The daily influx of
failed contestants in the recently concluded primaries of the Peoples
Democratic Party to its Abuja headquarters is merely an indication that
the ruling party is on edge. Gubernatorial, senatorial, House of
Representatives and State Houses of Assembly contestants who failed to
make it in the primaries have been besieging the secretariat to lodge
complaints with the National Working Committee over alleged
manipulation of the process.
The NWC, sources say, has no fewer than 30 petitions arising from the conduct of the primaries across the nation.
Some familiar faces
at the secretariat include: Osita Izunaso and Chris Anyanwu, both
senators from Imo State; Lee Maeba (Rivers), Grace Bent (Adamawa),
Abubakar Sodangi (Nasarawa) and a host of others. They form more than
60 of the 84 PDP senators who failed to clinch the party’s tickets in
their states. From the House of Representatives were Etim Bassey and
Patty Etete, from Akwa Ibom State, Dino Melaye (Kogi), who were among
hundreds of lawmakers of the lower chamber whose planned return was
scuttled during the primary elections. However, only two gubernatorial
cases have been loud at the secretariat. They are those of Akwa Ibom
and Kogi States. In the case of the Akwa Ibom, there were protests by
supporters of the opponents of the governor, Godswill Akpabio, who is
seeking to return for a second term in office.
Two weeks ago, some
placard-wielding youth stormed the party’s national secretariat, urging
the NWC members to cancel the election in the state. They claim Mr.
Akpabio merely imposed himself on members of the party.
Although no party
official received them, but apparently acting on petitions it received,
the NWC subsequently cancelled the election and ordered a fresh primary
election, which was again won by Mr. Akpabio. In the case of Kogi,
there were protests against the emergence of Jubrin Isah as the
gubernatorial flagbearer of the party as well as the defeat of Mr.
Melaye, a member representing Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu federal constituency.
When he came to the party’s secretariat, Mr. Melaye, who only a few
weeks ago had his suspension from the House leadership quashed by a
court, claimed that he lost the ticket because a fictitious delegates
list was used to conduct the exercise.
A strange twist
But the case of Mr.
Isah was more strange. Those who protested against his election alleged
that he is facing corruption charges at the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC). In the petition dated January 14, 2011,
submitted to the NWC, and signed by Segun Adeniyi from Kogi West
senatorial district, Shuaibu Ibrahim (Kogi East) and Abubakar Avazi
(Kogi Central) said Mr. Isah, who was until recently a director of
Afribank Nigeria Plc, “is still having a case pending against him with
other alleged corrupt bank officials with whom he was alleged to be
involved in fraudulent practices to the tune of N55 billion.” “We
implore the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party to look into
this issue so as not to be seen as a party that exalts corruption with
a view of preventing Isah Jibrin from using the party’s platform to
obtain immunity cover for his corrupt practices,” they concluded in the
petition which was also sent to INEC and EFCC. Curiously, even Idris
Ibrahim, the outgoing Kogi State governor who allegedly backed the
election of Mr. Isah, became a protester. He was at the secretariat to
make a case for his son, who lost the PDP ticket for a seat in the
House of Representatives.
The Obasanjo protest
Like Mr. Idris,
former President Olusegun Obasanjo was the earliest callers at the
secretariat. Mr. Obasanjo, whose regime witnessed a high volume
substitution of candidates without due process, held a closed-door
meeting with the former chairman of the party, Okwesilieze Nwodo for
hours.
Although, he
refused to speak with journalists on his mission, sources said he was
there for two reasons. The first was the alleged plot to deny his
daughter, Iyabo, a ticket to return to the Senate. He also reportedly
discussed the case of Oyo State where crisis trailed the congresses in
the state, leading to the death of a factional leader of the National
Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lateef Salako aka Eleweomo.
Two different
primary elections were held in Ogun State and the former president
suspected that the outcome of the one spearheaded by the governor,
Gbenga Daniel was going to be honoured by the national secretariat of
the party, hence he rushed down to Abuja. Before then, the leader of
the other camp and Commerce and Industry minister, Jubril Martins-Kuye
was already pressing buttons in Abuja to have the result conducted by
his camp recognized by the PDP national leadership or, at least,
harmonised the two lists of candidate thrown up by the two camps.
Incidentally, on
the day Mr. Obasanjo came, the Oyo State governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala,
his deputy, Taofeek Arapaja and prominent indigenes of the state also
met with Mr. Nwodo and other members of the NWC on how to resolve the
crisis in the state, which had then led to the arrest and detention of
the Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin.
