KEEN observers of political happenings in the country have had very interesting events around the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party has faced various heightened challenges in recent times.
Amidst rumours of a possible depletion of its ranks in the polity and the vehement denials by suspected actors in these arguments. The outcome after the allegations of defection and counter allegations proved tragic for the party.
It lost two state governors and many members in the National Assembly from these states and others. While that is on, its chieftains from different states across the country are also reviewing their status in the party as they are seen working in the coalition.
A logical excuse for defection provided by the Akwa Ibom state governor, Umo Eno, in the controversial video that went viral was that he would want to suffer nullification based on technicalities where he would have won a second term in office.
While the statement spoke to the root of the PDP in the state it also threw a veiled but painful reality on the possibility of a systemic malaise that could interfere with the processes.
The recent internal conflict that posed serious challenges to the party was the fight between the National Working Committee on who was actually its National Secretary.
For the party to allow the fight that it could have resolved early to be externalized after the counsel of the Supreme Court that it was an internal issue which the party would resolve, was a pointer to many politicians in the party of how fragile their chances were ahead of 2027.
The infighting was occasioned by the fight between Sen. Samuel Anyanwu and Ude Okoye. Both men were laying claim to the office of the Secretary of the party. Anyanwu was a product of the highest decision making body of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the October 2021 Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Upon vying for the gubernatorial office in Imo State, the southeast Caucus had shipped for a replacement for him in the National Working Committee of the party as the National Secretary.
Feelers from some southeast Caucus of the party shared with this paper that he, Sen. Sam Anyanwu, had assured the leader of the Southeast caucus that governor of Enugu State, Barr. Peter Mbah that he would resign his appointment as National Secretary of the party. An assurance that prompted the search and decision of Hon. Sunday Ude Okoye as a replacement.
Unfortunately, the gubernatorial quest did not materialize as sought by the NWC member. His return to the NWC provoked the Southeast who had already committed its support to Ude Okoye.
This led to conflicting signatures of authority from the PDP in which the Chairman of the Party Amb. Umar Damagum consigned correspondences to the regulatory body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The conflicting Secretariat authorities in the signatures of the correspondence to the Independent National Electoral Commission at the time.
This development was indeed scary and a bad signal to all political heavyweights of the party who knew that such a scenario had completely excluded them from national politics.
This reality paved the way for those who were uncomfortable with the internal working which has been injustices for many of them to exit the party.
Besides those who openly left the party, other members of the party like the immediate past Presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, and others who are promoting the coalition which has found the Advanced Democratic Congress (ADC) as the new special purpose vehicle to advance her political future.
Before the birth of the political trajectory by these known Peoples Democratic Party leaders, the PDP had initiated moves to reconcile varying contending issues which had distanced many of its members from the party.
Its 99th National Executive Committee and 100th Expanded National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings took bold measures to resolve the issues.
The highlight 99th NEC meeting amongst other issues was that it set up the Saraki committee to reconcile its grieving members and the 100th Expanded Committee reinstated the contentious issue of the National Secretary as it prepares for the National convention of the party.
Today, it is obvious that the coalition settlingjits tent in the ADC are either the aggrieved persons of the Peoples Democratic Party or those who are uncertain of what fate would befall the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It was on Tuesday, early in the week, that the former politicians who were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party amongst other politicians took meeting rooms at the Transcorp Hilton hotel Abuja to unveil the special purpose vehicle they would use as coalition and extended an invitation to their erstwhile party the PDP urging her to collapse her structures for the coalition.
Some of the roll call at the meeting included the Former Vice President of the Atiku Abubakar, Former Senate President, David Mark, Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, Sam Egwu (Imo) Mua’zu Babangida (Nigeria) Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), Emeka Ihedioha (Imo), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Aminu Tambuwal, Sen. Dino Melaye, amongst others.
The invitation of the PDP stakeholders to her party member a day before the unveiling into the coalition speaks volume to the impact the party membership would have on the party that is troubled by the various centrifugal forces that has taken an external dimension.
For the party, the decision to reinstate Sen. Samuel Anyanwu as the national secretary of the party goes a long way to resolve the contentious issue that scared ambitious members of the Peoples Democratic from the party to return home.
In the last NWC meeting, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Amb. Umar Damagum, said, “To those that are contemplating, they should know that they have no place and there is nowhere that will be as accommodating as our party. But if they feel otherwise, I would wish them good luck. But I know they will run back.”
The challenge to this invitation by the chairman of the party is the fact that most of these members of the party who are with the new special-purpose political vehicle are still dancing with the coalition.
The reality of their prevarication is something to be considered. For Senator David Mark, he has been decisive. He wrote the party through his ward chairman, announcing his resignation from the party given his new found political party.
What would be agitating the mind of most Nigerians seeking political redemption, would be why did these other members of the PDP like Atiku not openly announce their resignation from the PDP as David Mark did.
Same for the other members of the Party who are either outside the party or prevaricating where they would want to be.
For Nigerians, those who seek to better Nigeria must have the nation’s critical issues at heart, all of which are encapsulated in the nation’s welfare programme, well enunciated in her policy. This would cover critical areas as health, education, security etc.
READ ALSO: 2027: Atiku, David Mark, others urge PDP to join coalition against Tinubu
