The intractable crisis in the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is threatening its existence, following the closure of its national secretariat, twice in eight years, writes ONYEKACHI EZE.
The closure of Wadata Plaza, the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), appears to be the culmination of the crisis dogging the party since 2022. This was eight years after the party suffered the same fate, which nearly led to its extinction.
Between June 2016 and July 2017, following leadership tussle between former Kaduna State governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, his Borno State counterpart, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, PDP National Secretariat was locked by the police, due to rising tension between the two factions.
It took the intervention of the Supreme to save the situation. Last Monday, suspect political thugs, aided by police from Rapid Response Squad (RRS) from Wuse police station, invaded the PDP National Secretariat.
They manhandled some workers, drove them away and shutdown the secretariat. Senator Samuel Anyanwu who was three days earlier, suspended by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) as National Secretary, accepted responsibility.
Anyanwu told journalists last Wednesday that “as the custodian of the office, on November 1st, I wrote to the IGP, the Director (General) of SSS, informing them of the information we got, that they wanted to attack PDP. Based on that, they deployed security. I (told) everybody to stay away.
Let us find a lasting solution to make the place safer for our people to do their job.” Anyanwu, as well as the National Organising Secretary, Capt. Umar Bature (retd); the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN, and the Deputy National Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha, were on November 1, suspended by the PDP NWC, for anti-party activities.
Debo Ologunagba, PDP National Publicity Secretary who announced the suspension, said due process was followed for their suspension, because the party had on August 8 this year, issued a reprimand to all members over anti-party activities. Ologunagba added that after reviewing the activities of some members, the affected officers were found guilty in breach of section 58 of the PDP Constitution.
The party’s spokesman defined antiparty activities to include saying or doing anything, that will “bring the party to disrepute, hatred or contempt (or) carrying out unlawful directives against the party or any of its organs, or engaging in any conduct likely to cause disaffection among members of the party.”
In a letter sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dated November 4, PDP explained that its action was in, “pursuant to the provisions of Section 57(3), 58 (1)(a)(b)(c) and (h)and 59(1) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), and said the suspension is for a period of one month.”
The stated that during the period of the suspension, the affected officers cease to function in their respective capacities. According to the party in the letter, which was signed by 14 out of 18 NWC members, while the officers are on suspension, the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo shall act as the National Secretary while the National Director of Legal Services and National Director of Organisation are directed to oversee the activities of their respective Directorates.
Anyanwu and co allegedly incurred the party’s wrath because of the case filed before Justice James Omotosho of Federal High Court, Abuja. The judge on Friday, October 31, in his judgement, stopped the PDP November 15 National Convention scheduled in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The suit was filed by PDP chapter Chairmen of Abia and Imo States, as well as the party’s South-South zonal Secretary. They are all known associates of the National Secretary. Ajibade, as National Legal Adviser, ordinarily, was supposed to defend the party in the suit.
But according to Mike Omeri, former Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), those who were supposed to be defendants to the case “unashamedly converted themselves to plaintiffs in a case that they ought to prosecute in the interest of members of the party nationwide.”
The crisis in PDP has been festering since 2022 after Wike, then governor of Rivers State, lost the party’s presidential ticket to former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The group of five (G-5) governors formed thereafter, comprising governors of Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Oyo and Benue States, and other party stalwarts, and led by Wike, openly campaigned against the PDP presidential candidate.
The party eventually, lost these states to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the then emerging third force, the Labour Party. The crisis in the PDP is self-inflicted. Indiscipline and disobedient to party rules and regulations by members were condoned and overlooked.
Party supremacy was sacrificed in the altar of patronage. PDP groomed members who believe they are beyond reproach. The party has become a personal enterprise, and an instrument to feather personal rather than group interest.
Former Jigawa State governor Alhaji Sule Lamido who said he would not attend any PDP event including the board of trustees (BoT) meeting until Wike and others were expelled, expressed frustration at what he described as a long-standing culture of impunity within the party.
Lamido recalled that from the 2022 primaries to the 2023 elections, some members, driven by personal ambitions, turned against the PDP because they felt their individual interests were not addressed. “All those erring members, the Wikes, the Ortoms, the Ikpeazus and others, who openly campaigned against the PDP in the 2023 elections, and who say that they are going to work for APC in 2027, should be sacked from the party,” he said.
