PDP Crisis: What does Wike Want? By: Sani Danaudi Mohammed
AREWA AGENDA – It is true that Nigerian politicians are not judged by their words of yesterday because they are worthless to them. Governor Wike has abandoned his previous political beliefs in pursuit of personal interest and expediency. It is now clear even to the blind that, He has allied with those he tagged political enemies by throwing away his political associates. Lack of Political ideology is the reason why their words are not set in stone; he is fickle by nature and we should be cautious and know when to give them trust for fear of disappointment at the time of the need. He has failed to maintain the principle of National interest against personal interest and has chosen to work for himself instead of the average Nigerians.
What is called PDP today was founded when Governor Nyeson Ezenwo Wike was 31 years old. The party has been a home for him since its inception has given him a platform to flourish, gave him a voice and made him a national figure. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Nigeria, along with its main rival, the All Progressives Congress. Its policies generally lie towards the centre-right of the political spectrum. The party won every presidential election between 1999 and 2011. Until the 2015 elections, the governing party in the Fourth Republic lost to the opposition led by the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
In 1998, the PDP in its first Presidential primary election held in Jos, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria nominated former military leader Olusegun Obasanjo who had just been released from detention as the presidential candidate in the elections of February 1999, with Atiku Abubakar (Governor-Elect of Adamawa State and a former leading member of the Social Democratic Party) as his running mate. The party has a neoliberal stance in its economic policies and maintains a conservative stance on certain social issues like same-sex relations and favours social conservatism on moral and religious grounds.
In December 2006, the Late Umaru Yar’Adua (formerly of the Peoples Redemption Party and the Social Democratic Party) was chosen as the presidential candidate of the ruling PDP for the April 2007 general election, receiving 3,024 votes from party delegates. His closest rival, Rochas Okorocha, received only 372 votes. He was eventually declared the winner of the 2007 general elections held on April 21 and was sworn in on May 29, 2007, on the Principles of equity and shares of the prosperity of rotational Presidency.
On economic policies, The party favours a free market which supports economic liberalism, and limited government regulation. In 2003, Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and then Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala embarked on an economic reform program which reduced government spending through conservative fiscal policies and saw the deregulation and privatization of numerous industries in the Nigerian services sector notably the Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) industry.
The PDP Constitution at Chapter One, Section 7(3)(c) States in pursuant to the principles of equity, justice, and fairness the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of the party and public elective offices, and its shall be enforced by the appropriate Executive Committees at all levels. In 2010, Alhaji Sani Aminu Dutsima had dragged the party and its national chairman Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo before the high court contending that he championed the bastardization of the PDP constitution to pave the way for Jonathan to contest the presidency on the platform of the party. This was the beginning of the abuse of the foundations and principles of the Party that prioritised the Unity and diversity of the Nigerian State.
The Plaintiff lost the case when an Abuja High Court sitting in Maitama declined to invoke its original jurisdiction and compel the Peoples Democratic Party to enforce its zoning arrangement. just as it equally struck out a suit seeking to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from vying for presidency under the party’s umbrella in the 2011 elections. The Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation then commended the court ruling, saying the court agreed with its view that rotation and zoning are political issues that are within the prerogative of political parties to determine.
The zoning principles of the PDP are viewed as the business of the weak-minded political splinter groups within the opposition party. For instance, In 2011, Wike’s Camp supported the abolishment of zoning to favoured former President Goodluck Jonathan. The irony today is that He is the same person preaching the principles of equity, fairness and share of prosperity citing injustice as an element to effect changes in the composition of the National Executive Committee of the party to axe Senator Ayu. The demand for the National Chairman’s resignation by his cronies is nothing but an attempt to wipe out completely the party from the Nigerian Political Space.
The French statesman Charles de Gaulle famously said: Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word.” In other words, politicians don’t believe their own words; those who believe them do so at the cost of their reputations. If Wike can be judged by his past utterances against other Political Parties especially the ruling All Progressives Congress, His latest attitude towards his party and its Presidential Candidate speak in high volume about the inconsistency of the Nigerian politicians. What does Wike Want? He only wants to destroy the hard labour and sacrifices of the founding fathers of the Party who despite their tribes and religious backgrounds came to form a Movement that has the central interest of Nigeria (Peace and Unity).
