By Seyi Odewale
As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prepares for its national convention next Saturday, there are indications that some powerful forces within the party are bent on tearing the soul of the party apart.
But the PDP’s National Convention Organising Committee said yesterday that despite the court cases instituted by some aggrieved members of the party, the planned convention will hold on October 30 and 31 respectively.
In a statement by the PDP National Convention Organising Committee’s Secretary, Governor Seyi Makinde, members of the party were assured that the convention will hold as planned.
The Committee said it was aware of “a few misguided members who have approached the High Court in Kaduna in an attempt to prevent the PDP from holding its national convention on October 30 and 31.”
Makinde said there was nothing wrong in their approaching a court of competent jurisdiction to air their grievances.
“We maintain that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP has acted in good faith in fixing our convention for October 30 and31. It is not meant to witch-hunt anyone or to truncate anyone’s mandate.
“Therefore, we call on all members and supporters of the PDP to ignore this distraction as we prepare to host a convention that will send a clear signal to Nigerians that the PDP is the only party that has the will and the might to rescue Nigeria from the catastrophe that we have been enduring for the past six years.
“We are aware that a united PDP is a threat to the forces that seek to divide us. Therefore, we urge our teeming supporters nationwide to keep the faith as we are taking all necessary measures to ensure that we will not be distracted from our goal.
“We are determined to strengthen our party structure and put in the work needed to unify and restore our great nation on the path to economic prosperity and greatness. We, therefore, urge all party faithful to continue to rally support as we prepare to host our National Convention on October 30 and 31, 2021,” he said.
The governor was corroborated by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, who said in a telephone chat with ThisNigeria yesterday that the party would go on with its convention despite the ongoing legal tussle with Secondus.
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“The preparation for the national convention is ongoing. We have started our announcements already and every committee is working towards the October 30 and 31 National Convention. The PDP does not work by speculations. So far, so good, we are going ahead with the convention” he said.
Although the party may have agreed to zone the party’s national chairman’s slot to the north, it is yet unclear if the presidential slot will be given to the south.
Going by an informal zoning arrangement that had been in force in the party since it won the presidency in 1999 when Nigeria returned to democratic rule, the zone where the national chairman emerged from had not produced a presidential candidate for the party.
The party’s zoning committee has come out with the zoning of the chairmanship slot to the north, which was ratified by its National Executive Committee (NEC).
What is particularly disturbing to many members of the party is the myriad of court cases instituted by some aggrieved members of the party. Noted as a big clog on the party’s way of holding a successful convention is the suit instituted by the former National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus. There is another one filed at the Kaduna High Court to prevent the national convention from holding.
Opinions, however, differ on what may befall the party going by the legal tussle it is facing. To some, the court may spring a surprise, but to others, the case is dead on arrival. According to those who see Secondus removal as nothing unusual, they say he would not be the first to leave the way he was removed. “He is not the first person to have left that way even though his supporters believe he should have a soft landing,” they said.
Attempts by Senator David Mark’s eight-member committee to find an amicable solution to the problem between Secondus and Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, ThisNigeria learnt, failed.
Making the issue more intractable was the fresh dimension the matter took last Friday when Secondus lawyers insisted that the appeal filed by their client against suspension as the PDP chairman, was still pending in court.
In a letter by Secondus lawyers, Tayo Oyetibo’s chambers, dated October 21, and addressed to the PDP acting National Chairman, Yemi Akinwonmi; the Chairman, PDP National Convention Committee, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State; PDP National Organising Secretary, Austin Akobund; PDP National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem; and the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ibrahim Tsauri. The letters were routed through the recipients’ lawyers, Chief E.O. Oddey Odey and Odey Solicitors, the PDP was reminded of the pending appeal with suit number: CA/PH134/2021 and an application before the Federal High Court seeking o restrain the p[arty from conducting its national convention.
Oyetibo threatened to mount a legal challenge to the outcome of the convention should the party go ahead before the determination of the appeal, arguing that since the party received the court processes concerning the matter, it was only proper for it to stay the action and allow the suit to run its full course.
Aside from the contentious issue of the party’s national convention, what may again ruin the party’s chances at grabbing the presidency in 2023 is the possibility of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar contesting. Atiku, if given the ticket, will be contesting for the fifth time. Some members say Atiku should forgo his ambition.
Although the PDP rotational agreement is an unwritten convention, it is believed that the south may have the next slot in the presidential ticket. The south, they say should be given the opportunity if equity should be observed in the party.
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A retired professor of Political Science from the University of Ibadan, Femi Otubanjo, however, said there was nothing wrong in approaching the court.
Otubanjo said: “It is normal for political party members to go to court. Even in a developed democracy like the United States where we copied our system, you saw what happened under the former President, Donald Trump, there were so many court cases up to the very last moment and there was tension, but the process still went smoothly.
“We have always had this before elections where there are so many quarrels during primaries, especially. Note that nomination for governorship primaries, National Assembly representatives have always generated conflict.
“Ultimately, it will be resolved. What is important is that the courts, whether it is a written or unwritten rule, commit not to disrupt the democratic process because the parties have their mechanisms for resolving the crisis.
“It is only where the rights of the citizen are abridged or violated that the person can seek redress but that redress does not mean stopping the party process. Once you start stopping primaries, you are going to be affecting the election. And you are going to be undermining democracy which is our ultimate goal to be a democratic society. Even the courts must be aware that they have to allow the people to have recourse to their party constitutions.”
Speaking on the issues surrounding the presidential ticket, Otubanjo said, “Let us be realistic. It is ahead or tail win for PDP. If the PDP should pick a northern candidate and the APC picks a southern candidate, it should be balanced because the APC has the advantage of power but that will be neutralised by the sentiments of a northern candidate.
“So, the PDP has said its party chairman will come from the north and its presidential candidate will come from anywhere. However, what we find now is that there is even no southern candidate in the PDP that is preparing for the presidential slot.
“There is nobody that is saying he wants to be president and has prepared in any way. Although there is still time to prepare, the reality is that nobody can say this is a likely presidential candidate of the PDP from the south. So, they should live it open and take advantage of the political undercurrents in Nigeria.”
