As the Peoples Democratic Party continues to lick the wounds inflicted on it by the refusal of the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to accept his defeat in the party’s presidential primary in good faith, the All Progressives Congress is also bedevilled by the apparent lack of confidence on the leadership of the party and some of its governors by the core loyalists of its presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu. Ejiofor Alike writes that the crises will diminish the electoral fortunes of these two parties in the 2023 general election
Since he lost the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in May this year, Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has made sure that the main opposition party has not known peace. Shortly before the party’s convention, Wike was so confident of victory that he affirmed his support for whoever would emerge winner.
With the enormous resources he deployed to pursue his presidential dream, the Rivers State governor was so confident of victory that he declared shortly before voting at the convention, held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, that he would support whoever emerged victorious.
But after losing the primary with 237 votes against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s 371 votes, Wike instigated crisis in the party.
He was obviously circumspect in his initial reactions after the primary due to his expectation that Atiku would nominate him as his running mate.
Few hours after the primary, Atiku paid a courtesy call on him in his Abuja residence as part of his fence-mending efforts. During the visit, the former vice president described Wike as a committed party member and worthy opponent. It was rumoured that Atiku promised to offer him the position of his running mate at the meeting. But none of the two parties denied or confirmed this claim.
After Atiku’s visit, Wike publicly declared support for him.
“I made a vow to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that I will support whoever emerges from the #PDPPresidentialPrimaries,” Wike said in a statement posted on Facebook and Twitter. “And I am not going to go back on my word.”
“We cannot abandon the PDP, we will be fully supporting Atiku Abubakar,” he reportedly added.
The facebook post was the first time he was making a public statement after losing the primary.
Also, in his first address to his supporters in Port Harcourt after his woeful presidential outing, the governor restated his determination to support the winner.
He, however, made references to betrayal, conspiracy, and unnamed people who cannot keep to agreement.
But when Atiku announced Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate, Wike went amok.
In his determination to bring down the roof, the governor, who suddenly realised that power should shift to the South and the southerner must be him, vowed that something must happen soon in the party.
“All of us should be calm. You’ve heard what is happening in PDP. Nothing has happened yet but by the grace of God, something will happen.” With the enormous resources at his disposal, Wike was able to win the support of some governors, former governors and other chieftains of this party, who vowed that the only condition for peace to reign is the resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. With the determination of the Rivers State governor and his loyalists to destablise the PDP to pave the way for his rumoured presidential ambition in 2027, the party would commence campaigns with a divided house which could diminish its fortunes in the 2023 elections. Like the PDP, the APC crisis is also related to the outcome of the party’s presidential primary. When the leaders of the party made failed attempts to stop the emergence of Senator Bola Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate, they had no choice but to accept the result of the free and fair primary that produced the former Lagos State governor. Some APC presidential aspirants and other chieftains who have reservations over his emergence are licking their wounds silently instead of playing the Wike-type of role. Many believed that if Tinubu had not emerged victorious, he would have played a role that could be worse than Wike’s current role in the PDP. Indications to that effect had emerged in his outburst shortly before the primary at Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, where he cried out that it was his turn to become the president, having helped President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun and many others. Though Tinubu won the primary, the protracted intrigues by the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led national caretaker committee of APC to stop Tinubu before the primary and the last-minute effort by the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu to adopt the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate led to a mutual distrust between Tinubu’s core loyalists in APC and the leaders of the party. His loyalists still believe that Adamu and some power brokers in Aso Rock may betray him to pave the way for another northerner to emerge as president in 2023. So, every action or inaction by Adamu and his National Working Committee (NWC) is viewed with suspicion by Tinubu’s camp. When the internal wrangling became a public knowledge early last month, Tinubu visited the party’s headquarters in Abuja where he denied nursing grudges against Adamu.
Speaking shortly before his scheduled meeting with the NWC of the APC, Tinubu who admitted reading his alleged cold war with Adamu in newspapers, claimed that it was a rumour manufactured to suit a particular purpose.
He reportedly said, “To the rumour manufacturers, I read in some papers about a disagreement between myself and the chairman and that was a very big lie. They didn’t know that we have come a long way – the big masquerade dance not in the cage but in the market square.
“And that is what Adamu use to be, full of wisdom, we were governors together, before God put us together on this project again. He is going to deliver as the Chairman of the party for me to become the president of Nigeria. And I am very confident of that,” he added.
However, few weeks later, it became a full-blown war between Tinubu’s loyalists on one hand and the party’s leaders and governors on the other hand. The party’s leaders and governors were said to be unhappy with the constitution of the party’s presidential campaign council. A protest letter written by Adamu to Tinubu, urging him to withdraw the list of the members of the campaign council leaked to the press, but the party, in a volte-face, denied the authenticity of the letter. The disagreement over the list stopped the scheduled inauguration of the campaign council and the kick-off of the party’s presidential campaign last week. Just like in the case of the PDP, the APC crisis will surely diminish the party’s chances, no matter how well-handled as aggrieved enemies who are dissatisfied with the emergence of a Tinubu, will remain in the party to work against his victory.
