Abba Hamisu Sani
Africa-Press – Nigeria. Peoples Democratic Party – PDP has been battling with internal crises which create faction as five serving Governors are not in good term with the National leadership of the party and its Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar.
The crisis iminated shortly after the Presidential primary election that produces former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as party’s standard bearer.
Five Governors that include Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, and with Nyesom Wike of Rivers State as their leader insisted that the National chairman of the Party Dr. Iyorchia Ayu should resign his Position as he comes from the same region with the Presidential Candidate.
They base their argument on why the same region (North) is holding two sensitive position of Presidential candidate and the National chairman of the Party.
In their response to the issue at different point National chairman of PDP and its Presidential flag bearer Atiku Abubakar stated that ,it is not against the Party Constitution for them to come from the same part of Nigeria.
In one the recent interviews conducted by Atiku Abubakar with Voice of America Hausa service during his visit to Washington last year ,the former Vice President said it was not wise for the party to change its leadership at that critical time as Governors requested hence the party should concentrate on how to win election which is the most important.
The presidential candidate added that the party leadership is ahead of all the party members no matter the position the occupied.
The Crises seem to be endless
Several attempts were made by PDP stakeholders to reconcile the two faction but prove unsuccessful. The Five governors tagged ” G5 ” refuse to attend their Party’s Presidential Campaigns . And in Rivers State reports indicate that even the PDP Presidential campaign bill boards were removed by the state Governor’s order .
Zainab Suleiman Okino who the is Editorial Board chairman of Blueprint Newspaper and a syndicate columnist expressed in her Article titled “G-5 governors and the tight rope ahead ” Published by Premium times recently said that Governor
Nyesom Wike, the arrowhead of the G-5 rebellious governors of the PDP, also known as the Integrity Group, will finally reveal his presidential candidate. February and March will finally put the drama, theatrics, horses trading, named calling and negative vibes of the 2023 election campaigns behind us, so that we can focus on governance , good governance, that is direly required by Nigerians to bring the country back from the road to perdition that it has been on in the last few months. Hopefully.
But in the interim, the five governors are almost at the end of their game of suspense. Very soon their junkets, even to the moon, will become immaterial, because all of them, with the exception of Governor Makinde, who may or may not return, would become ex irrelevant and free fund-less. This is because, like it or not, they all currently operate at the expense of their states, which pay their bills, including estacode. Others who want to be senators, even if they win, will become a few fractions of 109 Members .
She added that even to get to that level, the embittered governors cannot afford to sit on the fence forever. Neutrality is not optional, though some of them have declared their support for Peter Obi, making it impossible to say which party they belong to. It is said that if you don’t believe in something, you can fall for anything.
The governors claim to be fighting for justice, fairness and equity, but what happens in the event that they do not have their way and still have to belong somewhere? “We should recall that the G-5 gn some PDP governors form merger with other Political Parties like ANPP , ACN and CPC which resulted in winning the poll by the ruling Party – APC.
overnors emerged after Wike lost out to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at the PDP presidential primary election, and also the vice presidential slot of the party was offered to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, and not Wike still. They have since been demanding for the removal or reesignation of the party Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu for being from the North, the same zone with Atiku Abubakar, against the party’s gentlemen’s zoning arrangement.” She said.
In their kind of game (Nigerian politics), it is either you ship in or ship out and loyalty can only be to one political party. That day of reckoning is almost here. The governors originally had the sympathy of many Nigerians, but now they appear to be losing the emotional war, owing to their recalcitrance. Unfortunately, the Nigerian situation makes being out of office a lonely road to travel you become rejected, dejected and irrelevant, because of our notion of the ‘winner-takes-all’. So, which party will be “home” to the five governors?
Unfortunately for these governors, the presidential and National Assembly elections hold on the same day (25 February), which further complicates their matter. How do you tell largely illiterate voters, on election day, to vote for different parties, using a ballot paper that has only party initials and logos? How awkward will it be to admonish voters to “vote for party A for president and party B for senator?
Research Professor at Mambayya House, Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria
The columnist said the G-5 governors are playing with fire, which has the capacity to engulf them too. “Their antics remind me of what happened in the 2015 presidential election in most states. In Kogi, when the PDP realised the overwhelming APC tsunami under the now President Muhahammadu Buhari as presidential flagbearer could consume them, they (PDP candidates, especially for the Senate and House of Representatives) devised a way of pairing their pictures and that of Buhari on their posters, while encouraging the people to vote APC for the presidency and PDP for the Senate and House of Representatives. APC quickly capitilised on this hollow and illogical arrangement and won the election at both levels.” Zainab Okino stated.
The Political Scientists says internal crises in Political parties is a sign post in most developing Democracies Nigeria inclusive. PDP suffers several internal rancour right from inception when democracy returns to Nigeria in 1999. Beside PDP other parties also experience one form of crises to another. “Since 1999 none of the Political Parties in Nigeria have ever witnessed hundred percent cohesion that a good Political Party should have” Professor Moses said.
He added that the issue behind the main Nigeria’s opposition party crises buttresses on constitutional stand about the existing PDP Chairman which the aggrieved governors insist on about having Presidential Candidate from one region and the party chairman from the other. Their grudges also is on the violation of the party’s constitutional provision by the party National chairman because of the personal interest of Presidential Candidate..
Will this crises make or mar the PDP success in 2023 election?
With regard to what will be the negative or Positive consequences of the PDP G5 Governors the professor of Political science said the rebellious governors come from strategic States that can cause serious harm to Peoples Democratic party in the 2023 Presidential election.
He added that state like Rivers ,Oyo and Enugu are strategic in winning the number one position in Nigeria hence PDP is bound to lose such states due to governors power in their respect domain.
However on the other hand if other parties like APC wins will the crises rocking the PDP with five governors at forefront be considered as a reason. The analyst said it should be counted among the causes considering what happen towards the 2015 election whe.
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