‘Euphoric’ auto tickets rocking PDP boats in states
The leading opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is facing a lot of troubles not only at the centre where it is trying to manage primaries at the national level, but in many states where probably because of the euphoria of receiving defectors from t
Hamza Idris (Abuja) Itodo Daniel Sule (Lokoja), Nabob Ogbonna (Abakaliki), Haruna Gimba Yaya (Gombe), Hassan Ibrahim (Lafiya) & Eyo Charles (Calabar)
The PDP had of recent people in surplus when many heavyweight politicians from across the country joined its league. The likes of Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso have all gone to the PDP. Governors Aminu Tambuwal, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Samuel Ortom have moved with a horde of supporters. The latest prominent defector is Speaker Yakubu Dogara who left on Thursday, though his exit was long anticipated.
Earlier in July, Saraki had given a clean bill of health to 15 senators who dumped the APC even as most of them went to the PDP, only a few joined the SDP and ADC.
Dino Melaye (Kogi-West), Adesoji Akanbi (Oyo-South), Monsurat Sunmonu (Oyo-Central), Rafiu Ibrahim (KwaraSouth), Suleiman Hunkuyi (KadunaNorth), Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun-Central), Usman Nafada (Gombe), Ibrahim Dambaba (Sokoto), Mohammed Shittu (Jigawa), Isa Misau (Bauchi), Suleiman Nazif (Bauchi), Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara), Barnabas Gemade (Benue), Senator Abdul-Azeez MurtalaNyako (Adamawa).
The situation is the same in in the House of Representatives and many state houses of assembly where some legislators left the APC for the PDP.
Managing the ‘success’
However, managing the ‘success’ is becoming problematic for the PDP as evidenced in what is happening in many states. While the defectors had obtained ‘clean bills of health’ in the guise of automatic tickets by the PDP before they go, they are mostly facing stiff opposition back at home, considering that some members had managed their pains outside the corridors of power, patiently waiting for time like this to seek for elective offices, only for some returnees or new comers to be given automatic tickets.
Kogi
In Kogi State, the move to grant automatic tickets to National Assembly members, especially those that defected to the PDP fold is already causing ripples among stakeholders, especially the existing party members who are aspiring to pick the party’s tickets.
Among those that defected to the party are Senator Melaye and two other Reps from Kogi East, Hassan Omale (Ankpa/ Olamaboro/Omala federal constituency) and Benjamin Ikani Okolo (Dekina/Bassa federal constituency).
PDP stakeholders from Kogi West, among them senatorial aspirants such as Rep Sunday Karimi, Rep. Tajudeen Yusuf and Chief Clarence Olafemi are said to have roundly opposed the moves by the national leadership of the party to grant automatic ticket to Melaye.
Daily Trust learnt that a meeting between the National Working Committee of the PDP and the stakeholders from Kogi West senatorial district to reach a truce on the issue of automatic ticket for Melaye ended in stalemate as the aspirants insisted that A level playing ground must be given to all to test their popularity.
Opposition against an automatic ticket for Melaye seems to be loudest from the Yagba axis which is yet to have a shot at the Senate since the inception of democracy in 1999.
The argument is that the Ijumu axis where Senator Melaye hails from, had produced Senator Smart Adeyemi for eight years and Melaye for another four years while Yagba is yet to take a shot at the Senate, hence the zoning.
In the same vein, some groups from Kogi East have also kicked against any move to impose Senator Attai Aidoko on the people through an offer of automatic ticket, insisting that it is now the turn of Idah to produce the next senator.
Ebonyi
First to oppose automatic ticket was the Umuekumenyi Youth Assembly which comprises of Ebonyi North and Centre senatorial zones.
The group said the planned automatic tickets to Senators Sam Egwu for Ebonyi North and his counterpart representing Ebonyi Central zone, Sen. Obinna Ogba would spell doom for the PDP in the state in 2019.
The reason is that the two having come from minority groups in the zones would create appropriate chances for candidates of the APC to win the two seats in 2019.
For the House of Representatives, six serving PDP lawmakers seeking to return are at risk of losing their seats in the forthcoming elections, especially those that have exceeded second term.
The members include Sylvester Ogbaga representing Abakalki-Izzi constituency who is on his fourth straight time in the National Assembly. Another is Hon. Linius Abba Okorie representing Onicha/Ohanzara/lvo who is seeking a third time ticket in 2019.
Also on the list of those who got promises for another term are Hon. Anayo Nwonu representing Ezza North/Ishielu, Hon. Lazarus Ogbee for Ezza South/Ikwo and Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku for Ebonyi/ Ohankwu constituencies.
