PDP AND THE ROAD TO PEACE
It is in the country’s interest for the Peoples Democratic Party to put its house in order
B efore the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, delivered its recent decision on the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the expectation of many of the party leaders and members was that the ruling would resolve the main problem. That optimism has turned out to be totally misplaced. Both the Ali Modu Sherriff and Ahmed Makarfi factions which had earlier committed to use the Court of Appeal decision as a road map to the unification and repositioning of the dominant opposition party have since reneged on this commitment. And having resumed full blown hostilities, the Makarfi faction has approached the Supreme Court for a final determination of the issues at stake.
It is indeed unfortunate that the crisis within the PDP has robbed the nation of a viable opposition party that could serve as a check on the ruling All Progressives Party (APC), especially at a period many Nigerians have been left practically stranded by the policies of the Muhammadu Buhari administration. Yet without an organised political platform to mobilise the people to apply pressure on the implementation of viable alternative policy options, democracy risks a slide into authoritarianism, traces of which are already emerging in the country.
For instance, multiple court rulings ordering the release on bail of a couple of high profile detainees have been routinely ignored by the federal government. Meanwhile, some federal agencies have virtually become law on to themselves without a whimper from anyone or group, including the usually vociferous civil society organisations (CSOs). It is unlikely that a government that is aware of the impact of the opposition’s views of its policies on the public would behave this way.
Therefore, it is in the nation’s interest to have a viable opposition platform and the PDP, given its history and strong organisational hierarchy, is in the best stead to play this role. This is why we believe that critical stakeholders in the polity must be interested in helping the party to resolve its debilitating internal crisis.
The problem of the PDP arose from the subversion of its constitution by its leaders whose dictatorial tendencies undermined internal democracy in the party. With the benefit of state power for 16 years, its leaders developed a disposition that misled them into trampling on the democratic rights of members while acting as if they were above the law. Unfortunately, this culture of impunity has remained in spite of the loss of power about two years ago. This is why the decision of the Court of Appeal, which practically returned the party to status quo ante belum could not be implemented with both sides of the divide pretending not to understand the judgment.
Simply put, the Court of Appeal, in recognising Sheriff as the national chairman, restored the structure of the party as at the August 2016 botched national convention. This in our view means that all the members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party as at that date retain their positions. The challenge for many of the party leaders, however, is that Sheriff who was brought in by the governors before they realised their mistake has made it clear that he will dictate the terms of settlement.
Interestingly and understandably, the Sheriff faction that is favoured by the court of appeal is also not comfortable with the judgment, obviously because of the political implications for some of its officials who would have to step down. Yet what is not in doubt is that there is need for the PDP to quickly put its house in order for the task of taking up the mantle of providing a viable opposition to the ruling party.
While we hope that the Supreme Court will come to the rescue of the PDP by making a final declaration on the status of Sheriff, the road to permanent peace remains fidelity to the constitution of the party. That is where the PDP needs to mend its ways.
Without an organised political platform to mobilise the people to apply pressure on the implementation of viable alternative policy options, democracy risks a slide into authoritarianism, traces of which are already emerging in the country