” he said.

But speaking on the crisis, Ologbondiyan said an expanded meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) would hold on Friday.

It was gathered that the expanded BoT meeting would take place, instead of the NEC meeting summoned by Nazif.

THISDAY gathered that the idea of an expanded BoT meeting, instead of NEC meeting, was the outcome of a meeting between the chairman of the PDP BoT, Walid Jibrin, and Nazif.

The meeting, THISDAY was told, decided it was better to report the trends in the party to the expanded BoT that first mediated in the crisis and see their reaction.

Besides, the BoT chairman was said to have told the Nazif-led delegation that his group did not form the quorum, as they were only six members, when the NWC quorum should be 12 out of 18 members.

Ologbondiyan, while addressing newsmen, insisted PDP was a united, indivisible and indissoluble party, adding that the party would resolve its crisis before the weekend. He stated that PDP had the power to reinvent itself and resolve the crisis, explaining that there are no provisions in the PDP constitution empowering a ward to suspend the national chairman.

Ologbondiyan said, “Our constitution is clear that no ward has powers to suspend a national chairman. We all saw the acting national chairman, when he came. He is cognitive. Only a medical doctor can declare anyone incapacitated.”

PDP National Secretary, Senator Tsari Umar, also said the PDP was in the process of vacating the court order on the leadership crisis. “We have seen the court order and we are in the process of vacating the order,” Umar said.

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of spike in insecurity in the country, PDP condemned the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, alleging that the leader of a Boy Scout would have faired better. The party stated this following Tuesday’s invasion of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), by suspected bandits, which led to the death of two officers and abduction of an officer.

Addressing a news conference at the party’s secretariat, Ologbondiyan described Buhari’s leadership as incapable of resolving the existential threat occasioned by the violent campaign of bandits and terrorists. He said the invasion of the military academy had exposed the vulnerability of Nigerians to the attack of bandits and sundry criminal elements.

The PDP spokesperson called on members of the National Assembly to cut short their recess and quickly convene at plenary to find ways of making the country safe for Nigerians.

Ologbondiyan stated, “It has never been this bad and it is unthinkable that a military facility such as the NDA would be invaded and officers killed. A Boy Scout leader would have provided better leadership than the president is currently doing. At least in those days, leader of the Boy Scout would protect every member and ensure they were safe. Nigerians are not currently having that under Buhari.

“The PDP calls on members of the National Assembly to cut short their holiday and quickly come together, using their legislative instruments, to protect our country from falling apart.”

In another development, a former Minister of Aviation and member of the PDP, Mr. Osita Chidoka, said only the party’s constitution would produce the next national chairman of the party, and not internal politics and wrangling. Chidoka made the assertion yesterday, when he spoke from the United States, during the Morning Show on ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers.

Chidoka reacted to the emergence of two factions in PDP following a court ruling in Rivers State, which restrained Secondus from parading himself as the party’s national chairman. He said a self-imposed acting national chairman of the party would not do the party any good.

Describing the sudden emergence of the two party chieftains as disturbing and could unsettle the party’s structure, he maintained that only the party’s constitution, if well interpreted and implemented, would produce the next national chairman of the party.

Chidoka said, “The constitution of the party will address all of the internal wrangling within the party. The constitution is clear on who becomes the next party’s national chairman, in the absence of the national chairman. The two contenders may have their individual views, but the constitution will determine the true position.

“The crisis between the national chairman of a party and the sitting governor of a state, where the national chairman comes from, has been an age-long issue. When former Sam Nwodo was Chairman of PDP, he had crisis with the then Enugu State governor, Sullivan Chime, who removed Nwodo from office as PDP chairman, close to the time of a national convention of the party.

“Another example is the crisis between former APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, which also consumed the party’s national chairman. The fight had always been who controls the party and most times, the governors succeed, because they are the major financiers of the party.”