Gombe
In Gombe, the only prominent politician that defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is Senator Usman Bayero Nafada, who left the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside 15 others last July.
Bayero is vying for the governorship ticket alongside several others, although it is not clear if he was promised an automatic ticket by the party before he joined.
Political observers in the state are of the opinion that Bayero had an arrangement with Governor Dankwambo to swap their positions, in the event the governor fails to get the PDP presidential ticket. However, the defection of the Minority Leader of the APC in the Gombe State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Haruna to the PDP has created an upheaval in the state PDP.
According to some sources, Ahmed Haruna was promised an automatic return ticket to the House by Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, hence he vacated the position of principal officer to a floor member.
Not satisfied with the development, a younger brother to the governor, Buhari Mohammad Dankwambo, who was nursing the ambition to represent Gombe-North state constituency, ditched the party for the APC.
The former Minority Leader and Buhari Dankwambo are from the same Gombe Local Government Area.
Dankwambo’s younger brother angrily dumped the PDP despite several efforts by the governor’s aides to prevail on him to remain in the party.
Even though the younger Dankwambo is not politically relevant in the state, his defection is embarrassing to the party and Governor Dankwambo, a PDP presidential aspirant, for his biological brother to defect to an opposition party, political sources say.
Buhari Dankwambo has since collected an expression of interest and nomination forms to contest for the Gombe-North state assembly seat.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Dankwambo junior said he decided to join the APC because of injustice meted on him by the PDP.
Nasarawa
In Nasarawa State, there was a plot to give Senator Solomon Ewuga PDP an automatic ticket as gubernatorial candidate under the pretext of consensus. The plot was aborted in a meeting recently organized by the state working committee of the party in Akwanga, where all the seven gubernatorial aspirants rejected the move for a consensus candidate and insisted that they should go for primary election.
Daily Trust gathered that some forces within the national leadership of the party are fronting for Senator Ewuga and if they succeed, the situation will likely cause resentment and sharpen division that might eventually spell doom for the PDP in the state.
Already, five aspirants have picked the PDP governorship nomination form in the state. They include Senator Philip Gyunka, Senator Patricia Akwashiki, former deputy governor Dameshi Barau Luka, Emanuel David Ombugadu and Ewuga.
The failure of the leadership of the party to woo back a former Minister Information, Labaran Maku, is seen as a great threat to the party as he has already picked APGA governorship form.
Bauchi
Though the Bauchi State chapter of the PDP has ruled out automatic ticket for aspirants seeking various elective offices in the 2019 general elections, the situation is dicey in the state following the defection of some notable personalities.
The state PDP spokesperson, Yayanuwa Zainabari, said there is no automatic ticket for anyone. He said that, the party has also not offered automatic ticket to serving members of the National Assembly who defected from the APC. Senators Nazif and Hamma Misau, as well as Speaker Dogara have all joined the PDP.
However, all the defectors have other contenders vying for the seat they are occupying and have to go through primaries to get the tickets.
At present, Dogara is being challenged for the Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa Balewa Federal constituency ticket by Kefas Magaji, John Emmanuelan Nuhu Dallaji and Barrister Gshion Daniel Danna.
Salisu Zakari Ningi is also being challenged for his Ningi/Warji Federal Constituency ticket by Baba Idi Adamu. Senator Misau is being challenged for the PDP Bauchi Central senatorial district ticket by Abdullahi Gwaram and Abdulrazak Nuhu Zaki.
The only PDP member in the Bauchi State House of Assembly who represents Bogoro Constituency, Markus Makama, is also being challenged by one of Dogara’s aide, Iliya Habila, who recently joined the PDP.
Cross River
On Monday, PDP members in Cross River State stormed the state secretariat of the party to protest against alleged giving of automatic tickets to some people. Supporters of contenders for governorship, House of Representatives and senatorial tickets on the party’s platform besieged the secretariat in anger, a development that led to a scuffle. Two people escaped death after they surviving gun shots wounds from armed thugs.
While the PDP in Abuja is trying to meander its way so as not to lose any of its aggrieved members, observers believe that an implosion might be inevitable after the primaries.
The protests were against the purported automatic tickets given to Governor Ben Ayade, Senator Gershom Bassey, Senator Rose Oko and other National Assembly members.
While the PDP in Abuja is trying to meander its way so as not to lose any of its aggrieved members, observers believe that an implosion might be inevitable after the primaries