Why key PDP stakeholders opt for political solution
Key leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have resolved to seek political solution to the lingering crisis within the party after a series of intense legal battle. Our correspondent chronicles some of the bigwigs, the intrigues and power play at the moment.
The effort by some stakeholders of the PDP, who hitherto maintained sealed lips, is to collapse the two parallel divides headed by Senators Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi towards re-focusing the opposition party.
Sheriff and Makarfi have been at daggers drawn for too long, fighting in the courts and in the media with attendant consequences on the survival of the party.
Pundits believe that PDP leaders had in the past taken things relating to the running of the party for granted. And while the party’s fortunes dwindled and its status depreciated to that of an opposition party, impunity and lack of respect for its constitution did not cease.
This led to the emergence of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who was given only three months to steer the ship and return it to where it belonged.
However, the attempt by Sheriff to allegedly re-contest the chairmanship caused stir and furor as some party bigwigs kicked against the move, leading to the emergence of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee. Since then, the party has been enmeshed in a series of litigations, with each factional leader claiming legitimacy.
But in their wisdom, however, party leaders have seen that the need to adopt political solution to the prolonged tussle between the two political gladiators remains imperative in view of the growing bid to reclaim power in 2019.
The need for the political solution, analysts say, arose in view of the intense legal tussle, which saw Sheriff getting victory at the Appeal Court as the authentic national chairman.
A foundation member of the party from the North, who craved anonymity, told Daily Trust on Sunday in a telephone interview that stakeholders were afraid that in the event that Sheriff wins at the Supreme Court, he would hijack the party.
“Some see him as a spoiler; someone who cannot be trusted,” he said.
He added that in the event that Sheriff defeats Makarfi at the Apex Court, he is likely to become belligerent, while the Makarfi group would have no other option than to pull out of the party. If this happens, the former Borno governor would ultimately become an indispensible landlord.
He said the development would not augur well with the founding fathers of the party, vision and mission of the party.
“Political solution is better than the legal option; the latter is capable of causing more divisions and doing more damage to the party.
“Also, it will take time and resources for the Supreme Court to deliver judgement. Above all, we will still have to go to the national convention. That is why stakeholders deemed it necessary to adopt a political solution. That is why we are consulting and discussing,” he said.
Similarly, a member of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and former minister of education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, told Daily Trust on Sunday in an interview that all stakeholders were involved in the peace talks in such a manner that at the end of it nobody would feel left out.
“The governors are playing their role, PDP leaders in the National Assembly are playing their role, and you see various interest groups, including former ministers’ forum, youth forum, women forum and many others playing their role. To cap it all, the BoT and the founding fathers are involved and playing their roles.
“The concern is that the baby must not die; it must survive,” he said.
The political solutio-n being brokered by former President Goodluck Jonathan is aimed at uniting the two factions in order to enable the party organise a national unity convention for new leaders to emerge ahead of 2019.
It learnt that Jonathan is holding talks with PDP governors, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and PDP leaders in the National Assembly, as well as other key stakeholders of the party to resolve the crisis amicably.
But while speculations were ripe that Jonathan, in a meeting on February 28 with governors of the party, held in Abuja, had asked the two key actors to step aside, the former president refuted the claim in a statement by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze.
“We wish to urge the public and well-meaning PDP members to ignore misleading conjectures as they are obviously the handiwork of those who do not wish the party well, and are therefore not happy with the current reconciliation efforts,” he said.
There are indications that Jonathan’s proposition for political solution is gathering momentum because prominent party stalwarts are following suit.
Evidently, he exerts a lot of influence in the party and analysts believe that whatever he says will be respected; more so, he has nothing to lose in the event that they refuse to heed his advise.
For instance, a former deputy Senate president, Ibrahim Mantu, says political solution being sought by party leaders and stakeholders lies with Sheriff.
Mantu, a staunch supporter of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee stated this on Monday when he led a delegation of Northern Patriotic PDP Stakeholders to the party’s national secretariat on a courtesy visit to Sheriff. He said the first step towards proffering a political solution to the leadership crisis bedeviling the party was to obey the Appeal Court judgement which declared Sheriff as the authentic national chairman of the party.
According to him, the court judgement has given the party another chance to reflect on its past mistakes.
He argued explicitly that it was incumbent on Sheriff to make wide consultations and organise a national convention where new leaders of the party would emerge.
“We met and said that people like us could not be around and allow things to go bad or sour. It became clear to us that unless patriotic measures are taken, we will sit and watch the PDP destroyed. All these are happening because of ego and personal interest.
“We commend you (Sheriff) for your magnanimity by declaring no vanquish, no victor, and that you won’t be interested in contesting the office of national chairman. This is a rare sacrifice.
“So all other interests should make sacrifices, not only Sheriff. The first step to getting a political solution is to comply with the Appeal Court judgement, or we will be portrayed as unfaithful and unpatriotic party leaders,” he said.
Mantu said the alleged submission of the Advanced PDP to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration as a political party by some PDP members was a mere speculation, stressing that it is a wind that blows no good. Makarfi remains adamant But Senator Makarfi has added another angle to the discourse, refuting the claims in some quarters that he had reached a deal with Sheriff for a political solution.
Makarfi, in a statement by his spokesman, Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo, said the Caretaker Committee was amenable to “a reconciliation that is comprehensive and creates a level playing field for all, legally watertight and acceptable to all organs of the party.
“Senator Ahmed Makarfi wishes to state categorically that although his commitment to reconciliation in the party, as well as that of the Caretaker Committee, over which he has the honour to preside, are total and unwavering, neither he nor the committee has given or accepted any terms to, or from anybody.
“He is on record to have repeatedly assured all that having accepted the challenge thrown at him and other members of the committee by all organs of the party to steer it away from the path of disunity and rancour, he and the committee he heads are ready to abide by any decision these organs may take at any time,” the statement said.
Another angle to the entire drama is the submission of the Governor Seriake Dickson-led PDP National Reconciliation Committee report, which recommended that Sheriff should organise a national convention of the party not later than June 30, 2017.
The report of the committee, submitted to Sheriff by the governor at the Wadata Plaza, also proposed that the Convention Planning Committee should consist of seven PDP governors, seven senators, including the deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu; 12 members of the House of Representatives and six members of the Board of Trustees (BoT).
Others are three state chairmen per zone; six serving speakers of state Houses of Assembly; six former governors; former presiding officers of the National Assembly who are still members of the party; six prominent women leaders; six youth leaders; six former ministers of the party and 12 others to be nominated by the national chairman, in consultation with stakeholders of the party.
The committee also recommended that the convention committee be responsible for the conduct of the elections into all national offices of the party, including the zoning of such offices.
But governor Dickson, expressed worry that despite the tremendous efforts of the committee and some stakeholders of the party, it was still cumbersome to get Sheriff and Makarfi groups on the same page.
“If you go to the Appeal Court or Supreme Court and get judgement, you will still conduct a national convention, so political solution is be best option. The convention will give the party the opportunity to heal itself and move forward,” he said.
But while the Sheriff group is comfortable with the report, the Makarfi group expressed discomfort with the content and manner it was presented, arguing that it was too early for the report to be made public, considering that it will require some amendments by some organs of the party.
At the moment, all eyes are waiting to see whether the political solution being opted for would put an end to the crisis and return the party to Aso Rock in 2019.