Read Also:
This scenario is not different from the Late Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan when they both contested and won convincingly their elections with National Chairmen from the same regions. Ahmadu Ali and Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo were both National Chairmen from the same zones with their Presidential Candidates in 2007 and 2011 respectively subject to their replacements after elections. The agitations by Wike Camp and his song of sacrificing for the party are nothing more than oratory speeches considering their current stands. Having a Presidential Candidate with the Party National Chairman from the same zone is not something new in PDP unless the Wike’s Camp are suffering from a history of anamechia.
Just like GEJ had his share of splinter groups in the aftermath of the 2015 general elections, Atiku Abubakar is equally reaping the same from Wike’s Camp. In 2015, Goodluck Jonathan was defeated by Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress by 55% to 45%, losing by 2.6 million votes, out of approximately 28.6 million valid votes cast. Out of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Buhari won 21 states while President Goodluck Jonathan won 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory. His defeat was attributed to the party’s internal crisis.
Since he entered politics in 1989, Atiku Abubakar has contested five times for the Office of President of Nigeria in 1993, 2007, 2011,2015 and 2019. In 1993, he contested the Social Democratic Party presidential primaries losing to Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe. He was a presidential candidate of the Action Congress in the 2007 presidential election coming in third to Umaru Yar’Adua of the PDP and Muhammadu Buhari of the ANPP. He contested the presidential primaries of the People’s Democratic Party during the 2011 presidential election losing out to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
In 2014, he joined the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2015 presidential election and contested the presidential primaries losing to Muhammadu Buhari. In 2017, he returned to the Peoples Democratic Party and was the party presidential candidate during the 2019 presidential election, again losing to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. In May 2022, he was chosen as the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the 2023 Nigerian presidential election. Despite losing elections does not in any way make Atiku draw a battle line or blame anyone for his inability to win.
On the other hand, Governor Nyeson Wike was a local Government Chairman between 1999-2007 and appointed Chief Staff to the Executive Governor of Rivers State Rt. Hon.Rotimi Amaechi in 2007. He was Minister of State Education from 2011 until he became an Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015 to date. t is now open that, He orchestrated the removal of Uche Secondus by ensuring that a Northerner Senator Ayu from Benue, North Central Nigeria was elected National Chairman to pave the way for a Presidential Candidate from the South. Unfortunately for him and his allies that the zoning was overthrown in 2011. He is no doubt one of the performing Governors in Nigeria but his current stand just because he lost out at primaries is an indication that his political retirement is around the corner. Despite his sacrifices yet PDP discovered and make him who he is, There would have been no Wike without PDP and this should help to refresh his thinking ahead of 2023. Currently, He has the governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and State Assemblies candidates for 2023 general elections under the same umbrella he wants to destroy.
Who Offended Governor Wike? Let me be categorically clear that no one offended him, It is not Atiku and the National Chairman Ayu. He has been a PDP flag bearer of which he was elected twice as Governor of Rivers State. He has been a product of the Party Convention twice, He is currently acting and staging a drama like Aki and Paw Paw over a convention he has admitted to being free, fair and credible. His romance with the APC and LP Presidential Candidates left many in doubt of his willingness to pay the PDP for all it has done for him from 1999 to date. He has the right to join the Party of his choice including the APC. as its stands, He will not be the reason why PDP may win or lose in 2023 unless Nigerians decide because they have the power of the votes.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is a Nigerian political party founded in August 1998 by members of numerous groups and organizations, including the groups known as G-18 and G-34. These groups of patriotic Nigerians despite differences in religion and tribe laid the foundations for the Nigerian democracy. Wike, a beneficiary of the outstanding sacrifices of these eminent Nigerians should not be singing the songs of division and defeats to a political Party he claimed to love so much. If not because of wike and a few others who insisted that GEJ should recontest despite agitations from the PDP Northern bloc, the party may have won the elections if a Northerner as its Presidential Candidate. Working against Atiku in the 2023 general elections is not worth time spending on those who have the great vision to see beyond their nose.
The man has been overrated and the PDP are now shifting grounds from seeking the mandates and votes of the millions of eligible Nigerian voters to engaging a man who could not decides the fate of the party in the 36 States and the FCT. He is hurting himself more than he thinks he is hurting Atiku because there will be Wike without PDP. To me, He is not a Political school where politics are been thoughts of because without power, He will be nowhere to be found, unlike Atiku that has lived and aged strong in the political arena of Nigeria since 1989.
Danaudi,National President of Arewa Youths advocate for Peace and Unity Initiative, Writes from Bauchi via [email protected].