For more than three years, no action was taken against the violators of the PDP constitution. This might have emboldened others to work against the party. PDP National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum, said the party lacks courage to discipline its erring members.
Instead of relying on recalcitrant members, PDP adopted a policy of “accommodation,” which Damagum admitted he adopted when he assumed office in 2023 as acting National Chairman, “for the sake of the party.” This policy of “accommodation” and “compromise” is what is affecting the PDP at the moment.
He disclosed he “met a deeply divided house, factions distrusting one another, and suspicion clouding our shared purpose,” when he became acting National Chairman. But he also took no action to bring order in the party and unite the members.
The party has witnessed lots of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), including four of its governors. And there is rumour that more might still leave.
Never in its history has the PDP been so depleted. Pioneer Delta State PDP Chairman Senator James Manager, who defected to the APC with his governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, said the decision was a necessary response to the internal issues plaguing the PDP.
“I have been with the PDP from the very beginning, so this is a very emotional moment for me. But when a ship is sinking, you don’t stay onboard out of sentiment,” Manager stated.
Also, Bayelsa State governor Douye Diri who joined the ruling party last Monday, said they tried to rescue the PDP. At the moment, PDP has lost its key stronghold – South-East and South-South.
Rivers State is the only remaining PDP state in the South-South, but none in the South-East. The only hope for PDP to recover is the November 15 National Convention scheduled for hold in Ibadan, Oyo State.
But this convention is threatened by conflicting court orders.
While the Abuja Federal High Court stopped the election, Oyo High Court has given the party go ahead with the convention.
These are courts of coordinate jurisdiction. While the Abuja court is judgement, that of Oyo is an order which has a seven-day lifespan.
The party will be returning to court tomorrow, November 10, probably to seek more relief. Shocking enough, while the trouble lingers, the internal crisis tearing PDP reached a flashpoint on Friday as the faction backed by Nyesom Wike decisively moved to dissolve the Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Senator Adolphus Wabara.
Citing a profound “loss of credibility and moral authority,” it was immediately followed by the inauguration of a new, hand-picked BoT, a clear and aggressive escalation in the ongoing battle for the soul of the party.
Factional Abdulrahman Muhammad, Acting National Chairman, who made the major announcement during a critical meeting hosted by Wike at his Abuja residence, framed the action as a necessary surgical strike to “restore discipline, constitutional order and moral direction” to a party he claims has been crippled by poor leadership.
Muhammad launched a stinging indictment of the dissolved Wabaraled BoT, accusing it of losing the “moral balance expected of that noble institution” and becoming “divided and ineffective.”
He specifically pointed to Wabara’s recent suspension by the PDP’s Abia State Chapter for alleged anti-party activities, calling his continued leadership “untenable.” It is an undeniable fact that some PDP members are working to ensure that the party never recovers from its present crisis before the 2027 general election. Their contract is to weaken the party, so that the APC or rather, President Bola Tinubu doesn’t have a strong opponent for his re-election.
PDP’ll bounce back- Olafeso
On his part, a former Vice Chairman of the party in the South-West, Dr Eddy Olafeso, said the current development in the party indicate the desperation of some individuals who have the backing of the federal government.
According to him, the shop for friendly sponsored judges to retrain the Bonafide executive of the party.
He said after its successful hosting of its NEC a couple of days weeks, the party was up and running, coming up strong, in readiness for the 2027 elections.
“With the successful holding of our NEC meeting few weeks ago, and resolving all the jig-saw puzzles, the party is coming back together, considering the reports of the various reconciliation committees, in preparation for its Convention in November, to put in place those who will take the party till 2027,” he said.
“I can assure you that even those who have left the party are on their way back to rebuild the country from the current confusion, insecurity and all that. You will recall PDP was the largest party in Africa, and the goal is to return to that enviable position.”
But some individuals working for the federal government and are desperate to enable them secure re-election are not relenting.
“But I can tell you that Nigerians are desirous of perpetuating the party in view of the current level of insecurity, inflation, terrible state of the economy and development generally.
It is in the interest of the country that the PDP bounces back. We are ready for them, and at the end of the day, PDP will triumph.”