Indirect protest
However, others
chose not to make noise about their grievances over the outcome of the
primaries. A few others, including governors, are registering their
complaints quietly or through emissaries. Sources disclosed that even
Mr. Akpabio has been making a case for some members of the House,
namely Etim Bassey and Eseme Eyiboh. Mr. Eyiboh, the spokesman of the
House of Representatives, was defeated by a former commissioner with
the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Bassey Dan-Abia. But the
governor’s alleged plan to make it a secret affair might have
backfired. Mr. Dan-Abia has vowed never to surrender his mandate. “I
can never surrender the ticket that was massively given to me by the
people of Eket federal constituency,” he told journalists.
Claiming that he
defeated Mr. Eyiboh by 586 to 179, the former legal adviser to the PDP
in Akwa Ibom State said he did not believe reports that Mr. Akpabio was
linked to the plan to supplant him. The governor himself has since
denied the move. Mr. Akpabio may not be the only one in the game. His
colleagues in Adamawa and Bayelsa States, Murtala Nyako and Timipre
Sylva, respectively have also appeared at the secretariat allegedly for
similar reason but chose not to make it loud. Unconfirmed reports said
the Bayelsa chief executive is still lobbying the PDP national
leadership to drop Henry Dickson, a member of the House of
Representatives for one of his acolytes. In the last two years or so,
there has been no love lost between Messrs Sylva and Dickson, a former
attorney general of the state when President Goodluck Jonathan was its
governor.
Nwodo’s last stand
The case of Enugu
State was a prominent one, with Mr. Nwodo and the state governor,
Sullivan Chime at each other’s throats. While Mr. Chime wanted almost
all the elected office holders to return, the former national chairman
would have none of that. Although Mr. Nwodo was forced to resign last
Tuesday over series of litigations against him, his exit is believed to
have been remotely caused by the battle with the governor and members
of his camp.
In Delta State,
Emmanuel Uduaghan who only returned as governor recently, is up in arms
against his former aide, Ifeanyi Okowa. Mr. Uduaghan is said to be
rooting for Mariam Ali, wife of the former national chairman of the PDP
to replace Mr. Okowa who won the ticket for Delta North senatorial
district. In Sokoto State, Kebbi, Taraba, Kaduna and a few other
states, there is anxiety, especially in the rank of federal and state
lawmakers who failed in their bid to return to the legislature.
Expectedly, apart from the governors who are itching to have the lists
of candidates from their states doctored, some of those who failed are
still mounting pressure on the PDP national leadership to send their
names to INEC.
Repairing the cracks
Mr. Jonathan is
also said to have come under pressure from some notable federal
lawmakers to intervene. Some of the aggrieved senators have, at a
meeting with him, allegedly reminded the president of his earlier
promise to ensure that many federal lawmakers are re-elected in order
to ensure that experience rule both chambers.
It was further
learnt that the lawmakers, who had planned protest votes against Mr.
Jonathan during the January 13 national convention, have asked the
president to pressure the party leadership to consider some of them
before the January 31 deadline for the submission of lists of
candidates to INEC.
But the party
leadership appears not ready to play ball. Bello Mohammed, the acting
national chairman said the NWC which is in custody of the lists from
all the states and will only tinker with them based on verifiable
reasons.
“Every petition
will be given due consideration and decision will be based on justice
and fair play,” Mr. Mohammed said. “Nobody will be shortchanged. No
result will be changed without valid, cogent and verifiable reasons. No
result will be cancelled except on reasons we can advance to the
general public.”
Going by the constitution of the party, the national chairman heads the committee that looks into such complaints.
But the anger in
the party has raised apprehension over its outing in the coming
elections. For a party that has been in power at the centre since the
return of democracy in 1999 and which controls about 27 states, the
fears of losing its hold on the nation, are genuine. This is especially
as some of the opposition parties are in alliance talks aimed at
dislodging it from power.
“It will be a tough time if the umbrella (symbol of PDP) goes into
battle tattered. Now the governors are taking the shine. All of them
who wanted second term got it and some are reportedly asking for the
head of the ministers from their states. This is what we wanted to
avoid when we proposed a bill to be included in our NECs,” a lawmaker
who prefers not to be named said last Friday. A source said last week
that the leadership of the party is likely to convene a special meeting
soon to address issues arising from the primaries before the January 31
deadline for the submission of list of candidates to INEC.
